LibGuides: Women in Classical Music: Repertoire

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In the Allen Library

Open the library catalog.
Search the title and composer's name.
Limit to the format you desire.
Find a result for the piece you need.
Use the location and call number to find the item.

Image: Catalog search with the format limited to Printed Music, and search result showing location and call number.

Online

Can't visit the library? Use our guides to Music Scores Online or Streaming Audio & Video to find online score & recording sites, then search for the piece you need.

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Searching for music can be tricky! If you can't find what you need, ask a librarian for help.

Discover More Music

Music in the library catalog (and similar tools) is not identified by composers' demographic information.
The most reliable method is to search for the name of a composer and/or work title.
The resources below can help you identify names and titles.
Use one to find a composer and/or work, then use the above method to locate a score or recording.

Repertoire Guides Online

Various Instrumentation

Boulanger Initiative Database
Over 8,000 works by women and gender-marginalized composers.
The Composers Equity Project
List of women, gender non-conforming, and ALAANA composers.
Institute for Composer Diversity
Research resources plus databases of composers and works searchable by genre, ensemble, and composers' demographic information.
Music Theory Examples by Women
Database of music by women composers, categorized by theoretical concept. The examples, either excerpts or full works, include the score and a recording.
Women Composers Collection
Over 3000 digitized scores by women composers, mostly from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Specific Instruments/Groups

Catalog of Trumpet Works by Gender-Marginalized People and/or Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color
An extensive list of works for trumpet solo and in ensemble. Use the tabs at the top to navigate between different sections.
Clarinet Repertoire
Works by women and gender-marginalized composers.
Music for Clarinet by Women Composers
A list of works ranging from unaccompanied clarinet to large ensemble works.
No Broken Links
Solo and chamber repertoire for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and horn. Focuses on work by BIPOC, women, transgender, & gender non-conforming individuals.
Percussion Solo & Ensemble Works by Women-Identifying Composers
An open document of percussion solo and ensemble works.
A Seat at the Piano
Piano works from over 200 composers of diverse backgrounds and identities. Searchable by nationality and other keywords.
Trombone Compositions by Women Composers
A list of composers, works, and instrumentation.
Underrepresented Composer Database (Viola)
Over 1500 solo and chamber works for viola by underrepresented composers. Also accepts submissions for new works to add.
Wind Repertory Project
A comprehensive database of wind literature. Browse by solo instrument, ensemble, or composer category.
Women's Song Database
A database of almost 25,000 songs published by over 5,000 women from 1890 to 1930. Click the links on right side of page to download the files.
Works with Horn by Female Composers
Almost 2,000 solo and chamber music pieces with horn (original works, up to 12 instruments) by female composers from around the world.

Anthologies in the Allen Library (selections)

Anthology: A collection of musical works by different composers, published together.

We have much more music by women composers in the library! Use the repertoire guides and websites elsewhere on this page to identify other composers and work titles, then search the library catalog for those specific works. See catalog search tips above, or ask a librarian for help.

Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music (1893-1990) by Helen Walker -Hill (Editor)
Call Number: M21 B61 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1992
Twenty-one piano works.
Black Women Composers: Twentieth century Music for Piano and Strings by Helen Walker-Hill and Gregory Walker (Editors)
Call Number: M178 B533 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2003
Six pieces for piano and one or more string instruments.
Contemporary Anthology of Music by Women by James R. Briscoe
Call Number: M1 C65 1997 [Allen shelves]
Scores by 30 composers from around the world, encompassing concert and religious music as well as jazz, pop, experimental, and cross-over works. Each piece is introduced by a short biography of the composer.
New Historical Anthology of Music by Women by James R. Briscoe (Editor)
Call Number: M2 H57 2004 [Allen shelves]
Compositions from ancient Greece to the present. Includes essays and recommendations for more reading, listening, and performing.
Women Composers by Martha F. Schleifer, Sylvia Glickman (Editors)
Call Number: M2 W6 1996 v.1-8 [Allen shelves]
A comprehensive overview of music by women, 9th-20th centuries. Includes scores, essays, bibliographies, and works lists.

Find more anthologies

Search the catalog by subject:
Music by women composers

Repertoire Guides in the Library

Contemporary Concert Music by Women by Judith L. Zaimont, Karen Famera
Call Number: ML128 W8 Z [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1981
A primary reference volume on 72 contemporary women composers. Includes biographies and work listings.
A Guide to Piano Music by Women Composers by Pamela Youngdahl Dees
Call Number: ML128 P5 D44 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2002
A practical guide to piano music composed by 144 women born before the 20th century. The music is described by genre, mood, style, technical requirements, and difficulty.
Music by Black Women Composers by Helen Walker-Hill
Call Number: ML128 W8 W35 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1995
Listing of works, arranged by type of instrument and size of ensemble. Full text available in print or via Google Books.
Say Can You Deny Me by Barbara Garvey Jackson
Call Number: ML128 W8 J [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1994
Lists the locations of the printed and manuscript sources of Renaissance, baroque, classic, and some early romantic women composers.
So You Want to Sing Music by Women by Matthew Hoch; Linda Lister
Call Number: MT820 S696 W8 H635 2019 [Allen shelves]
Opens a vast repertoire of vocal music written by hundreds of historical and contemporary women composers. Includes interviews with high-profile composers.

Suggest a Resource

Know of a resource you think should be added to this guide? Let us know!

Want to suggest we purchase something new? Contact Tracey Rudnick (rudnick@hartford.edu).