Women Writing
Chamber Music
A brief survey of the history women composers writing chamber music that includes the horn in chronological order.
Chamber Music:
“Music written for small instrumental ensembles, with one player to a part, and intended for performance either in private, in a domestic environment with or without listeners, or in public in a small concert hall before an audience of limited size.“
Why Women:
Women composers are constantly missing on modern programs. In the world of classical music, which is mostly overrun with dead white guys, modern ensembles have to make the choice to be more inclusive with their programming. Straying from the standard repertoire is not only more exciting for the performers, but it can also expose audiences to new music they would have never known they loved. This presentation can be used as a guide to expose current horn players to repertoire they may not know.
Louise Farrenc
1804-1875
-born into a family of artists
-began studying at the Paris Conservatory at age 15 with Reicha
-early works were for piano
-composed several orchestral pieces
-mostly remembered for her chamber music
-became a piano professor at the Conservatory where she was a scholar of piano repertoire and pedagogy
Nonet in Eb, Op. 38, 1849
I : Adagio - Allegro
II : Andante con moto
III : Scherzo: Vivace (video)
IV : Adagio - Allegro
Flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, bass
Melanie Bonis
1858-1937
-entered the Paris Conservatory in 1877
-keyboardist, studied organ with Cesar Franck
-has over 300 compositions credited to her name and most were published
-mostly wrote keyboard works, but also wrote for choir and has at least 20 chamber pieces
Scenes de la forget, 1930
I : Nocturne
II : A l’aube
III : Invocation (video)
IV : pour Artemis
Flute, horn, and piano
Amy Beach
1867-1944
-first American woman to achieve large-scale success while she was alive
-showed a talent for music from age 1 and learned to play piano by ear
-studied piano in Boston rose to success as a soloist
-incorporated folk music
-toured Europe and America to self-promote her music
-song is a basis for her complete style
Pastorale, 1943
One Movement : Lento tranquillo
Flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
Thea Musgrave
b. 1928
-Scottish, has lived in America since 1972
-studied at the University of Edinburgh
-teachers include: Nadia Boulanger and Aaron Copland
-taught in CA and NY
-has composed at least 10 operas
-“Yes I am a woman, and I am a composer. But rarely at the same time.”
Music for Horn and Piano, 1967
One movement
Joan Tower
b. 1938
-American, but spent some of her childhood in South America
-influences of indigenous percussion
-Studied at Bennington College and Columbia University
-Founding member of Da Capo Chamber Players
-Has taught at Bard College since 1972
-founded the Made In America project to commission new works for smaller-budget American symphonies
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #1, 1986
Single movement
Brass and percussion ensemble
Judith Wier
b. 1954
-Scottish, but grew up near London
-Played the oboe
-Studied at Cambridge University
-appointed the Master of the Queen’s Music in 2015
-has taught at Princeton, Harvard, and Cardiff
-primarily known for her operas and musical theater works
Don’t Let That Horse, 1990
One movement
For soprano and horn
Elena Firsova
b. 1950
-Russian, parents were physicists
-studied in Moscow
-was blacklisted and moved to the United Kingdom
-more than 100 compositions to her name
-most of her chamber music includes voice
Before the Thunderstorm, op. 70, 1994
Cantata for soprano and flute, clarinet, horn, percussion, and string quartet
Margaret Brouwer
b. 1940
-American composer and violinist
-studied violin at Oberlin and Michigan state
-later, after a performance career, she received a DMA in composition at Indiana University
-has taught at Cleveland Institute of Music
-her music includes influences from multiple eras and compositional styles
Sonata for Horn and Piano, 1996
I : Hymn (video)
II : Riding to the Higher Clouds
Adrienne Albert
b. 1941
-American composer
-professional mezzo-soprano
-parents were violinists
-started composing in the 1990s and received her first composition degree in 1994 from UCLA
-her goal was to write both instrumental and vocal music
-also works as an arranger and conductor
War Stories, 2014
I : UnCivil Wars (video)
II : The Good War
III : Homeward Bound
Flute/piccolo, horn, piano
Barbara York
b. 1949
-Canadian
-concert accompanist
-has won a Dora Mavor Moore Award
-has been commissioned by several professional orchestras and instrumental societies
-currently resides in Pittsburg, KS and is a part time accompanist at Pittsburg State University
Personalities, 2018
I : Quirky
II : Romantic
III : Sassy (video)
IV : Solitary
V : Brilliant
Horn, Euphonium, and Tuba
biographical and other information taken from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, along with the composer’s personal websites