Story by Holt Templeton, Illustration by Mallika Sunder

Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and most of the ivory tower of classical composers have a great deal in common: crucially, they’re mostly white, male and deceased. Within this column, I’d like to take a look at composers throughput history that break this classic mold: women composers. Countless talented women through the centuries have been denied the resources and attention required to ascend to the upper echelon of classical composition. Even so, many women have managed to defy societal obstacles and put out some truly amazing music. Here are just two examples:

Clara Schumann (1819-1896) (Germany)

Perhaps the first individual to come to mind when discussing female composers, Clara Schumann left behind a modest body of work during her lifetime. From a young age, she was regarded as a piano prodigy, and she grew up to become one of Europe’s premier piano virtuosos. However, as a woman of the 19th century, her existence as a composer and performer were sadly secondary to her duties as a wife and mother. Married to the famous German pianist-composer Robert Schumann, she found balancing a musical life with raising eight children untenable, and eventually chose to forgo composing, writing: “I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose – there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?” Even though she could not be the “one,” she left us with some moving compositions. Among these are her Violin Romances and Piano Trio, which are both exquisite.

Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) (England)

Born as the fourth of eight children to a major royal general in the royal artillery, Smyth faced an uphill battle in dedicating her life to music. After considerable conflict, she was able to study at the Leipzig Conservatory, before continuing her studies under Heinrich von Herzogenberg. Through her studies, she gained the opportunity to meet many notable 19th century composers, such as Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and the aforementioned Clara Schumann. Unlike Schumann, Smyth was fully dedicated to music, unencumbered by any domestic obligations. (Smyth, who had several affairs with women throughout her life, is also believed to be gay.) As such, she left behind a great number of excellent compositions, spanning chamber music, orchestral music, and opera. Among her notable works is her opera The Boatswain’s Mate and my personal favorite piece of hers, the Cello Sonata in C Minor. Also notable is her opera Der Wald, which was the first opera by a woman composer produced by the Metropolitan Opera.