Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Themed Recital Sub-Forum Female Composers Recital January 2021 - signup thread

We will honor female composers in this themed recital, scheduled for January 2021.

There will be no restrictions of genre, style, or period. As long as the composer is female (including original compositions!), the piece is welcome.

The further back you go in time, the more difficult it is to find female composers. Here are two collections of classical music composers I am aware of:

"At the Piano with Women Composers", edited by Maurice Henson, published by Alfred
"Great Women Composers" by Gail Smith, published by Mel Bay

Some names to look for in the classical genre:
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet del La Guerre (1666-1729)
Elisabetta de Gambarini (1731-1765)
Marianne Martinez (1744-1812)
Marianna Von Auenbrugger (1759-1782)
Maria Theresia Von Paradis (1759-1824)
Maria Agata Szymanowska (1789-1831)
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
Fanny Cecil Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)
Agathe Backer-Grondahl (1847-1907)
Teresa Carreno (1853-1917)
Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Wanda Landowska (1879-1959)
Adaline Shepherd (1883-1950)
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Amy Marcy Beach (1867-1944)

If you have more names to share, please post them in this thread!

Here are the rules:
1) Only pieces by female composers.
2) Any genre, any style, any period, including original compositions
3) All skill levels are welcome.
4) Duplicate submissions are fine - we are all unique.
5) Multiple submissions are fine.

This recital is scheduled for January 2021. It will likely open for submissions January 1st and go live January 15th. If you would like to pledge to play something, look at the post after this one.

Sam

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)

Sam

Another collection is "Piano music by female composers", published by Schott Music.

I would add contemporary female composers:

Martha Mier
Barbara Arens
Wynn-Anne Rossi
Catherine Rollin
Melanie Spanswick

Here is a publisher that only publishes works by female composers

Furoe pub

More contemporary pianist/composers:

Michele McLaughlin
Rachel Currea
Helen Jane Long

I will probably pick something by one of them.

Sam, what’s the rule? Once you state what you’ll play, is it set in stone? Or can you change your piece after choosing one?

You can add Helene de Montgeroult, a very famous piano interpret in the 19th century and composers. She wrote several sonatas and a piano method with many etudes.

Also Germaine Tailleferre, a contemporary composer who wrote many pieces for the piano.

I'm not ready yet to learn anything by the Australian contemporary composer Elena Kats-Chernin, which is a great pity since I like her compositions.

I've got my zoom piano meet up on Saturday and one of the members always finds compositions I really enjoy by contemporary female composers. I'll ping her during the meet up.

Nothing is set in stone until you upload your performance. The list is just a pledge, and it shows other performers what is planned.

Sam

Sam, thanks for the clarification!

Re the Great American Songbook... is there a generally accepted criterion in terms of dates? Like, if it's composed after the 1950s (1960s?) it's not part of it??

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha

Since I am already learning C. Schumann's prelude and fugue, I should make it for this recital!

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf

The cutoff date will be 1959, so 1960 is too late. I will post a signup thread tomorrow (or the next day). That's the year we used the last time. Of course, it will all be self-enforced - I am not interested in being a judge...

Sam

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99
7) Debbie Wiseman - Together - Lanky Pianist

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99
7) Debbie Wiseman - Together - Lanky Pianist
8) Florence Price - Nimble Feet - PianogrlNW

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99
7) Debbie Wiseman - Together - Lanky Pianist
8) Florence Price - Nimble Feet - PianogrlNW
9) Margaret Bonds - Troubled Water (1959) - Tim Adrianson
10) Louise Talma - Alleluia in Form of Toccata (1945) - Tim Adrianson
11) Amy Beach - A Hermit Thrush at Morn (1922) - Tim Adrianson
12) Judith Lang Zaimont - Hitchin' (A Travelin'Groove) (2008) - Tim Adrianson
13) Joan Tower - Holding a Daisy (1996) - Tim Adrianson
14) Jennifer Higdon - Secret & Glass Gardens (2000) - Tim Adrianson
15) Katherine Hoover - Toccata (2011) - Tim Adrianson
16) Augusta Read Thomas - Fire Waltz (1996) - Tim Adrianson

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99
7) Debbie Wiseman - Together - Lanky Pianist
8) Florence Price - Nimble Feet - PianogrlNW
9) Margaret Bonds - Troubled Water (1959) - Tim Adrianson
10) Louise Talma - Alleluia in Form of Toccata (1945) - Tim Adrianson
11) Amy Beach - A Hermit Thrush at Morn (1922) - Tim Adrianson
12) Judith Lang Zaimont - Hitchin' (A Travelin'Groove) (2008) - Tim Adrianson
13) Joan Tower - Holding a Daisy (1996) - Tim Adrianson
14) Jennifer Higdon - Secret & Glass Gardens (2000) - Tim Adrianson
15) Katherine Hoover - Toccata (2011) - Tim Adrianson
16) Augusta Read Thomas - Fire Waltz (1996) - Tim Adrianson
17) Cecile Chaminade - Elegie, Op.126 No.7 - facdo
18) Chiquinha Gonzaga - *Some piece to be defined* - facdo

To pledge to play something, hit the quote button of the most recent post with the list in this thread, remove the quote in brackets at the beginning and end, and write the composer, title, and your forum name of the piece you would like to play.

1) Unknown Female Composer - awesome title - Sam S (I will play something, I promise, but I have to find something first!)
2) Clara Schumann -Prelude and Fugue in Bb op. 16 #2- SwissMS
3) Chee-Hwa Tan - The land of Nod - Animisha
4) Sofia Gubaidulina - Chaconne (1962) - johnstaf
5) Agathe Backer Grøndahl - Sommervise, Op. 44 No. 3 - Greta99
6) Fanny Mendelssohn - Melodie, Op. No. 2 - Greta99
7) Debbie Wiseman - Together - Lanky Pianist
8) Florence Price - Nimble Feet - PianogrlNW
9) Margaret Bonds - Troubled Water (1959) - Tim Adrianson
10) Louise Talma - Alleluia in Form of Toccata (1945) - Tim Adrianson
11) Amy Beach - A Hermit Thrush at Morn (1922) - Tim Adrianson
12) Judith Lang Zaimont - Hitchin' (A Travelin'Groove) (2008) - Tim Adrianson
13) Joan Tower - Holding a Daisy (1996) - Tim Adrianson
14) Jennifer Higdon - Secret & Glass Gardens (2000) - Tim Adrianson
15) Katherine Hoover - Toccata (2011) - Tim Adrianson
16) Augusta Read Thomas - Fire Waltz (1996) - Tim Adrianson
17) Cecile Chaminade - Elegie, Op.126 No.7 - facdo
18) Chiquinha Gonzaga - *Some piece to be defined* - facdo
19) Catherine Rollin - *Some piece to be defined* - BSharp(C)yclist