I’m delighted to introduce my new three-book piano series: Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano (published by Schott Music). I’ve been working on this for the past three years, and the intention was to publish it much earlier last year, but, of course, the Pandemic had other ideas!
Over the centuries, women have certainly lacked a prominent voice, be it in opera, on the concert stage, or as writers and composers. However, there is a now a distinct movement, not just towards the female composer, but seemingly to readdress the significant gender imbalance throughout the arts.
In light of this long overdue shift, it seems appropriate to highlight the many female composers who have written for the piano, and particularly those who have contributed to the educational piano music repertoire. This list is extensive, beginning nearly four hundred years ago, when women were writing with just as much vigour, innovation, and dedication as they are today.
Research
Due to the fact that female composers’ music has not been as visible as their male counterparts, it’s therefore more challenging to locate. For those who would like to do their own research, the New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians is a good place to start, and beyond this, it can be helpful to focus on various websites and publishers such as the Hildegard Publishing Company (who publish music written by women), Donne – Women in Music (a website for female composers), and the Archiv Frau und Musik or Archive of Women in Music (based in Frankfurt, Germany), as well as the Petrucci website or the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP).
There are several interesting publications, too, specifically The New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers by Julie Anne Sadie and Rhian Samuel (Macmillan Press: 1994) The Pandora Guide to Women Composers by Sophie Fuller (Rivers Oram Press: 1994), and Sounds and Sweet Airs by Anna Beer (Oneworld Publications: 2016).
Variety and Diversity
This project began in 2019, and my research has led to some splendid discoveries; compiled with variety in mind, there is a large collection of styles and genres from the Seventeenth Century to the present day. With a spotlight on diversity, I hope this selection promotes an interesting group of women composers from around the world.
Contents
Women Composers – A Graded Piano Anthology, is arranged over three volumes, and contains fifty two works by fifty-one different female composers (I have written two pieces for this collection). Each book consists of a group of works within a suggested graded level. These grades might be approximately similar to the levels found at the various UK examination boards. Every piece includes the composer’s biography as well as practice or performance suggestions (‘Performance Notes’). Each score has been annotated with added metronome markings, pedalling and fingering, as is so often necessary in an educational piano resource.
Book 1
Book 1 features twenty-one pieces. Arranged over three levels, there are seven pieces within each level; Elementary, Late-Elementary and Early Intermediate (approximately Grades 1 – 4). Included are works by familiar composers such as Elisabetta de Gambarini, Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Anna Bon, Maria Szymanowska, Agathe Backer Grøndahl, Ethyl Smyth, and Mélanie Bonis. These more prominent names sit alongside lesser-known, but equally interesting, composers such as Florence Ada Goodrich, Narcisa Freixas, Felicitas Kukuck, Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, Hedwige Chrétien, and Ivana Loudová.
One element which I feel is important to include in any anthology is contemporary music. With this in mind, there are compositions by a total of twelve living contemporary composers over the three volumes. In Book 1, British composer Rachael Forsyth has written a delightful swing number, Soggy Shoes Blues, Australian composer Wendy Hiscocks has penned an energetic jig, Fig and Fennel, and British composer Samantha Ward, has written lively, fun blues work, Rockin’ Fingers – these pieces, alongside my own piece, Mirage, were all written especially for this series.
You can hear all twenty-one pieces by clicking on the playlist below, where they appear in the order which they are printed in Book 1.
Book 2
Book 2 is also arranged over three levels; Intermediate, Late-Intermediate, and Early Advanced, or similar to Grades 4 – 7. Intermediate level contains seven pieces, and Late-Intermediate and Early Advanced levels both contain six works. There are Baroque numbers by Elizabeth Turner and Maria Teresa Agnesi, Classical style works by Hélène de Montgeroult, Helene Liebmann, Maria Hester Park, and Cecilia Maria Barthélemon, and Romantic pieces by Louise Farrenc, Luise Adolpha Le Beau, Mon Schjelderup, Maria Görres and Theodora Dutton. Contemporary composers include a beautiful jazz-inspired Minimalist piece by German composer Julia Hülsmann. British composer Jenni Pinnock and Malaysian composer Jessica Cho have both written their pieces especially for this volume.
Enjoy the complete playlist, here:
Book 3
Book 3 (which is available from March 21st) has been arranged over two levels; Advanced and Late-Advanced (Grade 7 – diploma). There are twelve pieces in this volume, spotlighting works by Marianna von Martinez, Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Hensel, Clara Schumann, Teresa Carreño, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Lady Viola Kinney, and Vítězslava Kaprálová. Contemporary music has been written by Russian composer Tatjana Komarova, Japanese composer Mai Fukasawa, and Israeli composer Chaya Czernowin.
Hear the complete playlist, below:
My hope is that these volumes inspire pianists, whether they be young or old, and the suggested practice notes and composer’s biographies prove useful during the learning stages.
Purchase
Find out more and purchase your copies, here:
Book 1: https://en.schott-music.com/shop/women-composers-no443433.html
Book 2: https://en.schott-music.com/shop/women-composers-no443434.html
Book 3: https://en.schott-music.com/shop/women-composers-no446794.html
All three books are also available on Musicroom, Presto Music, Amazon, and many other online shops.
My publications:
For much more information about how to practice piano repertoire, take a look at my piano course, Play it again: PIANO (published by Schott Music). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, the course features a large collection of progressive, graded piano repertoire from approximately Grade 1 to advanced diploma level, with copious practice tips for every piece. A convenient and beneficial course for students of any age, with or without a teacher, and it can also be used alongside piano examination syllabuses too.
You can find out more about my other piano publications and compositions here.
from Melanie Spanswick https://melaniespanswick.com/2022/02/13/women-composers-a-graded-anthology-for-piano/
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