This chapter discusses the standards of form Price established in her Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, and her chamber works created through incorporation of African American forms, procedures, and harmonies. Contextualized within what the author calls New Negro modernism, Price’s concertos and chamber works reinforce our understanding of her style and introduce us to her unique approach to conversational balance, form, virtuosity, and orchestration within these genres.

This chapter traces Price’s stylistic development as a composer of symphonies and tone poems, with particular attention to orchestration, form, and musical narrative. The mid-century context of orchestral music performance in Chicago is also considered.

While many scholars have explored the ways in which “Africa” functions as a potent, living memory that animates August Wilson’s characters and audiences, this chapter suggests it is time to raise new questions about Wilson’s representation of Africa in his dramaturgy. In particular, it argues that Wilson’s American Century Cycle has projected an “Africa” not contemporaneous with African America. Indeed, this “Africa” stands outside of historical time. Accordingly, it is time for us to raise a new line of critical inquiry: What are the implications of such an ahistorical representation?