A CHRONOLOGICAL VIEW OF WESTERN MUSIC HISTORY IN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD EVENTS

Florence Price

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July 6, 1917: Florence Smith Price (30) gives birth to her second child, a daughter, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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March 29, 1921: Florence Smith Price (33) gives birth to her third child, a daughter, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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February 14, 1931: Florence Smith Price (33) marries her second husband, Pusey Arnett, in Chicago.
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June 15, 1933: Symphony in e minor by Florence Price (46) is performed for the first time, in Chicago. It is the first work by an African-American woman to be performed by a major symphony orchestra.
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June 24, 1934: Concerto in One Movement for piano and orchestra by Florence Price (47) is performed for the first time, at the 67th commencement exercises of the Chicago Musical College, the composer at the keyboard.
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December 18, 1934: John Alden Carpenter (58) writes to Florence Price (46) agreeing to propose her for membership in ASCAP.
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February 19, 1935: Florence Price (47) gives a recital of her own music at Dunbar High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The press releases announce that “seats will be reserved for white persons.”
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April 9, 1939: Contralto Marian Anderson gives an open air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an audience of 75,000 on Easter Sunday. She uses this venue after she is denied use of the DAR Constitution Hall because she is of African descent. The incident causes Eleanor Roosevelt to resign from the DAR. The last offering on her program is Florence Price’s arrangement of My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord. Today is Ms. Price’s 52nd birthday.
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November 6, 1940: Symphony no.3 by Florence Price (53) is performed for the first time, at the Detroit Institute of the Arts.
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February 8, 1949: Suite for Brasses by Florence Price (61) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
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May 14, 1951: Sea Gulls for women’s chorus, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano by Florence Price (64) is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
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February 18, 1953: Suite of Negro Dances for orchestra by Florence Price (65) is performed for the first time, over the airwaves of WGN-TV, Chicago.
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June 3, 1953: Florence Beatrice Smith Price dies of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, USA aged 66 years, one month, and 25 days.
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June 5, 1953: After a funeral service at Grace Presbyterian Church, the earthly remains of Florence Beatrice Smith Price are laid to rest in Lincoln Cemetery, Chicago.
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November 24, 1964: The Florence B. Price (†11) Elementary School is dedicated in Chicago.
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September 11, 2003: Part of Anthony Braxton’s (58) audio DVD Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 is recorded in San Francisco. Today, Comp.292(+23C, 29E, 33, 40C, 53, 75, 120D) and Comp.327(+33, 65, 85, 120D, 142) are recorded. The last is dedicated to Florence Price (†50).
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May 12, 2009: Symphony no.4 by Florence Price (†64) is performed for the first time, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, 73 years after it was composed.