G. Schirmer. Inc To Publish Florence Price’s Music Catalog

By Francisco Salazar

G. Schirmer, Inc., part of The Music Sales Group has announced the acquisition of the worldwide publishing rights to classical composer Florence Price’s catalog.

Florence Price was one of the first African-American women to be nationally recognized as a composer and was the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major American orchestra.

In a press release G. Schirmer’s Promotion Director Rachel Sokolow said, “We at G. Schirmer/Music Sales are thrilled and honored to provide a publishing home for the brilliant, expressive music of Florence Price. Our stewardship of her performance materials will provide worldwide accessibility to her catalog. As more orchestras and presenters recognize the need to address diversity in classical music programming, we hope that Price’s oeuvre can be a valuable resource.”

Among her many influential works included “Songs to a Dark Virgin,” her undated song “Sympathy,” and “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord,” which was regularly performed by Marian Anderson.

While Price struggled to get performed during her time, this year alone will see performances from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Fort Smith Symphony, who world-premiered Price’s Symphony No. 4 in D Minor this past May. Upcoming performances of her work will be led by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

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