Born in Arkansas in 1887, Florence Price was the first African American female composer to gain national status. She was also the first female composer of African descent to have a symphonic work performed by a major orchestra, when on 15 June, 1933, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed a new piece by an unnamed composer. The piece in question was Price's Symphony in E minor, and the critical acclaim that followed that performance catapulted her into life as a composer. Spanning symphonies, songs and piano music, Price's work combines the European Classical tradition in which she was trained and the melodies of African American folk songs, spirituals and church music.

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