Overview
Although women have largely been excluded from conversations about the study and practice of music, they have always made important contributions as composers, performers, theorists, historians, and teachers. This page is designed to help students explore the lives and works of woman musicians from a diverse intersection of cultural backgrounds.
Approaches to Searching
To locate books about a specific person or topic, use the Subject Search in the OPAL Library Catalog. Each book has been tagged with specific subject headings that describe its content.
Subject headings for groups of people not associated with a nationality are relatively new, and practices are still being worked out. Some headings that have been applied to Black music, though, include:
General Resources
- Music Online: Garland Encyclopedia of World MusicA comprehensive online resource devoted to music research of all the world's peoples.
- Oxford Music OnlineAlthough OMO (incorporating the Grove Dictionary of Music) initially focused almost exclusively on Western art music, its focus expanded in more recent editions, and it now provides valuable content across a range of cultures.
- Bloomsbury Popular MusicFeatures a substantial encyclopedia of popular music, the 33 1/3 book series dedicated to coverage of rock and pop albums, and scholarly books.
- Music Online: Classical Music ReferenceSearch the full-text of music reference titles including Baker's Dictionary of Music, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, and Baker's Student Encyclopedia of Music.
- IPA SourceA service that provides translations and phonetic (IPA) transcriptions of thousands of songs and arias.
- Institute for Composer DiversityThe ICD maintains databases of diverse composers and their works. You can search by composer identity, instrument, ensemble, and musical grade level.
Women in Music Resources
There are many online resources devoted to diversity in music. Here are just a few essential ones.
- FolkwaysThe Smithsonian Museum has curated a webpage with resources pertaining to the history of folk music, including the accomplishments of women writers and performers.
- Music by WomenMusic by Women is an organization that provides information about woman composers and theorists. They also publish a journal, featuring new articles, lesson plans, score studies, and opinion pieces.
- Diverse Music Theory ExamplesThis webpage features examples of diverse music that can be used in theory, history, and aural skills classrooms.
- Boulanger InitiativeSearchable database that can be searched by country or American state. Sometimes includes a works list and link to external cite with biographical information.
- HathiTrust Women Composer CollectionDigitized sheet music from the University of Michigan Music Library. Searchable with keywords.
- Women's Suffrage in Sheet MusicSortable digital sheet music collection from the Library of Congress. Includes both Western classical style and more “popular” published sheet music.
- Women's Philharmonic AdvocacyWomen’s Philharmonic Advocacy is connected to the former Women’s Philharmonic (1980-2004). While the Philharmonic is now defunct, their mission of women advocacy in music is still present in their regular blogposts, grants, and publications.
Library Collections
Books
Feminism and Gender Politics in Mediated Popular Music by Call Number: E-bookISBN: 9781501368509Publication Date: 2022-09-08
Collections
New Historical Anthology of Music by Women by Call Number: M2 .N49 2004ISBN: 0253216834Publication Date: 2004-08-11
Women Composers - a Heritage of Song by Call Number: M1619 .W66 HIGHISBN: 0634078704Publication Date: 2005-01-01
