Ethiopia's Shadow in America is an orchestral composition written by Florence Price in 1932. It received honorable mention for piano pieces in that year's Rodman Wanamaker Music Contest.[1][2]
![Price looking into the camera](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Composer_Florence_Price_%28cropped%29.jpg/190px-Composer_Florence_Price_%28cropped%29.jpg)
According to Florence Price, the three linked movements are intended to portray:
- I. Introduction and Allegretto: The Arrival of the Negro in America when first brought here as a slave.
- II. Andante: His Resignation and Faith.
- III. Allegro: His Adaptation, a fusion of his native and acquired impulses.
Many of Price's works, including this, were lost for a long time and were found again in 2009. Ethiopia's Shadow was performed by the University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in January 2015.[3] On September 30, 2018, Jordan Randall Smith conducted the Hopkins Concert Orchestra in a performance he claims is the first East Coast performance.[4][5][6] On March 8, 2020, the Washington, DC, premiere of Ethiopia's Shadow in America was performed by the DC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Randall Stewart.[7] The work was performed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra on November 13, 2021.[8]
This work was included in an album by the New York Youth Symphony that won the 2023 Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance.[9]
Structure
editPrice divided the composition in three parts:[10]
- I. The Arrival of the Negro in America when first brought here as a slave – (Introduction and Allegretto)
- II. His Resignation and Faith – (Andante)
- III. His Adaptation – (Allegro) – A fusion of his native and acquired impulses
References
edit- ^ Horne, Aaron (1996). Brass Music of Black Composers: A Bibliography. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 60. ISBN 9780313298264.
- ^ Jackson, Barbara Garvey (1977). "Florence Price, Composer". The Black Perspective in Music. 5 (4): 37. doi:10.2307/1214357. JSTOR 1214357.
- ^ Curtis, Liane (2015-02-26). "New Discoveries of Florence Price's Music revealed in Arkansas Festival!!". Women's Philharmonic Advocacy. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ McCabe, Bret (2018-09-27). "Jordan Randall Smith on conducting, community, and concerts". The Hub. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ Smith, Jordan Randall (2018-11-26), Florence Price: Ethiopia's Shadow in America: II. Andante, retrieved 2019-02-18
- ^ Smith, Jordan Randall (26 November 2018). "Ethiopia's Shadow in America". Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ "DC Concert Orchestra - List of Performances".
- ^ "Spouses among Akron Symphony musicians anticipating long-awaited return".
- ^ Administrator, NYYS (2023-03-02). "Sunday Today with Willie Geist Congratulates Us on The Grammy Win". New York Youth Symphony. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ^ Smith, Jordan Randall (November 26, 2018). "Ethiopia's Shadow in America". Conductor's Notebook. Retrieved 2018-11-26.