June 15, 1933

Chicago, IL

Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1 was composed in 1931–1932, when as Erin Hobbs has described it, Price was recovering from a broken foot. When the piece was completed in February 1932, she submitted it to the Rodman Wanamaker Competition where it won the first prize, with an award of $500. This achievement got the attention of Frederick Stock, conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which premiered the work under his baton on June 15, 1933 in Chicago. A later performance took place at Auditorium Theatre during the Century of Progress International Exposition. 

Price’s Symphony No. 1 was the second major symphony written by a Black composer to have its premiere in the United States, following William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American,” three years earlier by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Price was the first Black woman to have her work featured by a major orchestra. 

The premiere was received well, according to a review Robert Abbot wrote for the Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper, on June 24, 1933. After the work was performed, Abbot reported, “The large auditorium, filled to the brim with music lovers of all races, rang out in applause for the composer and the orchestral rendition, [and] it seemed that the evening could hold no greater thrill.” The work then fell into relative obscurity for several decades, with few performances until a discovery of her manuscripts in 2009, as Micaela Baranello discussed in a February 11, 2018, article in the New York Times. Alex Ross writes that a large collection of Price’s manuscripts was discovered in St. Anne Illinois, 2009. A couple had purchased what used to be Price’s summer home and found dozens of manuscripts, including two violin concertos that were thought to be lost. This led to the recording of those works, as well the First and Third Symphony by the New Black Music Repertory Ensemble and the Women’s Philharmonic, respectively. 

Throughout Symphony No. 1 by Florence Price, one can draw many parallels to the popular Symphony no. 9, New World, by Dvořák. Both works take place in the key of E minor, and, according to Rae Linda Brown, they both were originally composed with subtitles that suggest the inspiration for their primary source material” (128). Price initially subtitled Symphony No. 1 as the “Negro Symphony.” She removed this subtitle before the premiere. 

The first movement of Price’s  Symphony No. 1 is in a sonata form and consists of several themes that make up most of the melodic content in the movement. As heard in this recording by The New Black Music Repertory Ensemble, conducted by Leslie B. Dunner, the first theme is played by the bassoon in the introduction; it is a simple melody in three two-bar groups, containing notes from the E minor pentatonic scale. The second theme is played by the oboes and clarinets (0:18), which is also based off of the E minor pentatonic scale. Price expands upon these two themes as a combined unit until the secondary theme is presented by the horn (2:45). This theme is very sweet and smooth, unlike the previous ones, but it still follows the same scale. Price cycles through material from multiple keys during the development, with many quickly changing keys and moods, like the frantic repetition section at 9:00, which thrusts us into a beautiful cello solo. The recapitulation brings us back to the home key and provides more variants on the themes before the low brass proudly proclaims the final iteration of the themes. The familiar orchestrations from New World and Price’s wonderful melodies made for a familiar and appreciated sound at the premiere. 

The second movement of the symphony is an original hymn tune written in E major with the melody following the E major pentatonic scale. Brown writes that the hymn melody was original and that “the complexity of the hymn is a marked departure from folk music (130). The hymn is first played by a full brass section. She also mentions that this instrumentation was likely inspired by the Church organ, as a registration that resembles this full, 3-octave brass choir is often chosen to play hymns. She takes the hymn theme through various keys before a final presentation of the entire hymn fades out into a pentatonic clarinet solo. 

The third movement is entitled “Juba Dance.” The juba was a plantation dance that was performed by African Americans in the 19th century. As described in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it was accompanied by clapping hands and the slapping of thighs. “Juba Dance” is a fast paced, lively movement, with a distinct character that differs from the other three movements of the piece. The inclusion of two African drums, small and large, which keeps the pulse with a steady rhythm, ties the piece to Florence Price’s background as a Black composer, as noted by Rae Linda Brown. Price also incorporates a whistle about 35 seconds into the movement, which adds to the playful tone presented throughout “Juba Dance.” This movement trades between a melody of fast-moving sixteenth notes and another melody of eighth notes and dotted quarter notes. The melody is constantly passed through different instruments with a lilting accompaniment to go along with it. This adds to the dance-like rhythms, with each instrument taking on a different piece of the dance. 

The fourth and final movement, written in 6/8, presents a jig-like feel. Price again utilizes the pentatonic scale, possibly alluding to African American musical styles. Written in a rondo form, the movement starts with a section of fast moving eighth notes in the violins. The melody then slows down in pace as more instruments are added, but the violins maintain constant eighth notes under the upper woodwinds. When the melody from the beginning reappears, there is more depth and texture to it as the trombones and upper woodwinds join in. Similar to the third movement, a melody of quarter notes and eighth notes are passed among solo clarinet, horn, trumpet, flute and oboe, which is interrupted by a lively jig melody presented in the strings. This finale ends with a flurry of furious eighth notes in the strings and upper woodwinds, creating a grand and resplendent closing. As Robert Abbott reports in his article for the Chicago Defender, the audience “rang out in applause for the composer.” He also wrote that the orchestra “swung into the beautiful, harmonious strains of a composition by a Race woman,” proving that the premiere was successful and approved by the audience.

Questions for Classroom Discussion

1. What other composers can you hear that could have influenced Price? Consider composers that contributed to the new “American” sound, like Dvořák. 

2. We know from the one source about the premier that the audience received the piece very well. Despite this, the piece still fell into relative obscurity until the manuscript discovery in 2009. What are some reasons that this could have happened? Consider social situations of the era in relation to sex and race. 

3. Where in the music can you find reference to Price’s musical backgrounds as a Black American? Consider rhythmic motifs, meter, melody, etc. 

4. Because of Price’s background, she had difficulties getting orchestras to premiere and play her music. If she had been successful, how could she have shaped music and influenced other composers?

5. Using specific moments from the recording discussed above, in what ways might Price’s music differ from William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony? 

Bibliography/Further Reading

Primary Sources

Canfield, David DeBoor. "Florence Price: Symphonies One and Four." Fanfare; Tenafly 42, no. 6 (Summer 2019): 312-313.

Dent, Huntley. "Florence B. Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3." Fanfare; Tenafly 45, no. 4 (Spring 2022): 354-5.

"Premiere." Chicago Daily Tribune (June 16, 1933). 

"Premiere." New York Times (August 10, 2014).

"Premiere." Chicago Defender (June 24, 1922).

Secondary Sources

Baranello, Micaela. "Once Overlooked, Now Rediscovered." New York Times (February 2018). 

Brown, Rae Linda. "The Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price." Journal of the American Musicological Society (Summer 2021). 

Ege, Samantha. "Composing a Symphonist: Florence Price and the Hand of Black Women's Fellowship." Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture 24 (2020): 7-27.