Florence Price (1887-1953)

Florence Beatrice Price was an American organist, pianist, composer, and music teacher. Florence was a very gifted composer who often used adventurous harmonies in her music. Her music is a mix of European Romantic music and the Black spiritual.
During her lifetime, Florence Price received recognition for some of her music, winning a prize for a synphony she wrote and having it performed in public, and winning a prize for a piano sonata that she wrote. Several of her other compositions were also performed publically in concerts and recitals. Most of Florence Price’s music was not published during her lifetime. In 2009, a huge collection of unpublished manuscripts were found in an abandoned house where Florence Price used to live. The house was going to be demolished. The music was saved, and in the last few years, many of those compositions have been published, performed, and are being recorded.

Here is a short lyrical organ piece by Florence Price called Cantilena. I recorded this on my organ at home in my apartment (which is my recording studio). My home organ is run using a computer, and has the sounds of two beautiful church pipe organs that I play using special software. The sound is incredibly realistic, and it sounds like I am in the physical church playing the organ. Enjoy.