Song of Hope

This African American composer, born in 1887 in Little Rock, Arkansas, was nevertheless a renowned musician in her time and even the first Black woman to pursue advanced musical studies and compose symphonies. After studying organ and composition at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Price briefly settled in Atlanta, then returned to Little Rock when she married lawyer Thomas J. Price. Segregation and racial tensions in the city forced the couple to move to Chicago in 1926, following the Great Migration of thousands of Black families from the South to the North. The “Windy City” was then in a state of great ferment, thanks in particular to the Chicago Black Renaissance, an emancipation movement associated with the left and the labor movement, which inspired a great number of writers, artists, and musicians. It was in this context that she experienced her first successes and pursued a prolific career.

A recipient of Wanamaker Foundation grants for her Piano Sonata and Symphony in E minor, Florence Price broke down barriers when her first symphony was premiered in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Frederick Stock. During her lifetime, she composed more than 300 works, including numerous pieces for piano and organ, chamber music, four symphonies, and four concertos. Her melodies and arrangements of spirituals were performed by renowned singers, including Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. Florence Price died in 1953 and quickly faded into obscurity. Much of her music was lost. Although her name is closely linked to Chicago’s musical life, it wasn’t until 2009 that she resurfaced, thanks to a major discovery: in her abandoned house, numerous manuscripts were unearthed, including that of Song of Hope, which opens this concert.

Composed in 1930 based on an original poem, Song of Hope is written for choir, soloists, and orchestra. The work is imbued with a religious fervor akin to an invocation, as evidenced by its strophic text. Its harmonic language is clearly rooted in Romanticism (reminiscent of Brahms or Dvořák), with strong African-American influences. Florence Price never heard the work performed during her lifetime; it was only played in 2022 at a concert at Ithaca College (NY).