Eric Price

Eric Marshall Price was born November 8, 1944 in Philadelphia PA. He was raised in Abington PA, and graduated from Abington High School in June, 1962. Not exposed to classical music during his childhood and adolescent years, Price’s desire to compose did not begin until his early college years, when a roommate with a massive classical record collection introduced him to classical music.

Also interested in a career in Psychology and Medicine, Price pursued classical composition as a side gig. He studied under Donald Rappoport at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia for a number of years. Price’s first major classical piece, which he called his Student Sonata, (Piano Sonata #1 in A minor) came around his 36th birthday.

The style of the Student Sonata was very traditional, but he composed several subsequent sonatas in a style somewhat more appropriate for the second half of the 20th Century. While in Philadelphia, under Donald Rappoport, he also began work on two Piano Concertos. The 4th piano sonata in F was written while he still lived in the Philadelphia area, and completed somewhere around 1994. Price tried to develop a personal style of composing that combined 19th and 20th Century elements.

In his middle years, Price moved to Atlanta GA for a time. Also into song writing, Price teamed up with a music producer, Haywood Tucker, who owned a recording studio in Atlanta. Haywood’s daughter, Angelica, was a talented singer and lyricist, and while Price lived in Atlanta, they collaborated on a large number of songs; many of them love songs, and others songs about world unity. Price also completed work on his two Piano Concertos while in Atlanta, and wrote other classical pieces as well. 

In his later years, Price returned to his home city of Philadelphia. A professional recording of the Piano Sonata No. 4 in F was completed there in 2023 with the help of PARMA Recordings and pianist Anna Kislitsyna.