Price: Ten Negro Spirituals
In stock and typically ships within 1 business day.
- Composer: Florence Price (1887-1953)
- Instrumentation: Piano
- Size: 8.9 x 11.9 inches
Description
The brilliance of Florence B. Price in integrating Black vernacular styles and melodies into the idioms of Western concert music is by now a matter of record, as is the centrality of ancestral spirituals to the musical thought of this deeply religious composer. The present volume assembles ten of her piano-solo arrangements of spirituals into a single volume for the first time.
The works presented here are preserved as individual manuscripts; indeed, some have already been published individually. But Price herself collected them into a single brown-paper folder that survives among her papers in the Special Collections division of the University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville. She provided a collective title for the group on the outer front cover of that folder and drafted a sequence for the constituent works on the inner front cover. The outer front cover originally read "FOUR NEGRO SPIRITUALS / arr. for Piano / Florence B. Price," but at some point FOUR was lined out in fuchsia pencil. The inner front cover includes the titles of the first eight spirituals presented here in the order that this volume presents them, and the folder also includes the arrangements of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" and "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" given here as Appendices A and B. The reasons for the latter's exclusion from the title inventory are unclear, but Price obviously did not include "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" because it was published separately by Oxford University Press (1942). (That manuscript is crossed out and bears the autograph pencil annotation "contracted to," without specifying the contract recipient.)
Despite their common roots in Price's African American heritage, the arrangements brought together here vary appreciably in style in tone — from the joy and uplift of the Underground Railroad songs "Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler," "Peter, Go Ring dem Bells," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," through the somber sorrow of "I'm Troubled in My Mind," the religious melancholy of "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me," and the urgency of "Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho," to the jubilant piety of "I Know the Lord Has Laid His Hands on Me," "Gimme That Old Time Religion," and "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian." The arrangements are all accessible to amateur pianists, and all suitable for private, home musicmaking. Most importantly, all are obviously deeply felt — personalized readings of well-known tunes that offer a lens into Priceäó»s own personal faith.
— John Michael Cooper
Works:
- Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler
- Im Troubled in My Mind
- I Know the Lord Has Laid His Hands on Me
- Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho
- Gimme That Old Time Religion
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
- I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
- Peter, Go Ring dem Bells
- Were You There When They Crucified My Lord
- Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
Publishers use a lot of words to describe what they sell, and we know it can be confusing. We've tried to be as clear as possible to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. Below are descriptions of the terms that we use to describe the various formats that music often comes in.
Choral Score
A score for vocalists that only contains the vocal lines. The instrumental parts are not there for reference. Generally, cheaper than a vocal score and requires multiple copies for purchase.
Facsimile
Reproductions of the original hand-written scores from the composer.
Full Score
For ensemble music, this indicates that the edition contains all parts on a single system (there are not separate parts for each player). In larger ensembles, this is for the conductor.
Hardcover
Hardbound. Generally either linen-covered or half-leather.
Orchestral Parts
Similar to a wind set, this is a collection of parts. In the case of strings, the numbers listed are the number of copies included, though generally these are available individually (often with minimum quantities required).
Paperback
When publishers offer multiple bindings (e.g. hardcover) or study scores, this is the "standard" version. If you're planning to play the music, this is probably what you want.
Performance / Playing Score
A score of the music containing all parts on one system, intended for players to share. There are not separate parts for each player.
Set of Parts
For ensemble music, this indicates that there are separate individual parts for each player.
Solo Part with Piano Reduction
For solo pieces with orchestra, this is a version that contains a piano reduction of the orchestra parts. For piano pieces, two copies are typically needed for performance.
Study Score
A small (think choral size) copy of the complete score meant for studying, and not playing. They make great add-ons when learning concertos and small chamber works.
Vocal Score
A score prepared for vocalists that includes the piano/organ part or a reduction of the instrumental parts.
Wind Set
For orchestral music, this is a collection of wind and percussion parts. The specific quantities of each instrument are notated.
With Audio
In addition to the printed music, the edition contains recordings of the pieces. This may be an included CD, or access to files on the internet.
With / Without Fingering (Markings)
Some publishers prepare two copies - a pure Urtext edition that includes no fingering (or bowing) suggestions and a lightly edited version that includes a minimal number of editorial markings.
Price: Ten Negro Spirituals
