Online Reference
- Classical Music Reference Library
Broad array of reference materials, including Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians and Women Composers: Music Through the Ages. Can browse composers by gender. - Hathi Trust Digital Library
Digital repository with searchable catalogues from multiple institutions and full-text access to many scores and books. - Index to Printed Music
Online index of sources for printed music published in standard editions. - Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO)
Annotated bibliography and high-level encyclopedia identifying the best scholarship across a wide variety of subjects including music.
Includes topical bibliographies such as Women in Music, Gender & Sexuality in Music, and specific composers including Clara Schumann and Hildegard von Bingen. - Oxford Handbooks Online
Specially commissioned essays from leading scholars and practitioners, providing critical examinations of issues and new perspectives. Merged with Oxford Academic. - Oxford Music Online (Grove Music Online)
Foremost English-language scholarly encyclopedia of music and musicians. Holds extensive articles and bibliographies written by subject experts and comprehensive lists of works for select composers. Biographies of many women composers, articles on “Women in Music” and “Gender and Music,” and a list of women composers. - RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text
Comprehensive bibliography of publications about music, including citations, abstracts, indexes, and some full text sources. Alternate title: Répertoire internationale de littérature musicale.
Print Reference
Search Terms
Library of Congress (LC) subject headings offer a focused pathway into the holdings of UBC Library. Use the Books and Media Catalogue search engine to explore LC subject headings and linked resources. Listed below is a sampling of LC subject heading relevant for topic research.
- African American women composers
- African American women musicians
- Femininity in music
- Feminism and music
- Feminist music
- Gender identity in music
- Lesbian musicians
- Music by African American women composers
- Music by women composers
- Music by women composers–discography
- Music–Social aspects
- Women composers
- Women composers, Black
- Women composers–Biography
- Women composers–Canada
- Women composers–United States
- Women hymn writers
- Women in Music
- Women in the music trade
- Women librettists
- Women lyricists
- Women musicians
- Women musicians–Canada
- Women musicians–United States
- Women’s music
Browsing
Library of Congress Classification does not distinguish works by women composers from those by others, so be sure to browse through the scores by instrumentation or by looking for specific composers!
Scores
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M1977.W64 - Secular vocal music–Women (secular songs about women)
General Literature on Music
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ML82 - Women and music
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias
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ML102.G46 - Gender in music
Bibliography
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ML128.W7 - Women in music
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ML156.4.G4 - Women’s music (discography)
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ML156.4.W6 - Women musicians (discography)
Scores
Historical Anthology of Music by Women by Call Number: M2 .H68 1987ISBN: 9780253212962Publication Date: 1987
New Historical Anthology of Music by Women by Call Number: M2 H68 2004ISBN: 0253216834Publication Date: 2004Contains 55 pieces by 46 women composers from antiquity to present day. With introductory essays and suggestions for further reading and listening. In modern notation.
New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers by ISBN: 9780876392232Publication Date: 2022Contains jazz compositions by women composers of the last century in a variety of styles. Includes works by recent Berklee Institute graduates.Women Composers: Music Through the Ages by
Call Number: M2 .W654 1996Publication Date: 1996With annotated, modern performance scores from the ninth through the twentieth centuries. Also contains explanatory essays, bibliographical references, and index.
Keyboard
American Keyboard Music, 1866-1910 by Call Number: M2.3.U6 T47 V. 4Publication Date: 1990Principally reprints of sheet music. Introduction includes biographical sketches of the composers.
Includes bibliographical references, bibliography of the musical works, and indexes.
American Women Composers: Piano Music from 1865-1915 by Call Number: M21 .A59 1990Publication Date: 1990Includes bibliographical references.
Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music (1893-1990) by Call Number: M21 .B55 1992Publication Date: 1992Includes biographical information on composers and biblographical references.- Eighteenth Century Women Composers for the Harpsichord or Piano by Call Number: M21 .E534 1992Publication Date: 1992The first work of vol. 1 in part for high voice and continuo; figured bass realized for keyboard instrument. Includes biographical and performance notes.
- Female Composers: 22 Pieces from the 18th-20th Century by Call Number: M21 .F815 1985Publication Date: 1985Foreword and biographical sketches in English and German.
Four Centuries of Women Composers by Call Number: M21 .M45 2003ISBN: 0786668709Publication Date: 2003Spans four centuries, including rarely heard pieces by Clara Gottschalk and Marie Antoinette. Other composers include Teresa Carreño, Amy Beach, Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and others.- Organ Music by Women Composers Before 1800 by Call Number: M7.O643 J6 1993Publication Date: 1993Includes historical and performance notes and bibliographical references.
Woman Composers - Book 1 by ISBN: 9783795725488Publication Date: 2022Three-volume compendium of educational literature from the 17th century to the present day. With short tips for rehearsing and biographical notes on the composers.
Women Composers, Book 2: a Graded Anthology for Piano by ISBN: 9783795725495Publication Date: 2022Three-volume compendium of educational literature from the 17th century to the present day. With short tips for rehearsing and biographical notes on the composers.
Women Composers - Book 3: a Graded Anthology for Piano by ISBN: 9783795725501Publication Date: 2022Three-volume compendium of educational literature from the 17th century to the present day. With short tips for rehearsing and biographical notes on the composers.
Women Composers in History by Call Number: M21 .W56 2013ISBN: 9781476817491Publication Date: 2013Includes music by Amy Marcy Beach, Teresa Carreno, Cecile Chaminade, Louise Dumont Farrenc, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Margaret Ruthven Lang, Clara Gottschalk Peterson, and Clara Schumann, along with composer biographies.- Women Composers for the Harpsichord by Call Number: M21 .W54 1986Publication Date: 1986With works by Elisabetta de Gambarini, Marianne Martinez, and Marianna d'Augenbrugg.
- Women Composers of Ragtime: A Collection of Six Selected Rags by Women Composers, Reprinted From the Original Sheet Music by Call Number: M21 .W55 1906APublication Date: 1985Reprint of works originally published 1906-1910.
Includes the illustrated title pages.
Strings
- Female Composers: 13 Pieces for Violin and Piano by Call Number: M218 .F738 1994Publication Date: 1994Prefatory material in German and English.
- Keyboard Sonatas by Call Number: M219 .K415 1990ISBN: 0306762854Publication Date: 1990Principally for violin and keyboard instrument. Reprints primarily dating from the late-18th Century. Includes bibliographical and discographical references.
Other Finnish Works for Violin: Works for Violin and Piano by Finnish Women Composers 1886-1936 by Publication Date: 2021Preface in Finnish and English.- Female Composers: 14 Pieces for Violoncello and Piano by Call Number: M230 .F73 1999Publication Date: 1999Preface in German and English.
Voice
- Anthology of Songs by Call Number: M1619 .A56 1920AISBN: 0306762870Publication Date: 1988For voice and piano. Principally French words. Reprint of works originally published in Paris, 1820-1903.
Contains works by Pauline Duchambge, Loïsa Puget, Pauline Viardot, and Jane Vieu. 
Art Songs and Spirituals by African American Women Composers by Call Number: M1495 .A79 1995Publication Date: 1995Includes biographical notes on composers and bibliographical references. For high voice and piano. English words.- Female Composers: 25 Songs for Voice and Piano by Call Number: M1619 .F62 1992Publication Date: 1992Foreword and biographical sketches in English and German.
First Solos: Songs by Women Composers, Vol. 1 by Call Number: M1619 .F53 2000 V. 1Publication Date: 2000For high voice. Works by Boulanger, Lehmann, Ruthven-Lang, Beach, Viardot Garcia and others. Biographical notes on composers and notes to students. Words in English, French, German, or Italian.
First Solos: Songs by Women Composers, Vol. 2 by Call Number: M1619 .F53 2000 V. 2Publication Date: 2003For medium voice. Works by Caccini, Puget, Hensel, Beach, and others. Biographical notes on composers and notes to students. Words in English, French, German, or Italian.
First Solos: Songs by Women Composers, Vol. 3 by Call Number: M1619 .F53 2000 V. 3Publication Date: 2003For low voice. Works by Ruthven-Lang, Branscombe, Lehmann, Szymanowska, and others. Biographical notes on composers and notes to studetns. Words in English, French, German, or Italian.
Inspired by Goethe: Songs by Women Composers for Voice and Orchestra, Volume 1 by Publication Date: 2021Originally for voice and piano. Postscript and biographical notes in German and English. Works by Liebmann, Lang, Hensel, and others.
Inspired by Goether: Songs by Women Composers for Voice and Orchestra, Volume 2 by Publication Date: 2021Originally for voice and piano. Postscript and biographical notes in German and English. Works by von Arnim, Lang, Hensel, Kinkel, and Schumann (Wieck).
Lieder and Other Songs by Women Composers of the Classic Era, Vol. 1 by Call Number: M1619 .L4293Publication Date: 1987German words, with English translations at end of each song. Includes biographical notes in English, bibliographies, and lists of works of each composer.
Women Composers: A Heritage of Song by ISBN: 0634078712Publication Date: 2004For voice and piano. Additional lyrics printed as text. Available for high voice and low voice.
Choir
Anthology of Sacred Music by Women Composers by Call Number: M2062 .A58 2019Publication Date: 2019-2020Biographical notes and commentary in English. English, Latin and German words, in part printed separately as text with English translations.
Volume 1 - SATB, Volume 2 - Treble voices
Breath of Song: 10 Works by Women Composers for Unaccompanied SATB Choir by Publication Date: 2021Preface and program notes in English. Includes works by Eleanor Daley, Laura Hawley, Cecilia McDowall, Sarah Quartel, and others.
Woodwinds
- Flute Music by Female Composers: 13 Pieces for Flute and Piano by Call Number: M241 .F565 2008Publication Date: 2008For flute and piano. Preface and notes on the composers in German and English.
- Clarinet Music by Female Composers: 18 Pieces for Clarinet (A and B-flat) and Piano by Call Number: M248 .K42 2020Publication Date: 2020For clarinet and piano. Includes notes about composers and their works in German with English translation.
Be sure to check out our guide to finding digital scores!
Audiovisual Resources
- Chamber Music by Women Composers
Music by (Wieck) Schumann, Beach, Tailleferre, Lili Boulanger, Mendelssohn Hensel, Carreño, and Chaminade. Compact disc.
AV2 4201 S393 34799 - Deferred Voices: Organ Music by Women
Christa Rakich, organ. Program notes including notes on the organ with specifications inserted in container. Compact disc.
AV1.2.H447 P7 1993 - The Ice Age and Beyond: Songs by Canadian Women Composers
Patricia Green, mezzo-soprano; Midori Koga, piano; with additional musicians. Compact disc.
AV1.2.D66 A5 2009 - In Praise of Woman: 150 Years of English Women Composers
Program and biographical notes by Sophie Fuller and texts inserted in container. Compact disc.
AV1.2.L15 M95 1994 - New Music for Electronic & Recorded Media: Women in Electronic Music, 1977
Program notes by Charles Amirkhanian with selected discography and bibliography inserted in container. Music by Beyer, Lockwood, Oliveros, Spiegel, Roberts, Ruth Anderson, and Laurie Anderson. Compact disc.
AV1.2.B49 S8 M8 2006 - Piano Works by Women Composers
Four centuries of solo piano music by women composers. Rosario Marciano, piano. LP.
AV2 4015 H526 23924 - Rees & Stoyanoff, Duo Pianists: Music by American Women Composers
Music by Postnikoff, Smith, Ballou, Beach, Bolz, Butler. Compact disc.
AV2 4115 P8586 34382 - Sacred Women: Women as Composers and Performers of Medieval Chant
Fadia El-Hage, vocalist; Belinda Sykes, vocalist, Shawm; Marianne Kirch, vocalist, dulcimer; Vladimir Ivanoff, frame drums, ud. Compact disc.
CBC EMCD 287 - Susana Marín, Piano
Recorded Aug. 1990, Madrid. Music by Lili Boulanger, de la Cruz, Escribano, Ozaita, Catalán, Diez, and Bacewicz. Compact disc.
AV1.2.B678 D8 1991 - Three Concerti: Music by Violet Archer, Larysa Kuzmenko, and Alexina Louie
Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano ; National Arts Centre Orchestra, Alex Pauk, conductor (1st work) ; CBC Vancouver Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (2nd work) ; Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor (3rd work). Compact disc.
AV1.2.L6795 C6 2010 - Women Write Music: Orchestral Music by 20th Century Women Composers
Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra; David Snell, conductor. Program notes in English and French (23 pages) inserted in container. Compact disc.
CBC COCD 1636
Remember to check out our guide to audiovisual resources!
Open Access Resources
- Association of Canadian Women Composers
Advocates for women composers in Canada, provides funding for projects, publishes lists of repertoire by women composers, and holds a collection of archival material related to women composers in Canada. - Canadian Music Centre
Hub for Canadian music resources. Publishes works of many composers, operates a score lending service across the country, and streams archival recordings of Canadian music online. Check out the Composer Showcase for featured composers and more. - Donne Women in Music
Publishes a list of over 5000 women composers, funds concerts and commissions, and publishes a daily blog featuring women composers. Based in the United Kingdom. - Hathi Trust Women Composers Collection
A digital catalog of works by women held in the University of Michigan’s Special Collections. Some works available online. - IMSLP
Online library with thousands of public domain scores. Has a list of women composers with works available. - Inclusive Early Music
Hosts an extensive bibliography on underrepresented voices in Early Music on Zotero. - International Alliance for Women in Music
Advocates for women in music internationally, provides awards and grants for projects, and publishes a quarterly journal on women in music. - Institute for Composer Diversity
Hosts a set of searchable databases of underrepresented composers and repertoire (choral, wind band, orchestral, and art song) by underrepresented composers. Also has a bibliography of selected resources. - Kassia Database
Maintains a searchable database of art songs by women composers. - Kapralova Society
Maintains an online bibliography of resources related to women composers - Many Many Women
An online list of over 1000 women composers, also divisible by genre. - The Philomel Project
Maintains a database of chamber and solo works by women composers. - Sakira Ventura Map of Women Composers
An interactive map of women composers from around the globe created and maintained by musicologist Sakira Ventura. - Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy
Collects statistics on performances of works by women composers by American orchestras, publishes lists of repertoire and active composers and conductors, and publishes a blog called Feminist in the Concert Hall.
Selected Composers
Featured Composers
Florence Price
Florence Price, 1887-1953, was the first African American woman composer to have a work performed by a major American orchestra (Symphony in E Minor premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933). Price is best known for her songs, which were popularized by singers such as Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price (source).
Kelly-Marie Murphy
Kelly-Marie Murphy, Canadian composer based in Ottawa, is known for her orchestral and chamber works. Commissions include works for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Gryphon Trio (source).
Zosha Di Castri
Zosha Di Castri is a Canadian composer whose work has been described as "riotously inventive" (The New Yorker. She is known for her work on interdisciplinary projects and her works have been commissioned by John Adams, Esprit Orchestra, BBC, and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (source).
Zosha Di Castri's papers are available in UBC Special Collections' Canadian Women Composers Collection.
Canadian Women Composers Collection at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections
The Canadian Women Composers Collection was introduced by UBC Library through an endowment from Anne Kaplan for the purpose of documenting the compositional practices of Canadian women composers active at home or abroad. The collection serves to build and sustain a body of primary resources and unique related materials that will serve future musicologists, music theorists, and performers interested in music analyses, as well as expand participating composers’ audiences. Materials were created and assembled by the respective composers during the course of their activities.
The collection is housed in UBC Archives at Rare Books and Special Collections at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Acquisition of materials from their creators began in 2018. New additions to the collection are expected annually.
Canadian Women Composers Collection UBC Library Archival Fonds