Skip to Main Content

Music

Women, Gender, and Music

Citron, M. J. (2007). Women and the Western Art Canon: Where Are We Now? Notes (Music Library Association), 64(2), 209–215. 

Hawkins, S. (2017). The Routledge research companion to popular music and gender 

Hayes, D. (1985). Some Neglected Women Composers of the Eighteenth Century and Their Music. Current Musicology, 39, 42–42.

Kouvaras, L.,et al. (2022). Century of composition by women : music against the odds. 

Maxile, H. J., & Turner, K. M. (2022). Race and gender in the Western music history survey : a teacher’s guide

Parsons, L., & Ravenscroft, B. (2016). Analytical essays on music by women composers : concert music from 1960-2000.

Ravenscroft, B. (2022). Analytical essays on music by women composers: concert music, 1900-1960.

Ritchie, L. (2008). Women writing music in late eighteenth-century England : social harmony in literature and performance

Schleifer, M. F., & Glickman, S. (1996). Women composers : music through the ages. 

v. 1. Composers born before 1599 -- v. 2. Composers born 1600-1699 -- v. 3. Composers 1700-1799, keyboard music -- v. 4. Composers 1700-1799, vocal music -- v. 5. Composers 1700-1799, large and small instrumental ensembles -- v. 6. Composers 1800-1899, keyboard music -- v. 7. Composers 1800-1899, vocal music -- v. 8. Composers 1800-1899, large and small instrumental ensembles.

Sullivan, J. M. (2017). Women’s bands in America : performing music and gender  

Wolfe, P. (2020). Women in the studio : creativity, control and gender in popular music production. 

Women & Music (Online journal)

Organizations and Collections

Women Opera Composers

  • Francesca Caccini: La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina (1625)

  • Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini: Ciro in Armenia (1753)

  • Princess Amalie of Saxony: La Casa Disabitata (1835)

  • Pauline Viardot – Cendrillon (1904)

  • Ethel Smyth – The Wreckers (1906)

  • Elisabeth Lutyens – The Numbered (1967)

  • Thea Musgrave: Mary, Queen of Scots (1977)

  • Judith Weir – Blond Eckbert (1993)

  • Kaija Saariaho – L’amour de Loin (2000)

  • Unsuk Chin – Alice in Wonderland (2007)

500 Women Opera Composers

Women Opera Composers:Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st century (on order)   

Women Composer Lists

The Boulanger Initiative Database: advocates for women and all gender marginalized composers. Search by composer, work, country, language.

Interactive map of women composers

An online map plotting 100s of women composers over time by country.

Canadian Women Composers (UofT)

List of Female Composers: Biography and list of works.

International Alliance for Women in Music

International Women's Brass Conference

Music by Women

Oxford Music Online: Women Composers by Time Period

Women's Philharmonic Advocacy