The Cambridge Companion to Women in Music since 1900

An overview of women's work in classical and popular music since 1900 as performers, composers, educators and music technologists.

Laura Hamer (Edited by)

9781108470285, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 May 2021

320 pages
17.5 x 25 x 2.5 cm, 0.78 kg

'Covering a range of topics, this collection should appeal to a broad spectrum of readers … Recommended.' J. M. Edwards, Choice Connect

This Companion explores women's work in music since 1900 across a broad range of musical genres and professions, including the classical tradition, popular music, and music technology. The crucial contribution of women to music education and the music industries features alongside their activity as composers and performers. The book considers the gendered nature of the musical profession, in areas including access to training, gendered criticism, sexualization, and notions of 'gender appropriate' roles or instruments. It covers a wide range of women musicians, such as Marin Alsop,  Grace Williams, Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell and Adele. Each thematic section concludes with a contribution from a practitioner in her own words, reflecting upon the impact of gender on her own career. Chapters include suggestions for further reading on each of the topics covered, providing an invaluable resource for students of Feminist Musicology, Women in Music, and Music and Gender.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Notes on Contributors
Preface Laura Hamer
List of Abbreviations
Part I. The Classical Tradition: 1. Women in Composition before the Second World War Sophie Fuller
2. Women in Composition During the Cold War in Music Rhiannon Mathias
3. Behind the Iron Curtain: Female Composers in the Soviet Bloc Elaine Kelly
4. Still Exceptional? Women in Composition Approaching the Twenty-First Century Astrid Kvalbein
5. On the Podium: Women Conductors Laura Hamer
6. Soloists and Divas: Evolving Opportunities, Identity, and Reception Francesca Placanica
In Her Own Words: Practitioner Contribution 1 – Elizabeth Hoffman
Part II. Women in Popular Music: 7. Most of My Sheroes Don't Appear on a Stamp: Contextualising the Contributions of Women Musicians to the Progression of Jazz Tammy L. Kernodle
8. Leaders of the Pack: Girl Groups of the 1960s Jacqueline Warwick
9. Women and Rock Leah Branstetter
10. (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman: Women in Songwriting Katherine Williams
11. The British Folk Revival: Mythology and the 'Non-Figuring' and 'Figuring' Woman Michael Brocken
12. How MTV Idols Got Us In Formation: Solo Women and their Brands Make Space for Truth Telling, Trauma, and Survival in Popular Music from 1981 to the Present Kristin J. Lieb
In Her Own Words: Practitioner Contribution 2 – Virginia Kettle
Part III. Women and Music Technology: 13. Case Studies of Women in Electronic Music: The Early Pioneers Louis Niebur
14. The Star-Eaters: A 2019 Survey of Female and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals Using Electronics for Music Margaret Schedel and Flannery Cunningham
In Her Own Words: Practitioner Contribution 3 – Manuella Blackburn
Part IV. Women's Wider Work in Music: 15. Women and Music Education: Pedagogues, Curricula, and Role Models Robert Legg
16. Women in the Music Industries: The Art of Juggling Clare K. Duffin
In Her Own Words: Practitioner Contribution 4 – Steph Power
Afterword: Challenges and Opportunities: Ways Forward for Women Working in Music Victoria Armstrong
Appendix: Survey Questions for Chapter 14
Select Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6], Music [AV]