Book Review
May. 17th, 2023 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Heart of a Woman: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price
by Rae Linda Brown
I very much enjoyed this biography. Brown covers not only Price's life and music, but the cultural and political contexts of the time and places in which Price lived and worked. She also addresses how race, gender, and class affected Price and her struggle for success and recognition. I especially liked the material about the early 20th century Black classical music scene and how these musicians created careers and fought for advancement in the face of many barriers. This community sustained Price musically and personally and she was very active in it as a teacher and leader.
Brown made Price her life's work and this book the culmination of that work. She presents her extensive research in compelling prose such that this book almost read like a good novel. Her analysis and discussion of Price's works gets to the heart of each piece without being dry or overly technical and makes the reader eager to listen to the works.
by Rae Linda Brown
I very much enjoyed this biography. Brown covers not only Price's life and music, but the cultural and political contexts of the time and places in which Price lived and worked. She also addresses how race, gender, and class affected Price and her struggle for success and recognition. I especially liked the material about the early 20th century Black classical music scene and how these musicians created careers and fought for advancement in the face of many barriers. This community sustained Price musically and personally and she was very active in it as a teacher and leader.
Brown made Price her life's work and this book the culmination of that work. She presents her extensive research in compelling prose such that this book almost read like a good novel. Her analysis and discussion of Price's works gets to the heart of each piece without being dry or overly technical and makes the reader eager to listen to the works.
