David Dalle
Thursday February 15th, 2024 with David Dalle
Black History Month: the symphonies of Florence Price; part two of Burkinabé musician Baba Commandant.

We continue this month's look at the symphonies of American composer Florence Price and Burkinabé musician Baba Commandant. You can look at the playlists and listen to the two previous shows to learn more about them. Florence Price composed nearly 300 works. Sadly, her second symphony has been lost. Her fourth symphony, as well as many of her other works were only found in 2009 in a house which she used to live in, over six decades earlier, so there is hope her second symphony will someday be discovered. Today we will hear her third symphony. This work was completed in 1940 and is very different from her first symphony. Her first symphony was quite indebted to Dvorak's 9th symphony, but her third is more original and a bit more modern than the first. Its mysterious opening makes me think of Wagner's Parsifal, however it soon becomes her own music, rich in mid-century American imagery and is full of solos from various instruments. The second movement was described as "majestic beauty" in the Detroit Free Press after its premiere in 1940. The third movement, like in all her symphonies, is based on the West African "Juba" dance. The fourth a brilliant scherzo. This symphony is full of life, beauty, and drama. It is clear, she deserves a place as a significant American composer.