Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman

Composer: PRICE, Florence

Quick Facts

  • Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman is a short piece for solo piano consisting of four movements:
    1. Morning
    2. Dreaming at the Washtub
    3. A Gay Moment
    4. Evening Shadows1
  • Date of composition is unknown

About the Piece

  • Just as the title suggests, Thumbnail Sketches portrays four character portraits going through the day of a Black washerwoman – the dreariness, the exhaustion, and the fleeting moments of levity and peace.
  • Listen for –
    • The third movement, “A Gay Moment,” is a Juba dance, an African-American vernacular dance form that Price excelled in and used often.2

Sources

  1. “Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman (Price, Florence),” IMSLP, accessed February 28, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/Thumbnail_Sketches_of_a_Day_in_the_Life_of_a_Washerwoman_(Price%2C_Florence).
  2. John Michael Cooper, “Programme Note: Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman,” Wise Music Classical, accessed February 28, 2023, https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/61158/Thumbnail-Sketches-of-a-Day-in-the-Life-of-a-Washerwoman–Florence-Price/.

Cut IDs

25020