The Heart of a Woman

This fascinating biography offers a look at the life and work of the very talented and prolific Florence B. Price. I found this book to be well-written and I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book was received as an ARC from University of Illinois Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Before reading this book I was not familiar with Florence B. Price and the legacy she left with music composition. Rae Linda Brown does a phenomenal job including as much information possible on her childhood, upbringing, education, struggles and of course her work. I am glad she included some music examples that we were able to play and as soon as we hit the first note, we immediately recognized the songs. It is also inspirational not just for Black History but for Women empowerment to see if you put your mind to something just as Florence did, you can accomplish anything despite your race and gender. Even though the story was compelling and inspirational, a lot of our readers may not be familiar with Florence B. Price but I know if we feature it in a display, readers will be curious and hopefully like it.

We will consider adding this title to our Biography collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

A very well written book about a lady I didn’t know about. What a wonderful story and I thankful to have had the opportunity to read it. If you love music or even if you don’t this is a book I would highly recommend.
I received an advanced copy of this book by netgalley and the publisher. This is my honest opinion.
So good!!

This is a very solid and well-written introduction to the life and works of composer Florence Price. Extensively researched over the course of Rae Linda Brown's career, The Heart of a Woman (despite the sentimental and cloying title) is primarily a biography of Price with a bit of music analysis. Non-musicians can easily skip over the short, more technical sections, and still gain an understanding of Price's music and the context in which it was written. While I find there to be a little too much supposition without evidence in the book for my comfort and wish there had been more and deeper analysis, the book serves its purpose as a first stop in getting to know Price and her works. A lot of research has been published--and many excellent recordings issued--on and about Price's work in the last ten years, but Brown's contribution to the understanding of African American composers in the twentieth century cannot be overstated.

A fascinating story that I didn’t know anything about. So glad I read this and will be recommending to others.

Fascinating book about a lady of who I was not aware. It was a really interesting and compelling read and one which I would heartily recommend

My love of music and the beautiful book cover drew me to this book. 

The Heart of a Woman is a complex and fascinating read of the music-centric life of Florence B. Price and its illusionary effect on the artistic and scholarly development of the lives of many African-Americans.  
This is not a typical biographical work. With analytical prose, Brown discusses Price’s intense role in the advancement of social change and equality in all areas of her life - music and daily life. 

Highly recommended to all those who study music history, particularly those who wish to study lesser known African-Americans in music.

This book tells the fascinating story of Florence Price, the first African-American woman to have a symphony performed by an American orchestra. The light-skinned Price passed herself off as Mexican in order to attend the New England Conservatory of Music..
She married, had two children and eventually settled in Chicago. After her husband began physically abusing her, she divorced and became a music teacher to support herself and her kids.
Her break came when she won a composition contest with her Symphony in E Minor which was subsequently performed by the Chicago Symphony in 1933.. She continued to compose steadily until her death in 1953.. However; after her death, like so many early Twentieth Century tonal composers, Price's music became unfashionable, and she fell into obscurity.
The tide turned in 2009 when a couple renovating a house that once belonged to Price discovered a cache of her manuscripts, long thought lost. The publicity of the discovery led to a renewed interest in Price's work. Since then. Price's music has begun to be performed and recorded, over half a century after her death. .
The Heart of a Woman is must reading for those interested in the often overlooked role of Black Americans in classical music. It is also a inspiring story of succeeding against the odds.

A very nice story of history and music. I enjoyed and would recommend. Grateful for the chance to read this book and learn about her life and work.

I am a violinist in my local symphony orchestra and a lover of classical music. A few months ago, I purchased a CD of music by Florence Price and was fascinated by a woman who, despite her racial background, became successful as a composer. This book offered an opportunity to find out more about her, how she lived, and how she achieved recognition for her talent.

The book is written with a level of clarity and detail that not only presents the achievements of Florence Beatrice Price, but also chronicles the struggles and hardships she faced during her lifetime and chosen career.

The book also sets Florence Price in the context of the times she lived in, when black Americans were not regarded as equal citizens and subjected to disenfranchisement in many forms.

Florence Price was the first black woman composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra. She navigated the politics of skin colour, survived an abusive marriage and 'fought her entire life to be heard and seen’.

The story of Florence's life is fascinating, given that it also chronicles the work and achievements of several other important black musicians and composers, many of whom she knew and considered to be friends.

Florence Price was a private woman who suffered from 'unconquerable shyness' and this often inhibited her from promoting her own music.

The author, Rae Linda Brown, writes movingly of Florence's determination and desire to become a composer. She studied for two degrees simultaneously and graduated in both.

By the 1930s, Florence Price was a serious composer, writing in all genres apart from opera, and her music was regularly performed. She was also accomplished as a pianist and organist.

Florence Price composed three major works from 1931-1940, the Symphony in E minor, the Piano Concerto in One Movement and the Symphony in C.

Florence's Symphony No. 1 was performed in Chicago in 1933, with George Gershwin among the audience.

Florence Price continued writing large-scale works during the 1940s and 1950s. She died in June 1953. She had been planning a trip to Europe around that time.

Florence Price was aware of the polemics surrounding female composers. Her ultimate goal was for her large-scale works to be recognised and performed by the East Coast musical establishment; however, this did not happen in her lifetime.

Rae Linda Brown said in a speech that she chose to write about Florence Price because:

“I needed to bring her from invisibility to visibility and document her life and her music so that her legacy could be a lived legacy.”

On the evidence of this book, there is an extensive legacy and the music of this talented and industrious woman deserves a far wider audience.

I look forward to hearing more of Florence Price's music as it becomes available. In the meantime, this book is warmly recommended.

I was sent an advance review copy of this book by the University of Illinois Press in return for an honest appraisal.

A solid look at this notable Black female composer and the historical framework and importance of her life. Really solid look at the lives of other contemporaneous Black musicians. Best suited to those with a music background or strong foundational/music knowledge.