Fantasie Nègre

Florence Beatrice Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and began piano lessons at the age of three with her mother. Price studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, majoring in organ performance and piano pedagogy as well as studying composition. After moving to Chicago in 1927, she became part of a vibrant community of Black classical musicians, many of whom were women. Following the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of her Symphony No. 1 in E minor in 1933, Price emerged as the most acclaimed Black female symphonist of her time. Her spiritual arrangements were brought to national attention through collaborations with the contralto Marian Anderson, and Price's compositional output also features numerous solo piano pieces, alongside songs, chamber music, and choral works.Dr Samantha Ege is an author, pianist, and music historian. She holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of York and a BA in Music from the University of Bristol. She has held research positions at the University of Southampton and was previously the Lord Crewe Junior Research Fellow in Music at Lincoln College, Oxford. Her research on the Black Chicago Renaissance and on Black women in classical music has been widely published and has earned her several prestigious awards. As a concert pianist, Ege has performed across the UK, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. Her recording premieres of Florence B. Price's Four Fantasies in 2021 were hailed by the New York Times as 'triumphs indeed'.

I have long admired the important work Dr Samantha Ege has done to bring the music of under-represented composers-like Florence Price-to their rightful place in the canon. She is highly respected for the exceptional quality, care, and insight she brings to her scholarly research and writings. Dr Ege's edition of Fantasie Nègre allows us to experience Price's creative genius in a new light and is a valuable addition to the piano repertoire.