Symphony No. 4 in D Minor

The symphonic capstone of Florence Price’s brief but remarkable career, the Symphony No. 4 is cast in a late Romantic style, enriched with sounds from the African diaspora. Set in four movements, the Symphony follows in the format of Price’s first and third symphonies (the second is missing), but also highlights the growth in her musical voice. The circumstances surrounding its genesis are obscure. It dates from 1945—more than a decade after the Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiered Price’s First Symphony—and yet it was never performed in her lifetime. It was presumed lost until 2009, when it was discovered among other manuscripts at her former summer home near Chicago. The stately first movement features a sweeping main theme, introduced in the brass and woodwinds, that alludes to the spiritual “Wade in the Water.” The brief second movement, marked “Andante cantabile,” has the character of a bluesy lullaby, while the third is a juba, a syncopated dance of African origin. A slinky English horn melody in the middle section suggests Ellington’s “jungle” sound. The tightly constructed finale has a rollicking, slightly manic character, evoking a danse macabre. Increasingly performed and recorded, the Fourth Symphony is a distinctive addition to the American symphonic canon.