The Role of Women Composers in the History of Classical Music

The History of Classical Music is not only dominated by male composers as women from the early 12th century were found to be composers of some of the most renowned compositions. A milestone that has crossed over a century, Kaija Saariaho's “L’Amour de Loin” is the best example of how progressive those women composers were in the early era of music. From the start of the musical era, women composers have broken social conventions again and again when they were considered not perfect for composing. Pointing out nimble fingers and beautiful voices, women were sometimes appreciated for their singing skills but never as a composer who contributed to Classical music with original compositions.

However, due to social barriers, ambition and talent coincided with privilege and pedigree and only women with influential husbands or fathers could support their musical aura. Author Anna Beer has written, “They did not seek out, or seek to create a female tradition, nor did they wait for a female teacher or mentor. They invariably worked with, and within, a male-dominated musical culture”, in her highly acclaimed book ‘Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music’. Let’s take a better look at the lives of the women composers in classical music who are often overlooked but still hold a special place in the History of Classical Music.

1. The Soul’s Struggle - Hildegard of Bingen, circa 1151

Hildegard of Bingen is the earliest female composer in Classical music who was born around 1098. Her critical works in Western Tradition are still astonishing for modern-day music artists. She also wrote many books on medicine, botany, and theology, and also had a good correspondence with the penitents and popes. Though she spent most of her time in a remote Rhineland monastery, her compositions have survived through all these years. More than dozens of her original compositions are still intact with text along with a hypnotic liturgical drama called “Ordo Virtutum.” It is a story of a soul’s struggle between the Virtues and the Devil.

However, people across medieval Europe considered her as a prophet, “the Sibyl of the Rhine.” She used to have visions from a young age and suffered from blinding migraines. She was perhaps uneducated and that implies that all of the compositional practice had been done by faith only. she wrote, “Hearing earthly music enables humans to recall their former state.”

2. For a Court of Women - Francesca Caccini, 1625

With the victory against the Ottoman Empire, it was time for opulent feasts and extravagant ceremonies in Poland. A 36-year-old composer, Francesca Caccini was assigned for the day’s signature entertainment: “La Liberazione di Ruggiero Dall’isola d’Alcina.” It was a comic opera comprised of four scenes. The opera brought an exceptional period in the history of classical music when the court was dominated by talented women, starting with Caccini then her original patron, Christine de Lorraine, and then her daughter-in-law, Maria Magdalena of Austria. Musicologist Suzanne Cusick wrote that it was a “representation of a fictional world ruled by exceptional women.”

3. The Composing Coquette - Barbara Strozzi, 1650s

Barbara Strozzi’s musical career was engineered by her adoptive father, poet Giulio Strozzi. Many would consider Barbara as Giulio’s own daughter and she would get invitations to important philosophical discussions where she would perform suggestive musical interludes. But it was her teenage. By her 30s, she started composing seriously and consistently which helped to create a professional pivot. The music she wrote was mainly erotic and the interweaving of voices was her signature.

4. Private Performances and Public Humiliations - Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, 1694

Élisabeth was born in Paris in 1665 in a family full of artisans. With her family's influence and knowledge of the craft, they soon became a part of the French nobility. Most of the musicians back then depended on the whims of patrons just like Élisabeth who had to perform privately. Being at the mercy of the king’s most adored mistress Madame de Montespan was quite a struggle for her, but she managed to “Céphale et Procris,” her first opera in 1694. The court soon changed Montespan with a more religious mistress. However, Élisabeth did not make any opera again.

5. They Prefer Song - Marianna Martines, 1772

According to English Music Historian Charles Burney, Martines was “well dressed,” “graceful” and “very elegant.” He saw her first when he met Italian librettist Pietro Metastasio where composer and harpsichordist Marianna Martines paid a visit. She was also Metastasio’s pupil and protégée who were talented enough to play at the imperial court even at childhood. She offered two airs of her own composition and it surpassed all Burney’s expectations. He praised her voice, timing as well as self-presentation. However, he also said that “It is a pity, that her writing should affect her voice.”

6. Backstage Grandeur - Louise Farrenc, 1850

By the middle of the 19th century, the demand for opera was quite high in pairs. Louise Farrenc was one of the first female instrumental professors in Europe. Other than composing and teaching, she also brought a wave of feminism by demanding her wages be equal to her male colleagues. She also helped her husband in his research and the books including a 23-volume anthology of keyboard masterpieces. Her behind-the-scenes labor has helped woman musicians over the centuries.

7. Touring and Torment - Clara Schumann, 1837

Clara was a German piano prodigy and a musical genius who was well-revered around the world. Her shows were often sold-out and police were required to handle the crowd. She was not just a celebrity but a maestro who created compositions that put the world in awe. By the 19th century, she became one of the biggest composers who started touring for public concerts rather than performing in a close place for the patrons. His indomitable spirit was relentlessly performing and composing for decades. She once wrote, “I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea,” and further added, “A woman must not desire to compose — there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?”

Other than them, there were many women musicians and composers in the industry who enriched classical music with their precious works. Yet, they did not receive the appreciation they deserved. Perhaps, they will be living eternally through their compositions which are still enjoyed by many while considering, the initiation of music.