The Voices piano sonata is a very special composition to me. Writing this work gave me an opportunity to explore my own voice as a composer, but it goes deeper than that. Each of the three movements in the piano sonata Voices is based on a theme written by a female composer in music history. […]
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Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine (more on that later), was a Medieval nun of many talents. Not only was Hildegard a German Benedictine abbess – the female superior of a community of nuns – but she was also a composer, writer, philosopher, mystic, and one […]
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During the Romantic Era, women musicians did not generally perform in public. Especially not eleven-year-old girls. But that’s exactly what young Clara Schumann (née Wieck) did in 1830 after her father recognized her virtuosic abilities on the piano. Schumann grew up to be one of the most famous concert pianists of the time, constantly pushing […]
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Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate, I want to share with you some of my favorite contemporary female composers. Check out these posts here for more awesome women composers! Contemporary Female Composers Jennifer Higdon My first introduction to Higdon was a listening assignment for my music theory class in college. The professor made us listen […]
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Instead of focusing specifically on the piano concerto (a piece of music, typically in three movements, where a virtuosic solo piano is accompanied by an orchestra), I wanted to research piano-and-orchestra pieces by female composers that didn’t necessarily follow this mold. So here is a collection of unique compositions featuring piano and orchestra by some […]
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As part of our discussion on string quartets, let’s take a look at some by women composers ranging from the Romantic era to contemporary music. Amy Beach (1867-1944) Not only was Beach an extremely talented composer and pianist, but she was also one of the first female composers to successfully compose large-scale forms. Her Gaelic Symphony was, […]
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When you sit down to write a new piece of music, is it inspiration or perspiration that gets you the end result? Sometimes we are inspired; a melodic idea comes into our head or we hear a rhythm that suddenly unfolds into a new composition. However, inspiration only carries us so far. It’s the perspiration, […]
Read MoreHappy Saturday dear readers! I just wanted to share with you my third music vlog; it’s an in-depth discussion about my latest composition, Three Images Book 1. Check it out: The free sheet music can be downloaded here.
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In honor of International Women’s Day yesterday, I’ve compiled a list of some awesome women composers throughout the Romantic Era and early 20th century: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) The oldest of four children (including brother Felix Mendelssohn), German pianist and composer Fanny Mendelssohn was extremely gifted and known for her musical abilities as a child. […]
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