Fantasie nègre
French composer
Definition
Black Fantasy — Price's title for her four concert fantasies based on African American spiritual material. The form combines the improvisatory freedom of the fantasia with the expressive depth of the spiritual, creating large-scale programmatic works that transcend their folk sources while remaining rooted in them.
Interpretive Guidance
The Fantasie nègre requires both the structural command of a concert performer and the expressive intimacy of a spiritual singer. Identify the underlying spiritual melody — in No. 1, 'Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass' — and ensure it sings through whatever elaboration surrounds it.