#ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth Weeks 4 and 5
For the third year in a row, the Classics a Day team has chosen women composers as March’s theme. And while some composers (living and dead) have received their due, there are thousands more to discover and rediscover.
I challenged myself to seek out women composers I had not featured in previous years. Here are my posts for the final weeks of #ClassicsaDay for #WomensHistoryMonth
03/23/20 Margaret Sutherland (1897–1984) – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Australian composer Sutherland married a psychiatrist. He claimed a woman wanting to compose was a sign of insanity. They were divorced, she kept writing, and later received OBE for her music.
03/24/20 Sophia Corri Dussek (1775–1847) – Sonata for Harp in C minor, Op. 3, No. 3
Sophia Corri married Czech composer Jan Ladislav Dussek, After his death, she remarried and founded a music school. Her piano sonatas went through several printings.
03/25/20 Vanessa Lann (born 1968) – Leather, rinse, repeat
Lann specializes in writing fro under-appreciated instruments. Some are traditional, such as the bass clarinet and bassoon. Others, like the toy piano, are not.
03/26/20 Elisabeth Luytens (1906-1983) – En voyage
Luytens was a champion of Schoenberg’s music and used atonality to great effect in her film scores. By the 1960’s she was known as the “Horror Queen” for her work with Hammer Films.
03/27/20 Emilia Gubitosi (1887–1972) – Piano Concerto
Italian composer Gubitosi worked as an orchestra administrator. Most of her works are (logically) for symphonic orchestras.
03/30/20 Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) – Symphony No. 2
This English composer was one of the most prolific, with 5 symphonies and 7 concerti in her catalog. She also founded two orchestras and served as conductor and music director for a third ensemble.
03/31/20 Soe Tjen Marching (born 1971) – Kenang
Marching is an Indonesian composer and published author. Her work in both fields pushes the avant-garde.
