Composers Born 1800‐1899: Large and Small Instrumental Ensembles

Until recently, women composers were a rare breed and seldom taken seriously in comparison to their male counterparts. Centuries past, women composers traditionally lived in convents or were part of aristocratic and/or musical families. Their compositions were rarely performed in public. In the introduction to this excellent series, the editors describe the momentous shift from private to public performance of female compositions that occurred in the early twentieth century. At the start of that century, women composers finally begin receiving recognition for their efforts and talent.

The series Women Composers: Music through the Ages began publication in 1999 and will...