The Trailblazer That was Florence B. Price

Francesca Gardell

All of us have heard about the basic composers in classical music for instance Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, etc. However, there are many more composers out there with different backgrounds and styles that we have never heard of because we only learn about the basic standard composers. These composers that I’m talking about aren’t the most popular and the first ones we think of when it comes to classical music, however, they are the most interesting because they are different from the ones we first learn in music class when we were little. 

One composer that really stood out to me was a lady named Florence B. Price. She was born on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was a classical composer with a twist she incorporated many different cultures, she included spiritual and West African rhythms into her songs to show to the public and educate them about the different cultures. She often referred to herself as “double handicapped” this was because she was a female African American trying to make a living through music during the 1800s. People say the music business is tough now imagine it then.

She was able to push through all of these social challenges and become the first African American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer. She didn’t just accomplish this she also was the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. 

Florence had many doors in her way but she was able to accomplish what she did because she kept pushing them open. She is the definition of a true trailblazer, someone who takes the lead and makes their own path. Someone who takes the lead that others will soon follow. Due to this, she has composed many pieces of music that we can listen to today for instance her Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Fantasie Negre, Florence Price Piano Concerto in One Movement, Florence Price Mississippi River Suite, and many more