The Routledge handbook on women's work in music by
The Routledge Handbook of Women’s Work in Music presents a unique collection of core research by academics and music practitioners from around the world, engaging with an extraordinarily wide range of topics on women’s contributions to Western and Eastern art music, popular music, world music, music education, ethnomusicology as well as in the music industries. The handbook falls into six parts. Part I serves as an introduction to the rich variety of subject matter the reader can expect to encounter in the handbook as a whole. Part II focuses on what might be termed the more traditional strand of feminist musicology – research which highlights the work of historical and/or neglected composers. Part III explores topics concerned with feminist aesthetics and music creation and Part IV focuses on questions addressing the performance and reception of music and musicians. The narrative of the handbook shifts in Part V to focus on opportunities and leadership in the music professions from a Western perspective. The final section of the handbook (Part VI) provides new frames of context for women’s positions as workers, educators, patrons, activists and promoters of music.
The Cambridge Companion to Women in Music Since 1900 by
This Companion explores women's work in music since 1900 across a broad range of musical genres and professions, including the classical tradition, popular music, and music technology. The crucial contribution of women to music education and the music industries features alongside their activity as composers and performers. The book considers the gendered nature of the musical profession, in areas including access to training, gendered criticism, sexualization, and notions of 'gender appropriate' roles or instruments. It covers a wide range of women musicians, such as Marin Alsop, Grace Williams, Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell and Adele. Each thematic section concludes with a contribution from a practitioner in her own words, reflecting upon the impact of gender on her own career. Chapters include suggestions for further reading on each of the topics covered, providing an invaluable resource for students of Feminist Musicology, Women in Music, and Music and Gender.
The Heart of a Woman by
The Heart of a Woman offers the first-ever biography of Florence B. Price, a composer whose career spanned both the Harlem and Chicago Renaissances, and the first African American woman to gain national recognition for her works. Price's twenty-five years in Chicago formed the core of a working life that saw her create three hundred works in diverse genres, including symphonies and orchestral suites, art songs, vocal and choral music, and arrangements of spirituals. Through interviews and a wealth of material from public and private archives, Rae Linda Brown illuminates Price's major works while exploring the considerable depth of her achievement. Brown also traces the life of the extremely private individual from her childhood in Little Rock through her time at the New England Conservatory, her extensive teaching, and her struggles with racism, poverty, and professional jealousies. In addition, Brown provides musicians and scholars with dozens of musical examples.
Nadia Boulanger and Her World by
Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) was arguably one of the most iconic figures in twentieth-century music, and certainly among the most prominent musicians of her time. For many composers-- especially Americans from Aaron Copland to Philip Glass--studying with Boulanger in Paris or Fontainebleau was a formative moment in a creative career. Composer, performer, conductor, impresario, and charismatic and inspirational teacher, Boulanger engaged in a vast array of activities in a variety of media, from private composition lessons and lecture-recitals to radio broadcasts, recordings, and public performances. But how to define and account for Boulanger's impact on the music world is still unclear. Nadia Boulanger and Her World takes us from a time in the late nineteenth century, when many careers in music were almost entirely closed to women, to the moment in the late twentieth century when those careers were becoming a reality. Contributors consider Boulanger's work in the worlds of composition, musical analysis, and pedagogy and explore the geographies of transatlantic and international exchange and disruption within which her career unfolded. Ultimately, this volume takes its title as a topic for exploration--asking what worlds Boulanger belonged to, and in what sense we can consider any of them to be "hers."
Women Opera Composers by
The history of women in the opera is a grand story. Women were singers and patrons, of course, but from opera's beginnings in Renaissance Italy, they were also opera composers and librettists. At first it was exclusively for the nobility. In the 19th century, with the emergence of the middle class and the rise of nationalism, there were more public theaters and opera seemed to be everywhere. This meant more opportunities for composers, though men predominated. This book focuses on the women, from the 16th century to today, who had successful careers in opera, many of them well known in their time.
The World of Women in Classical Music by
This exciting compilation of the history of women in classical music covers female composers, conductors, performers, musiccologists, women in the business of music and fabulous philanthropists-from past to present. Each entry is a miniature masterpiece biography, revealing the talented women who pushed aside barriers and leapt over hurdles of social limitations to forge a path for themselves and future generations. Dr. Gray has fulfilled a destiny, drawing back the veil enshrouding centuries of women in music, bequeathing to us a detailed and colorful tapestry to feast our imagination, and forever enrich our minds, hearts and spirits.
From Convent to Concert Hall by
In the world of musical composition, men have long overshadowed women. But as the prominence of women composers increases, so does interest in their lives and works. This is the first substantive biographical reference book geared toward the student or non-specialist, featuring information on nearly 200 women composers of the Western music tradition from the 9th century to the 2st. Composers were chosen based on the excellence of their music, their importance in the period's daily musical life, and the availability of information on their lives, music, and recordings. Taken together, they represent a broad range of styles, countries, and eras. This book is a valuable resource for students from high school through university, and for anyone interested in musical history and composers. The book is arranged by style of music and chronology. Each profiled composer placed is related to the famous male composers, arts, sciences, and politics of her period. Profiles include biographical information and focus on the composer's work and association with other musicians. Also included for each composer are a discography of her recorded works (including a list of those available in modern editions) and a bibliography of additional print and electronic resources. Timelines place the women in historical context and appendixes organize them by country, century, and type of music. A syllabus of study is provided.
Women Composers by
This work represents a comprehensive historical overview of music created by women from the 9th to the 20th century. Each volume features 10-25 complete musical scores or complete movements from multi-movement compositions, many of which have been previously difficult to access. Expert scholars provide original essays about the composers, including biographical information, a discussion of the music in historical content, and critical analysis of each work. Entries also include a bibliography, a list of works by the composer and a discography. This first volume about composers born before 1600, covers music by women of the convent, women of nobility, and the trobaritz (women troubadors). The music is predominantly sacred, vocal and a capella.
The Norton-Grove Dictionary of Women Composers by
The few in earlier times who gained some renown were as often as not the sisters, daughters, wives, or muses of well-known men--the surnames of Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann speak for themselves. Even with the present-day increase in their number, women composers have largely failed to draw the attention of the public. In recognition of these nearly invisible yet greatly talented musicians, Julie Anne Sadie and Rhian Samuel have brought together an international corps of experts to produce The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers. This definitive source provides detailed biographies of more than 1,000 creators of Western classical music. In signed articles, the Dictionary chronicles the lives and works of women composers from all corners of the world. Here you can read about the Medieval mystic Hildgard von Bingen, the Renaissance madrigalist Maddalena Casulana, the flamboyant seventeenth-century vocal composer Barbara Strozzi, the prolific New Englander Amy Beach, and the Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.
A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers by
Designed as a practical reference guide for professional pianists and piano teachers, A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers, Volume I, is an annotated catalogue of the available piano music in print composed by 144 women born before the 20th century. The work also features biographies and extensive bibliographical information for each composer. Arranged alphabetically by composer into categories including single works, collections, and anthologies, the music is also described in terms of grade level, genre, mood, style characteristics, and technical requirements, and ranges in difficulty from late elementary to virtuoso concert repertoire. Far too many teachers, students, professional musicians, and audiences are unaware of the contributions made by women in music, and of the beauty and merit of their specific compositions. This reference work provides an invaluable addition to the current literature.
Violin Music by Women Composers by
Provides convenient access to a body of solo, recital, concerto, and chamber music literature that will enrich the repertoire of the violinist. Includes a biographies section which briefly summarizes the life and work of women composers from the Baroque to 20th century American and International. The music section identifies and describes compositions in 12 genre categories. The discography organizes recorded works by composer and by title. Reference and Research Book News This bibliography enhances the repertoire of the violinist by providing convenient access to a new solo recital, concerto, and chamber music literature: the music of women composers. While other source books exist in which some of this information could be found, it is often incomplete or in such abundance that selection is difficult. This well-organized bibliography will not only simplify the process of obtaining such information, but it represents a valuable contribution to the relatively new study of the musical compositions of women. Violin Music by Women Composers is divided into three main sections: Biographies, Music, and Discography. Preceding these is a general alphabetical index to all the composers included in the work, with reference to information on them contained in the three main sections following. The Biographies section is divided among five eras beginning with Baroque and concluding with Twentieth Century International. The second section of the book, Music, is organized in twelve genre categories in which composers are entered alphabetically along with the titles of their compositions. Wherever possible, information is provided on date of composition, publisher and/or source, and duration; often with additional comments included. Library sources are given for manuscripts and for published music that is out of print; otherwise, a current publisher is listed. The Discography section organizes recorded works alphabetically by composer, then alphabetically by title. This section also includes a directory of recording companies. The volume concludes with a bibliography and references. Violin Music by Women Composers is a unique, up-to-date, and thoughtfully organized resource. Exploring its contents will certainly inform and add to the repertoire of violinists and their presenters.
Flute Music by Women Composers by
For the flutist wishing to perform music composed by women, this annotated catalog will come as a most welcome addition to the numerous flute bibliographies now available. Boenke has spent four years gleaning all possible sources to come up with several hundred listings of composers from three centuries and 40 different countries. When the information is available, she lists publisher and the OCLC system record number after the routinely listed title and instrumentation. In addition to the alphabetical listing are indexes for instrumentation, title, publisher, and composer. A short list of sources is heavy on LC and NUC catalogs as well as the several standard sources on women in music. This volume could serve as an example for instrument-specific music bibliographies. For flutists it is priceless. Choice This book, an alphabetical listing of flute music by women composers, provides ready access to flute music that is published or available in manuscript form. Unlike any previous handbook of the flute repertoire, it is devoted entirely to the works of women, the vast majority of whom are not mentioned in the standard catalogs of flute literature. A carefully compiled study, the volume examines the quantity, variety, and scope of women's work in this genre and includes composers from more than forty countries, spanning three centuries. It contains works for solo flute, duets, flute and piano, concertos, woodwind quintets, other chamber ensembles, or any work that employs soloistic use of the flute. It also provides biographical information on the composers, publishers, availability of works, and annotations on the works themselves. All compositions are indexed by title and by instrumentation, and publishers and contemporary composers are listed with current addresses, to facilitate the ordering of music. The first published volume of its kind, this unusual work will draw attention to valuable and unknown repertoire in this genre and provide the opportunity for women's works to be heard more often. It will be useful in all university music libraries and conservatories, and it will be a valuable resource for professional flutists, teachers of flute, and researcher in women's studies.
The Boulanger Initiative Database
The Composers Equity Project (Chamber Music America)
Diversify the Stand: Programming Resources
Institute for Composer Diversity (State University of New York at Fredonia)
The Margaret Zach International Women Composers Library (IWCL)
Music by Women Composers (Theodore Front)
Music Theory Examples by Women (mtew.org)
The Women's Art Song Database (Kassia)
Women Composers Collection (HathiTrust)
A collection of mostly 19th- and early 20th-century musical scores by women composers held at the University of Michigan Music Library.