Women Composers Wednesday
#WomenCrushWednesday #WomenComposersWednesday is a video series on my instagram page and YouTube channel. I’ll discuss who they were, what they had to fight through to make their music, and some of their music that deserves to be programmed regularly. This page is where I will post links to sheet music, recordings, and other resources.

Delia Derbyshire
May 5th, 1937 – July 1st, 2001
Delia Derbyshire was a pioneer of British electronic music – she created the Dr. Who original theme song (used for 17 years) and the first purely electronic dance track!
Highlighted on September 30th, 2020.
Check out Margit van der Zwan’s portraits of Delia Derbyshire, part of the Music Theory Examples by Women Composer’s poster collection.

Florence Price
April 9th, 1887 – June 3rd, 1953
On June 5th 1933, Florence Price became the first black woman composer to have a Symphony performed by a major US orchestra (with the Chicago Symphony premiering her Symphony in E Minor).
Highlighted on September 9th, 2020.

Margaret Bonds
March 3rd, 1913 – April 26th, 1972
On June 15th, 1933, Margaret Bonds became the first black soloist with the Chicago Symphony, performing John Alden Carpenter’s Piano Concertino.
Highlighted on September 9th, 2020.
Check out Margit van der Zwan’s portraits of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, part of the Music Theory Examples by Women Composer’s poster collection.
You can view a PDF of the E Minor Symphony score here on ISSUU.
The work was published in 1942, meaning that it should be public domain as of 2012, but it is available for purchase for $5 from Handy Brothers Music Company.

Dame Ethel Smyth
April 22, 1868 – May 8, 1944
In 1922, Dame Smyth became the first woman composer to be made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Highlighted on September 2nd, 2020.
Check out Margit van der Zwan’s portrait of Dame Ethel Smyth, part of the Music Theory Examples by Women Composer’s poster collection.
This piece is in the Public Domain and can be freely downloaded from IMSLP.org
You can purchase the sheet music here.
This piece is in the Public Domain and can be freely downloaded from IMSLP.org.
“To conclude, in Brahms the man I saw on the one hand detective perception of subtleties whether in people or things, lack of humor, and of course the legitimate selfishness of genius. On the other hand, I saw high-mindedness, generosity to a purpose(?), and real goodness of heart. And after all, seeing what he has bequeathed to us musically, I think this quota of human virtues should suffice.”
Do you have any suggestions for women composers (past, present, or future) that should be highlighted?
If you are submitting a suggestion on behalf of somebody, please get their consent before sending me their contact information.
Composers who are interested in being highlighted in this series should feel more than welcome to contact me using the contact page.