Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price
- Cambridge Companions to Music
- The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Musical Examples
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Introduction
- Part I Archives and Sources
- Part II Genre and Style
- 4 New Analytical Approaches for Florence Price Scholarship
- 5 Reflections of Price in the Mirror of Her Art Songs
- 6 The Concert Spirituals: Price as Griot-Composer
- 7 The Solo Keyboard Works
- 8 Price and the Violin: Between Virtuosity and Vernacularity
- 9 Concertos and Chamber Works: The African American Idiom in Texture and Form
- 10 Symphonies to Tone Poems
- Part III Community and Reception
- Select Bibliography
- Index
6 - The Concert Spirituals: Price as Griot-Composer
from Part II - Genre and Style
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 April 2026
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price
- Cambridge Companions to Music
- The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Musical Examples
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Introduction
- Part I Archives and Sources
- Part II Genre and Style
- 4 New Analytical Approaches for Florence Price Scholarship
- 5 Reflections of Price in the Mirror of Her Art Songs
- 6 The Concert Spirituals: Price as Griot-Composer
- 7 The Solo Keyboard Works
- 8 Price and the Violin: Between Virtuosity and Vernacularity
- 9 Concertos and Chamber Works: The African American Idiom in Texture and Form
- 10 Symphonies to Tone Poems
- Part III Community and Reception
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
“My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord” (1937) is one of Price’s most well-known concert spirituals due to Marian Anderson’s historic performance of the piece on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Its continued inclusion in programs, especially by African American concert singers (such as Leontyne Price and Roberta Alexander, for example), has helped secure the work as an important contribution to the repertory of American art song. However, the song’s significance extends beyond its high-profile performances and sheds light on the significant legacy of the concert spiritual genre. This chapter’s analysis of several concert spirituals by Price reflects her embrace of and impact on this genre’s conventions and musical legacy.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price , pp. 105 - 123Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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