It’s about the 10th century when women composers were absent from music textbooks and concert programs even though they composed music. They were also neglected by the Western Canon, which was known for high culture literature, music, philosophy, and works of the art highly valued in the West.
There’s so much focus on male composers that women who create music get neglected even in this present world. However, these women composers deserve more attention and honor. Let’s Meet some outstanding women who have made incredible music over the centuries and created a path for other women to follow their mark:
Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was the first recognizable woman composer in the history of Western Music. She was born in 1098. She spent most of her life in an unknown hilltop monastery in Germany’s Rhineland. She is a mystic, artist, writer, theologist, and composer. Hildegard left a treasure trove of works believed to be divined straight from God. She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony. She has been considered by many in Europe to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany. Interest in Hildegard’s music Pope Benedict XVI canonized her in 2012 on her 800th death anniversary.
Anna Amalia of Prussia
Anna Amalia was a Princess of Prussia. Her older brother, Frederick the Great, is the one who’s remembered. This 17th century Princess also composed music and owned an extensive music collection. That sibling shared a love of music, although their music-hating father forbade their musical studies. Amalia produced a small body of works. Her most significant contribution to music was her work as a collector and curator: she preserved more than 600 volumes of works by such greats as Bach, Handel, and Telemann.
Clara Schumann
She was famous as the “Queen of the Piano” across Europe. Including writer Johann von Goethe and violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini, Leading high society admired her playing. She and her brother Robert were each other’s creative muses and helpmates. But social norms didn’t favor women as professional performers or composers, and marriage and children brought severe difficulties for Schumann. She stopped composing at the age of 30.
Florence Price
Price was something of a musical sensation. She was born in 1887. she gave her first performance when she was only four years old and wrote her first composition when she was 11. She was a well-respected teacher and was appointed head of music at Clark Atlanta University. Amongst her many achievements, Price had her ‘Symphony in E minor performed by the Chicago Symphony in 1993. She also worked closely with famous composer Margaret Bonds, vocalist Marian Anderson, and poet Langston Hughes. The first International Florence Price Festival held in 2021.
Undine Smith Moore
Moore grew up in a musical family and started taking piano lessons when she was 7. The prestigious Julliard School awarded her the first scholarship to a student at Fisk University to continue to study. She won many awards, including the Virginia Governors Award and an honorary Ph.D. from Indiana University. Her composition Scenes from the Life of a Martyr nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. Even many of her compositions were only published after she died. Her lifetime was 1904-89.
