WQXR streamed this Musical Biography of Florence Beatrice Price, the first woman of African descent to be recognized as a symphonic composer, on February 15. We highly recommend setting aside an hour to listen to Florence Beatrice Price’s story without any interruptions:

Florence Beatrice Price wrote more than 300 musical compositions. Some of her works have been lost, others are unpublished, and some of piano and vocal music is still being heard in concert halls. When contralto Marian Anderson gave that historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, she concluded her recital with Price’s “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord.” And since the 1930s, Price’s art songs and spiritual settings have been favorites of artists who specialize in African American concert music.

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