DrewMagazine.com: Rae Linda Brown on Trevor Weston: 'He stayed true to Florence Price’s voice.'

[Trevor Weston, PhD (Photo by Bill Cardoni)]

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) is featured at AfriClassical.com, which features her complete Works List as compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.

Drew Magazine

The Lost Concerto

“A composer rescues a classical work for piano written by an African-American woman whose music graced the Chicago World’s Fair.

By Christopher Hann

“Trevor Weston’s assignment seemed monumental, to put it mildly: Reconstruct the long-lost orchestral score for a piano concerto originally written by an early–20th-century, female African-American composer of classical music. Weston, 44, an associate professor of music at Drew, received the commission last year from the Center for Black Music Research in Chicago, which was planning to perform the concerto and release an album of the composer’s work. As Weston says, 'My name came up as someone who could put Humpty Dumpty back together again.'”

“Her name was Florence Beatrice Price. Born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1887, she performed at a piano recital at 4, published her first work at 11 and enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music at 16.” “But in 1932 Price won a prestigious prize for symphonic composition, and the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Frederick Stock, took note. Stock encouraged her to write a piano concerto, and the following year he presented Price’s Symphony in E minor at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair—the first time that a major American orchestra performed a symphony written by a black woman.

“Weston, who received a Ph.D. in music composition from UC-Berkeley, confesses to knowing little of Price’s life and work before he was approached by the Center for Black Music Research. The center was producing a series of recordings documenting the African diaspora, one of which was to be Price’s Concerto in One Movement. There was just one problem. 'We knew going into this,' says Morris Phibbs, the center’s deputy director, 'that part of the score for the concerto had been missing at least since 1940.'”

“This fall the Center for Black Music Research will release a studio recording of two works by Price: Symphony in E minor and Concerto in One Movement, as re-imagined by Trevor Weston. For Rae Linda Brown, the reviews are already in. 'We can uphold Trevor’s score as authentic,' Brown says. 'He upheld it as a piece of African-American history, a very important piece of history. He stayed true to Florence Price’s voice.'”

Comments by email:
Congratulations to Trevor!! I look forward to hearing a performance of this piece!! We need more exemplars of great music of Americans of African descent such as this!! Timothy W. Holley

Hi Bill: Timothy Holley will have an opportunity to hear the piece (performed by Karen Walwyn and the New Black Music Repertory Ensemble) along with Price’s Symphony No. 1 in e minor later this fall when our CD comes out. It is produced by Albany Records. It was extremely interesting to talk with Trevor about the reconstruction of the piano concerto from three manuscript versions—two for two pianos and one for three pianos(!). He did a great job. Suzanne [Suzanne Flandreau]

Kobayashi/Gray Duo: 'We are thrilled to be a part of the promotion of deserving, overlooked composers'

[Feminissimo; Albany Troy1081 (2008); Florence B. Price]

On June 28, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “YouTube: 'Kobayashi/Gray Duo performing Florence Price's The Deserted Garden.'” Pianist Susan Gray responds on behalf of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo:

“Dear Bill,

Thank you very much for including us on your website. We are thrilled to be a part of the promotion of deserving, overlooked composers. Thank you for your work.

Susan" [Florence B. Price is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features her complete Works List compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, whose website is: http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]

YouTube: 'Kobayashi/Gray Duo performing Florence Price's The Deserted Garden'

[ABOVE: Florence B. Price BELOW: Feminissimo; Albany Troy1081 (2008) (71:48)]

YouTube.com

“Live performance of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo performing Florence Price's The Deserted Garden for Violin and Piano.”

The video was posted June 27, 2011. A recorded performance of this work by Laura Kobayashi, violin, and Susan Keith Gray, piano, is found on the CD pictured above, Feminissimo: Women Playing Music By Women. It was released by Albany Records on Troy1081 in 2008. The liner notes say of the composer:

“She wrote more than 300 compositions, but her works remain largely unpublished. Deserted Garden reflects a vocal, spiritual style. It was published by Theodore Presser in 1933.”

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, where a complete Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, is featured. She was the first African American woman to compose a symphony which was performed by a major orchestra.

ArkansasOnline.com: 'Steinway Pianist Lara Downes to Perform All American Program, Little Rock' Feb. 24

[Lara Downes]

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a complete Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory.

ArkansasOnline.com

“featuring

Work by Historic Little Rock Composer

Presented by the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock

Where: Parish Hall, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

1000 North Mississippi Avenue

Little Rock, AR

When: Thursday, February 24, 2011 7:30 PM

Tickets: Adult $25; Student $10

http://www.chambermusiclr.com/tickets.html

Information: (501) 661-0520

“Full bio and images available for download at:

http://www.laradownes.com

“(2/9/2011) Little Rock, Arkansas – The Chamber Music Society of Little Rock will bring the music of a noted Little Rock native home when they present Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes on Thursday evening, February 24th. Ms. Downes will perform her critically acclaimed concert program, THE AMERICANS. Called 'an American musical-vernacular celebration delivered with finesse' (Seattle Times), THE AMERICANS is a fascinating recital that highlights distinctly American voices of the 20th century – Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin, Roy Harris and Little Rock born composer Florence Price. Ms. Price (1887-1953), a master artist unique to the nation, is considered to be the first black woman in the United States to be nationally recognized as a symphonic composer.

“Selected by the NEA for American Masterpieces funding as part of the University of Washington’s 2010-11 season, Ms. Downes’ vibrant, highly accessible program features perennial favorites such as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as well as lesser know works including Florence Price’s virtuoso solo piano masterpiece Fantasie Nègre:

“THE AMERICANS Program

Roy Harris: American Ballads

Samuel Barber: Excursions, Op. 20

Aaron Copland: Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo

Florence Price: Fantasie Nègre

Aaron Copland: Four Piano Blues

George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

“ABOUT LARA DOWNES

A captivating presence both on and offstage, critically acclaimed Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes is redefining the solo recital format with visionary, cutting-edge performances at prestigious concert venues worldwide. Lauded by NPR as 'a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship,' Ms. Downes presents the piano repertoire - from traditional favorites to newly commissioned works - in creative ways that bridge musical tastes, genres and audiences."

Comment by email:

Thanks Bill, this is terrific. I'm excited to play the Price piece in Little Rock! Best, Lara

A-R Editions Publishes Florence Price's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3, Edited by Rae Linda Brown

[Musicologist Rae Linda Brown, Vice President of Undergraduates, Loyola Marymount University]

areditions.com/

Florence Price Symphonies nos. 1 and 3 

Edited by Rae Linda Brown.

Rashida N. Black of The Myrtle Hart Society alerts AfriClassical to the November 2008 release of Florence Price's Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3. These MUSA editions are published by A-R Editions: “Music of the United States of America (MUSA) is a national series of scholarly editions that seeks to reflect the character and diversity of American music making. Published as a set within the Recent Researches in American Music series, MUSA is a joint venture with the American Musicological Society (AMS).  MU19 / A 66 ISBN 0-89579-638-4 (10-digit) ( November 2008) lii + 296 pp. $225.00 ISBN 978-0-89579-638-7 (13-digit).” 

“Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953), who settled in Chicago in 1927, was the most widely known African-American woman composer from the 1930s until her death. This edition presents two important unpublished orchestral works: the Symphony no. 1 in E Minor (1932) and the Symphony no. 3 in C Minor (1940). The style of these works is quite different. Price's Symphony in E Minor is squarely in the nationalist tradition, and it may be more fully considered in the context of the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Cultural characteristics are borne out in the pentatonic themes, call-and-response procedures, syncopated rhythms of the third movement's Juba dance, the preponderance of altered tones, and the timbral differentiation of instrumental choirs (the juxtaposition of the brass and woodwind choirs, for example).

“The Symphony in C Minor was inspired by new philosophical, political, and social currents, stemming from the Chicago Renaissance, underway from 1935-1950. The Great Migration (of blacks from the south to Chicago), the Depression, and the adjustment to urban life provided vivid life experiences as subject matter for Chicago Renaissance writers and artists (including Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Margaret Bonds). Price's third symphony, which omits overtly black themes and simple dance rhythms, presents a modern approach to composition–a synthesis, rather than a retrospective view, of African-American life and culture.” [Florence Beatrice Smith Price and Margaret Allison Bonds are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Garth Fagan Dance Brings Music of William Chapman Nyaho to Rochester, New York

[Dr. William Chapman Nyaho, Pianist, Professor and Music Editor]

On Nov. 3, 2008 AfriClassical posted “William Chapman Nyaho Plays Lamothe, Ndodana, Perkinson & Price in Garth Fagan Dance”. RochesterCityNewspaper.com published this preview on Dec. 3, 2008 of the Rochester performances from Dec. 4-7: “PREVIEW: Garth Fagan Dance, Call Waiting, By Casey Carlsen” “Audiences will gain a glimpse into the personal world of Garth Fagan - Tony Award winner, modern dance icon, and Rochesterian - with the local premiere of his revealing new work, 'Phone Tag, Thanks & Other Things,' this weekend. The dramatic action and emotional content of the piece evolves from actual messages left for Fagan on his cell phone and replayed on stage. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis tries to reach his friend, and the exasperation in his voice strikes a humorous chord. It's a sharp contrast to the poignancy of hearing Fagan's adult son contacting him from abroad after months of silence, identifying himself as Fagan's 'prodigal son.' 'Thank you for all the time you took in making me a man,' the son's message says.”

"'Phone Tag, Thanks & Things' first premiered at the Joyce Theater in New York City in November. Besides Depass, the piece features Annique Roberts, Guy Thorne, Lynet' Rochelle, Khama Phillips, and Norwood Pennewell. The music is composed by Bongani Ndodana (South Africa), Florence Price (USA), Ludovic Lamothe (Haiti), and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (USA), and recorded on piano by William Chapman Nyaho.” [William Chapman Nyaho, Florence B. Price, Ludovic Lamothe and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Comment on Audio Samples of Florence B. Price (1887-1953)

[Symphony No. 3; Mississippi River Suite; The Oak; The Women's Philharmonic; Apo Hsu, Conductor; Koch 3 75182H1 (2001)]

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) was an African American composer, arranger and music teacher who is profiled at AfriClassical.com She was the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra. An AfriClassical post on Feb. 12, 2008 included four audio samples of her music. Christine commented on March 2:

“Before today, I never heard of this composer. While listening to our local radio station WVAS from Alabama State University, I was impressed with Ms. Prices' music and the great legacy she left behind. I have been Googling to find as much information that I can. I would love to invest in some of the CD's for my music students. If anyone knows where I can find her music please forward the info.”

While some stores carry CDs of Florence Price, the easiest way to find her available recordings is to visit a classical music website such as ArkivMusic.com or HBDirect.com Another good source is the classical music section of Amazon.com