Ragazze Quartet perform works by two female composers, Rhiannon Giddens (b. 1977) and Florence Price (1887-1953), combined with the ‘American’ String Quartet no.12 by Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904). Florence Price was the first African-American woman to be recognised for her symphonies, yet her music was forgotten for many years. Her String Quartet no.2 is a mix of European romanticism, her ‘Southern’ roots, the emerging blues and African-American spirituals.

The title of the album derives from a song Rhiannon Giddens wrote after seeing a 19th-century advertisement for a 22-year-old female slave whose 9-month-old baby was also for sale, but ‘at the purchaser’s option’. One of the lines of the song is: ‘You can take my blood. But not my soul.’ The string quartet arrangement was made by Jacob Garchik in 2016, commissioned by the Kronos Quartet’s ‘50 For The Future’ project.

‘This album is a tribute to composers who, despite opposition, have always remained true to their soul. Our own souls are not directly related to the work songs of African slaves, Czech folk music, or African-American spirituals. But we want to contribute to making the voices, souls and music heard.’ – Ragazze Quartet