CASTLE OF OUR SKINS
  • ABOUT
    • WHAT IS COOS?
    • LEADERS
    • ARTISTS
    • COLLABORATORS
    • CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
    • CONTACT
  • CAREERS
  • SEASON
    • 2022-2023 SEASON
    • MassQ Ball
    • Black Composer Miniature Challenge >
      • #BCMC 1.0
      • #BCMC 2.0
      • #BCMC 3.0
    • Black Poet Miniature Challenge
    • BSU Fellowship
    • REPERTOIRE
  • EDUCATION
    • EDUCATION
    • AS TOLD BY
    • BIBA Blog
    • RESOURCES
  • PRESS
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Videos & Images
  • CONTRIBUTE
    • DONATE
    • VOLUNTEER
    • Join the Board
    • SPECIAL THANKS
  • Store

9/8/2019

Engraving Price: Priceless

0 Comments

Read Now
 
by Anthony R. Green

As Castle of our Skins grows, our seasons become more and more diverse and full. (Have you checked out our Season 7 events?) One event about which I am particularly excited is Secret Desire to Be Black. For this event, COOS will bring back internationally acclaimed cellist Seth Parker Woods to play solo and chamber works. Among these works is Florence B. Price's String Quartet #2 in A minor from 1935, a significant, mature work that belongs in the repertoire of any professional string quartet who plays romantic music. 
Picture
1935: 2 years after Price's awarding-winning Symphony No. 1 was premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making her the first Black woman to have an orchestral work played by a major orchestra. Among Price's nearly 300 works, her orchestral and vocal (including choral) repertoire seem to have been her main focus. However, the A minor quartet is her second string quartet, arriving 6 years after her first and beloved String Quartet in G major. After such an important prize as the Wanamaker, which directly resulted in her Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance, it is no wonder why Price may have modelled her second string quartet after her first symphony.

Both the Symphony #1 in E minor (1932) and the String Quartet #2 in A minor (1935) are structured in 4 movements: a moderato introduction, a slow movement, a Juba dance, and a fast finale. While there are no similar long passages, it is clear that the compositional approach to both works is practically identical. In the quartet, the first movement starts with an ostinato that informs and supports the melodic and harmonic tragectory of the movement. After a brief pause, Price's bold, unapologetic romantic chromaticism appears in a way that it does not (and perhaps cannot) in her first symphony, and the introduction propels the listener on a musical rollercoaster that foreshadows the remaining three movements. 

The second movement's relaxed world provides a repose from the present first movement. With warm, lush melodies, and fragrant harmonies that are rife with familiarity, the second movement is a comfort for the audience. The third movement invites movement, as it is a Juba. This type of dance developed in the Americas from Africans who were brought there against their will. Dancing and vocal music was a form of survival, and Juba is a grandparent of hambone and contemporary step dancing (often found in fraternities and Black churches). Price's Juba is firmly within this African American Folk music tradition, and serves as a fine transition to a powerful finale. 

The last movement of this string quartet sums up the journey, but this time in a triple meter, different from the previous three movements. It is virtuosic, colorful, meaty, and inspired. Throughout this work, Price's African American Folk vernacular shines. It is used to speak directly to the listener, as well as to employ complex counterpoint and harmony. Such approaches find their way into future works, notably the Five Folksongs in Counterpoint, which is also a string quartet. 

Be sure to check out COOS's musical exploration at the Gardner museum, as well as all the other, many events of this 7th season!  

Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details
    Picture
    Writings, musings, photos, links, and videos about Black Artistry of ALL varieties!
    Feel free to drop a comment or suggestion for posts!  

    Archives

    February 2023
    November 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
ABOUT
WHAT IS COOS?
LEADERS
ARTISTS
COLLABORATORS
CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
​CONTACT
SEASON
2022-2023 SEASON
MASSQ BALL
​BPMC
​BSU FELLOWSHIP
​REPERTOIRE
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
AS TOLD BY
BIBA BLOG
​RESOURCES
PRESS
IN THE NEWS
​VIDEOS & IMAGES
CONTRIBUTE
DONATE
VOLUNTEER
JOIN THE BOARD
SPECIAL THANKS

STORE
A LITTLE HISTORY
X: CURRICULUM GUIDE
#BCMC VOL. 2 
#BCMC VOL. 1
JULIUS EASTMAN
FLORENCE PRICE

Member Login
Black concert series and educational programs in Boston and beyond
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
PRIVACY POLICY
  • ABOUT
    • WHAT IS COOS?
    • LEADERS
    • ARTISTS
    • COLLABORATORS
    • CREATIVE IN RESIDENCE
    • CONTACT
  • CAREERS
  • SEASON
    • 2022-2023 SEASON
    • MassQ Ball
    • Black Composer Miniature Challenge >
      • #BCMC 1.0
      • #BCMC 2.0
      • #BCMC 3.0
    • Black Poet Miniature Challenge
    • BSU Fellowship
    • REPERTOIRE
  • EDUCATION
    • EDUCATION
    • AS TOLD BY
    • BIBA Blog
    • RESOURCES
  • PRESS
    • IN THE NEWS
    • Videos & Images
  • CONTRIBUTE
    • DONATE
    • VOLUNTEER
    • Join the Board
    • SPECIAL THANKS
  • Store