Women Classical Composers

Women composers throughout the centuries have written prolifically, but they have not been recognized as readily as their male counterparts. Ideally, there would be no need to separate the accomplishments of women from those of men. Judgments of merit should be based only on artistic ability. History shows that women have been composing since the third century, but inequities exist in society's recognition of their talent and creativity (LePage vii).

Women have been music makers for as long as men have, but their work, especially in composition, has gone unnoticed, unpublished, unperformed, and often forgotten. This unfortunate situation is due to the manner in which gender is construed, a process which has profoundly impacted women composers in Europe and in America for centuries. Gender-role stereotyping continues to be a social influence on women composers today. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss certain sociological influences on women musicians that have made their profession difficult. In particular, this paper examines the contributions of Hildegard of Bingen, Clara Schumann, and Nadia Boulanger, as well as other representative women composers. The paper will conclude with general implications of women in music and their acceptance as worthy creative artists practicing their chosen Profession.

Judith Zaimont notes various social influences on women's professional success as musicians. Somet

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mposers of her time period. It is likely that her status as a woman influenced her to write chamber music, which was comfortably performed in salons. In the 1890's, psychologist Havelock Ellis wrote that the lack of achievement of women composers was proof of their biological inferiority. Other writers concurred, that music was a masculine endeavor. Victorian notions about the proper sphere for women fueled active debates about the innate natures of women and men. Many women succumbed to this sociological pressure and turned out parlor songs and other sentimental music which fulfilled social conventions about their proper role as composers (Bowers and Tick 9). Women's minority status and socialization affect the types of specialties selected within the music profession. The great French teacher and composer, Nadia Boulanger, might have flourished significantly in composition as well as teaching with the right social environment. As it was, she was born into a highly musical family. Her paternal grandmother was mezzosoprano at the Opera-Comique, her father was a gifted French musician, and her mother was a Russian singer. Nadia says in her own writing and in interviews that she greatly attributes her success to the exce
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2706
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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