Florence Price: an introduction to her music
Florence Price is one of the most important African-American composers of the early twentieth century. Come and explore the extraordinary life and musical legacy of this brilliant musician whose works are only just being ‘rediscovered’, 70 years after her death.
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- Start Date: 24 Feb 2026End Date: 24 Mar 2026Tue (Daytime): 10:30 - 12:30In PersonLocation: Keeley StreetDuration: 5 sessions (over -5 weeks)Course Code: MD036CTutors: Katy HamiltonFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £104.00
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What is the course about?
You may have heard Florence Price’s name in the last few years as a ‘rediscovery’ within classical music. Price was the first African-American woman to have her orchestral pieces performed by major US orchestras, and gained a significant reputation during her lifetime. A huge cache of her manuscripts was discovered in 2009, and performers and scholars are still giving premiere performances and gathering information about this brilliant, little-discussed figure of the early twentieth century… come and learn about her fascinating life and get to know some of her vibrant, lyrical, beautifully expressive music.
What will we cover?
- Biographical details of Florence Price and the circumstances of her life in a racially segregated America
- Case studies of Price’s key works, placing them in their appropriate context, historically and musically, and analysing them in terms of their musical style and content
- Tracing the emergence of Price’s compositional voice and her use of spirituals in vocal and orchestral pieces
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify the key works of Price’s career, and her moments of career breakthroughs
- Identify the formal, harmonic and melodic characteristics of certain key works by Price
- Summarise Price’s achievement and her legacy as she sought to gain recognition as a serious composer whilst being, in her own words, ‘handicapped’ by her gender and her race
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is designed as an overview for both beginners and enthusiasts. However, we will look at some music manuscripts and learn to identify key features of music notation (how many voices are singing, etc…) so this course will be most suitable for those who are curious and ambitious to learn.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
- Tutor presentation and explanation, including handouts
- Guided listening and watching of audio and audio-visual examples
- Class discussion and debate
- Course materials (handouts, scores, links to online videos) will be shared via google classroom.
- You will be encouraged to do extra reading outside class.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring a notebook and pen.
You may also wish to purchase some of the music books or recordings discussed in class, links to these materials will be available online after each session.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
To find out more about music history classes <a href= https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/performing-arts/music/music-history target=_blank> Music history courses in London and online</a> which lists our full programme of classes ordered by term, and by day of the week. You may then click on each title to read the full course outline.
Dr Katy Hamilton is a freelance researcher, writer and presenter on music. She is fast becoming one of the UK’s most sought-after speakers on music, providing talks for a host of organisations including the Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, BBC Proms, Ryedale Festival and Oxford Lieder Festival. In addition, she regularly writes programme notes for the Salzburg Festival, North Norfolk Festival and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 3’s Record Review. Katy worked as Graham Johnson’s research assistant for his monumental Franz Schubert: The Songs and their Poets (Yale University Press, 2014) and is co-editor of Brahms in the Home and the Concert Hall (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and Brahms in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2019). In addition to her research and presentation work, Katy has taught at the Royal College of Music, City Lit, the University of Nottingham and Middlesex University, working with students in performance workshops and music history classes. She has been teaching Music History courses at City Lit since 2015. She is also Public Events Programmer at the Foundling Museum in central London.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
