In October of 2022, the University Libraries had the opportunity to acquire additional materials related to Florence Beatrice Smith Price.
Price was an Arkansas native and the first major female African American classical composer. Born in 1888 in Little Rock, Price wrote nearly 300 compositions. When she passed in 1953, her compositions were all but lost. However, in 2009, they were rediscovered during the renovation of a house that had been owned by her daughter.
This fourth addition comes with published as well as unpublished sheet music created and collected by Price. Researchers now have the ability to explore a memo book, course notes, a course notebook that belonged to Price, 13 family photos, and a manuscript draft of a novel, Maudelle: A Novel Founded on Facts Gathered from Living Witnesses, written by Price’s father, James H. Smith.
“Arkansas composer Florence Price has been receiving well-deserved attention in recent years, with orchestras around the world programming her works,” said Melanie Griffin, interim associate dean for Special Collections. “The three collections of her papers that Special Collections has long held are a destination resource for everyone interested in learning more about Price and her music. With this fourth acquisition, we’re excited to be able to provide richer, deeper access to materials documenting her compositional process.”
Materials from the Florence Price Collection were requested 351 times last year, making it the fourth most requested collection in the University Libraries Specials Collections Division. The new materials were processed by the Special Collections team and then made available to researchers in November.
The public is welcome to view and use these materials by making an appointment with Special Collections. The Special Collections Reading Room is currently housed in Mullins Library room 329 and is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with extended hours to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.
