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Music Library Association Women in Music Interest Group Blog

March is rather a magical time in the world of a group that celebrates the contibutions of women in the world of music, since it is considered Women's History Month and includes the International Day of Women on March 8th. What more fitting time is there for beginning a blog that will be curated by all the members of the Music Library Association's Women in Music Interest Group?  Here I include a small collection of the Women in musical history that have inspired me.

Lili Boulanger was a child prodigy composer in Paris and her music was completely remarkable, so remarkable, in fact, that she was the first woman to ever win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Amy Marcy Beach was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music.  Clara Schumann was a virtuoso pianist and traveled as a performing artist but she also composed and did it all while raising her family largely on her own after her husband's tragic health problems began.  Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was a composer and while many of her works were initially published under her brother Felix's name, research and history has helped us understand which works were actually Fanny's.  Women have been integral throughout the history of music either as performers or composers or conductors or just as influential promoters of musical taste.  This blog will systematically highlight some of the best and brightest women in music and we hope you will choose to interact with us as time goes by.  Who is your favorite woman in the history of music?  Perhaps if you tell us, we can make sure your favorite is someone we cover in our blog entries!

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