Rabbit Foot, by Florence Price

Rabbit Foot is a playful early intermediate piece by Florence Price. In a repetitive A-B-A' form, Rabbit Foot offers opportunities for discussion about keeping repeats musically interesting through dynamics and shaping. All three sections have tricky articulations that call for a significant level of control, plus ornamentation that is a challenge to fit in the phrase. Both A sections have a combination of slurs and staccatos that require practice and care. The B section’s left-hand part appears to be a simple ostinato, but actually splits the hand with the fourth and fifth fingers playing longer quarter notes while the rest of the hand plays short eighth notes. The most challenging part of Rabbit Foot is the second half of the last section where both hands have rapid jumps while still using the same tricky articulations as before. Additionally, the quick tempo and dynamic changes in the final section create further learning opportunities.

Practice ideas:

1. Practice the movement of the jumps in tempo before bringing the notes themselves in tempo.
2. Figure out what long-short pattern works in the left-hand of the B section before adding the right-hand melody.
3. Use the articulations to your advantage. For example, the slurs in measure four allow you to lift your hand and place it in the best location for the next section.

Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953) is perhaps the best known African American female composer in the US.  She was active in the Chicago area, and was the first African-American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. For a full biography and information about her works, visit the Florence Price website. 

Sources

• Photo: Classical Lost And Found: Florence Price Rediscovered. NPR
• Florence Price. Wikipedia
• CU Philharmonia honors Florence Price in newly imagined orchestration
• Biography of Florence Beatrice Price