FLORENCE PRICE
— THE oak —DIVE IN!
Florence Price’s tone poem for orchestra, The Oak, is a deliciously dark and thoughtful expression that draws on Price’s southern American Roots cultural heritage as much as her classically European style training. It sounds at once stylistically traditional to the late 1800s while being thoroughly infused with early / mid 1900’s melodic and harmonic material — this weaving that reflects the essential American voice of classical music. Enjoy getting to know more about this powerfully moving piece and its inspirational composer, and have a great time listening!
RESOURCES:A great 3 minute biography video produced by the Portland Maine Symphony
about Florence Price that will whet your appetite for more research!
Read more about Florence Price in this 2020 biography The Heart
of a Woman by musicologist and historian Rae Linda Brown.The only complete recording of The Oak available on the internet.An excerpt of The Oak recorded live in 2018
PODCAST ALERT!
Join Jessica Joy on her podcast Classical Queens, as she shares her research of forgotten women who have done much to contribute to America’s musical identity. See their lives unfold, understand their musical impact, and then consider with me, the ways their stories could still impact our current communities. These are the stories of Black women in classical music who have been slayin’, seen and unseen, for hundreds of years. I hope you tune in for this bi-weekly podcast.HIGHLIGHTS:
Florence Price was born in 1887 in Little Rock, Arkansas. As a composer, she was most active during her time living in Chicago from 1927 until her death in 1953.
Price found great success even as she endured and persevered through a lifetime of difficulty within the American classical music field as a woman of African heritage. Not surprisingly her greatest success was among the cultural powerhouse circles of both the Chicago and Harlem Renaissance. This was in stark contrast to her ability to be taken seriously by Eurocentric classical music gatekeepers, as evidenced by her determined and yet heartbreaking letter to famed mid 20th century Boston Symphony conductor Serge Koussevitsky, excerpted here.
Despite being very nearly shut out of the American cultural spotlight Florence Price composed some 300 works for large and small ensembles, including art songs sung by Marian Anderson at her historic 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance.
Florence Price composed The Oak in 1943 at the age of 56. Although Price was an accomplished, celebrated, and well known composer this particular piece of music was neither published nor performed in her lifetime. The first performance of The Oak was given at MIT by the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in June, 2019 led by conductor Cynthia Woods. It has subsequently received no less than 16 additional performances! The Oak is a single movement symphonic poem and is about 12 minutes long.
Price’s score calls for 3 flutes and piccolo, 2 oboes and English horn, 2 clarinets and bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and the usual string section of violins, violas, cellos and basses.EXPLORE THE MUSIC:
Use this listening map to guide you through the piece. Read it in advance or while you’re listening!THE OAK
The first notes we hear are low, soft, and slow. This builds through the orchestra, moving in and out of fleeting moments of harmonic tension with a hopeful brightness settling in from the violins and French horns. Shivering sounds in the string section bring us back to the possibly foreboding opening material and we once again find ourselves wandering in a dark forest of tangled harmonies. Soon enough though we enter into a more rhythmically energized forward moving section that suggests we’re finally on our way toward hopeful sounds again. A beautiful lush melody in the and woodwinds sets us on a path to comforting rich harmonies with a satisfying trumpet melody. Then things get really tumultuous for another few moments with the addition of heavier brass and low strings, before finding our way back to the lush harmonies of the strings and an active harp. Just as suddenly as the light came, we are back to the shivering strings and darker brooding sounds. From there we cycle through some of those initial moods, almost like a return to the first few scenes of a story in a main character’s memory sequence. This bursts forth into a brassy and insistent building up of the entire orchestra, underscored by a march like use of snare drum as the piece makes its way to a showy ending.CONSIDER AND DISCUSS:
Symphonic music based on an idea or a story is a frequently used device from which to build a composition. In some cases a composer will include specific references or notes to indicate what they had in mind. Florence Price titled this piece The Oak, but no written notes exist that help us know what, if any, specific story or other extra musical element she might have intended. As you listen to this moody and somewhat volatile work, note what you hear in the music that is evocative of the title. What sounds or movement in the music might underscore The Oak in a literal or metaphorical sense? Now that you’ve learned a bit about Florence Price, what might you imagine she could’ve intended from her personal context?
EDVARD GRIEG
— Piano Concerto —DIVE IN!
Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto is super engaging to listen to. Enjoy getting to know a bit more about the piece and composer, and have a great time listening!A great short “behind the scenes” clip with pianist Alexandra DariescuA recent performance with inspirational pianist Alice Sara OttA historical performance with iconic pianist Arthur Rubinstein
HIGHLIGHTS:
Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen, Norway. He completed his only concerto for piano in 1868 at just 25 years old! It was premiered in Copenhagen in 1869 and has remained one of the most performed and celebrated piano concertos since then.
The Piano Concerto is in 3 movements and is a little less than half an hour long.
Potentially unsettling but definitely interesting fact: Grieg composed the piano concerto in a fit of artistic inspiration (fun!) after the birth of his daughter (yay!) with his wife of just a year (sweet!) — his cousin Nina. (um… okay…)
Grieg was a huge fan of Robert Schumann, who composed his only piano concerto just ten years earlier. There are similarities between Schumann’s concerto and Grieg’s including both being in the key of A Minor, and general stylistic similarities. For this reason they are sometimes confused with one another even though Grieg incorporated Norwegian folk elements into his concerto.
Famous pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff said this was the best concerto ever written.
This piece is one of the most popular and consistently performed piano concertos. For this reason it has also made its way into numerous popular culture references including the films Intermezzo and The Seventh Veil, the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a Jethro Tull tour, and the video game Civilization V. The one that has fortunately / unfortunately stood the test of time for some of us is the early 80s aerobics album Hooked On Classics. Look for it there, nestled between the Hallelujah Chorus and March of the Toreadors. You’re welcome!Grieg’s score calls for solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, and the usual string section of violins, violas, cellos and basses. It pretty much looked like a musical Noah’s Ark until he later changed it to add 2 more horns and converted the tuba to a third trombone. Maybe that’s also what happened to the unicorns…
EXPLORE THE MUSIC:
Here is a listening map that can guide you through the piece. Read it in advance or while you’re listening!
MOVEMENT 1:
Allegro molto moderato
(in English: Very medium fast)
This music gets started with flare! First a timpani roll and then an impressive and dramatic series of rhythmic chords in the solo piano from the higher register to the lower register of the instrument before we get to the main theme. Toward the end there is a cadenza for the piano soloist to really tear it up, and then to tie it all up we hear dramatic material similar to the beginning of the movement.
MOVEMENT 2:
Adagio
(in English: Slow)
This music is slower and more lyrical. It guides us through a ruminative meditation and elides directly into the final movement.
MOVEMENT 3:
Allegro moderato molto e marcato
(in English: Very medium fast and marked)
This music is rollicking fun, based on Norwegian folk music and the “halling dance" which is an athletic dance mostly performed by an individual dancer.
CONSIDER AND DISCUSS:
Edvard Grieg is considered a major cultural icon in Norway, and is generally recognized as a leading Romantic era composer. Still, some of the expressions of this found worldwide can seem a little odd. For example, there is a large statue of Grieg in Seattle, a crater on Mercury is named after him, and one of the largest hotels in his hometown is named after him. Consider how a person’s reputation and legacy can eclipse the specific thing they “do”. In Grieg’s case he was a musician and composer, but due to his documentation of Norwegian folk music he became more broadly revered as a cultural advocate and prominent historical figure. Have a “Consider and Discuss” conversation with your buddies about big and small examples of this you can find. Include yourselves in this conversation!
NERD ASSIGNMENT!
The main theme of the last movement is influenced by the Norwegian “halling dance”, which is a very rhythmic and athletic type of solo folk dance. You can hear this reflected in the music as Grieg chooses heavy accented sounds amid playful quick sounds. Have some fun searching on the internet for various styles of popular dance throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and try to imagine how you might make a piece of music for orchestra that reflected these dances!A live halling dance competition videoA fun behind the scenes tutorial that breaks down the elements of the dance.BROTHERS FROM ANOTHER MOTHER?
This portrait of Edvard Grieg reminded me so much of Samuel Clemens AKA Mark Twain that I looked for portraits of each of them from their younger years. It was uncanny! The last photo includes Albert Einstein. 
GUSTAV HOLST
— The Planets —DIVE IN!
Gustav Holst’s symphonic suite The Planets has captured the imagination of listeners since the moment it was first heard and remains solidly in the top 100 most popular pieces of long form composed music for orchestra. Enjoy getting to know a bit more about the piece and composer, and have a great time listening!RESOURCES:A delightful, and very British, narrated animation video of the
history, content, and impact of Gustav Holst’s The Planets.A fun NPR piece about The Planets for its 100th anniversary.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Gustav Holst was a British composer who lived from 1874 to 1934. He was inspired to write a symphonic suite on The Planets in 1913 and began working on it in 1914 just as World War 1 was threatening.
Holst completed The Planets in 1916 but had to wait for a first performance until after the war had concluded in 1918. This performance was for a private invitation audience comprised primarily of colleagues and family.
His composer daughter Imogen was at this private performance and is quoted “Even those listeners who had studied the score for months were taken aback by the unexpected clamour of ‘Mars’. During ‘Jupiter’ the charwomen working in the corridors put down their scrubbing-brushes and began to dance. In ‘Saturn’ the isolated listeners in the dark, half-empty hall felt themselves growing older at every bar!”
The first public performance of The Planets wasn’t until 1920. This is also the first time we get confirmation from Gustav Holst that the subject matter is not about the science of the planets, and is only loosely based on the astrological or mythological significance of the planets. He preferred each movement to be characterized by its subtitle. He writes “For instance, Jupiter brings jollity in the ordinary sense, and also the more ceremonial kind of rejoicing associated with religious or national festivities. Saturn brings not only physical decay, but also a vision of fulfillment.”
The anthem-like theme in the center of Jupiter has captured the hearts of many different listeners. It was adapted to the poem “I Vow to Thee, My Country” and has been used in the funeral services of Princess Diana of Wales, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and US Senator John McCain. It has also become the school song for a bunch of high schools in Texas and one in Melbourne, Australia. Covers have been made by bands as varied as Swedish extreme metal Bathory, American noise rock Harvey Milk, English folk trio Kerr Fagan, and the Japanese girl band Little Glee Monster. However, perhaps the most remarkable curatorial feat of this program is the fact that is too was used in the video game Civilization V.
Holst’s score is massive and calls for 4 flutes including piccolo and alto flute, 3 oboes and English Horn, 3 clarinets and bass clarinet, 3 bassoons and contra bassoon, 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 2 trombones plus tenor trombone and bass trombone, tuba, 2 players on 6 timpani, 3-5 players covering other percussion and keyboards, organ, 2 harps, and the usual string section of violins, violas, cellos, and basses. Additionally, in Neptune there are two women’s choruses located off stage.EXPLORE THE MUSIC
Here is a listening map that can guide you through the piece. Read it in advance or while you’re listening!
Mars, bringer of War
This movement is powerful and dense, and should inspire fear or anger. It was written first in the series, during the months leading up to the outbreak of World War 1. The powerful sense of darkness and foreboding is felt right away in the repeated rhythms as juxtaposed by the long low brass notes that begin to build toward an impenetrable wall of sound.
Venus, bringer of Peace
This movement begins with a soulful solo horn, answered by woodwinds. Violin and oboe solos later mirror this dialogue and the music generally flows gently throughout with sweeping melodies in the violins and gentle pulsing in the harps.
Mercury, the winged messenger
Here we are treated to the feeling of Mercury literally and figuratively flying at top speed around the orchestra from woodwinds to strings and within each of those sections in rapid bursts of cascading notes. Periodically we have the sense that telegraph machines are at play with quick short-long rhythms spelled out in the violins and glockenspiel.
Jupiter, bringer of jollity
This music is full of vibrancy and joy with splashes of color and rhythmic vitality throughout. The middle section is hymn like and gives way to a return of the joyful opening material even as it weaves the noble theme in at the finish.
Saturn, bringer of old age
In this music we experience an other worldly heavy stillness which is somehow also underscored by various ticking clock sounds. Some of these sounds are less obvious - plodding timekeeping from the woodwinds, and some more so - metallic chimes in the percussion.
Uranus, the magician
This music, depending on its treatment, can be heard as mischievous pranking or something more sinister. It has a rhythmic vitality to it that can be deceiving, as the dissonant primary theme suggests something much more devilish than lighthearted.
Neptune, the mystic
To finish this work, Holst gives us the stillest, softest, and most unsettlingly dissonant music. There is flow but not a focused sense of pacing or pulse. Just when the music sounds like it might be settling, a chorus from very far away becomes part of the texture and ultimately takes over as the orchestra stops, leaving the chorus to slowly completely fade out.NERD ASSIGNMENT!
Both The Oak and The Planets have suggestive titles that could inform the sounds we might hear. On your own or with a group of friends, suggest a title for a short musical ‘poem’ or ‘painting’ for symphony orchestra. How might it sound? What instruments would you choose and why? What sort of tempo or movement or mood might it need to display? Get creative! You could make this into a journaling game by taking turns coming up with titles for everyone else to jot down their ideas in a 3 minute thought shower, then read them aloud, and choose a winner. WHO NEEDS NETFLIX WHEN YOU HAVE MUSIC NERDERY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS???
Listening to Florence Price, Edvard Grieg, and Gustav Holst
Now that you’ve had a chance to consider, discuss, and get nerdy around Price’s The Oak, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Holst’s The Planets it’s time to listen to a performance. There are all sorts of ways to engage as a listener, especially when listening at home instead of a concert hall. Sing / hum / whistle along, move and dance, journal or draw what you hear, or just turn the volume up and listen for sheer pleasure!
Please share your experience with me — [email protected]!
I’d love to hear about it or see any of your activities, journaling, or creations!
I’d love to hear about it or see any of your activities, journaling, or creations!