Female Symphonists

[John H White]

Not many lady* composers seem to have ventured into the symphonic field. No doubt in times past they were held back by their menfolk. Of those that I know of, I'm going to stick my neck out and claim that Louise Farrenc produced the most impressive output.

*I count all adult members of the opposite sex as ladies, unless they prove themselves to be otherwise!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Sorry, but Ruth Gipps' five symphonies knock Ms Farrenc's into a cocked hat. She is a symphonist of the stature of Vaughan-Williams, who was her teacher.
Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony is also a very well-crafted and highly attractive work.

[JimL]

I could have sworn there was an extensive article on another English female symphonist linked to a thread on the old Forum (was it Gipps?)  Can anybody remember who it was?

[Mark Thomas]

Alice Mary Smith? Her two symphonies were issued by Chandos a few years ago. Very pleasant stuff as you can hear but nothing to get too excited about, I'm afraid. Despite her dates (1839-1884), they sound almost pre-Beethoven.

I've never heard anything by Ruth Gipps, so my vote would go to La Farrenc.

[Alan Howe]

My vote would probably go to Emilie Mayer for her 5th Symphony, but it's ages since I've heard Farrenc's symphonies. I do not know Gipps' music, but it's really difficult to compare composers from different periods. By all accounts she was a gifted symphonist.

[Gareth Vaughan]

The 5th Symphony by Emilie Mayer is an excellent piece - but do you know her other symphonies? I have neither heard them nor seen the scores.

[Amphissa]

 
Well, here is one who most people have never heard of. Nina Makarova. She studied under Myaskovsky and married Aram Khachaturian in 1933. No, he did not force her to stop composing. Her only symphony, in D minor, was completed in 1938, revised in 1962. There was a recording available on Russian Disc for awhile, but so far as I know, that is the only music of hers that made it to market in the West. (She was also quite the beauty.)

Another is Grażyna Bacewicz, who wrote at least 4 symphonies. She was more in the post-romantic school, akin in style to Szymanowski and Lutoslawski. The latter considered her the greatest woman composer of all time. Even though I am not particularly fond of "modern" music, I find her chamber music captivating.

Makarova -- http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/makarova.htm

Bacewicz -- http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/bacewicz.html
 

[Alan Howe]

I know nothing else by Mayer, Gareth. I'd very much like to, though!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I think most of her orchestral works - if they still exist - must be in MS somewhere (but I've no idea where), because the only orchestral score I can find of hers, printed during her lifetime - and it's in Fleisher (though no parts), Library of Congress, BL and Bayerische Staatsbibliothek - is a Faust Overture. However, the Bavarian Library has a Full Score of the 5th Symphony in an edition dated 2005, which makes me think it is the one (or a copy of it) prepared for the recording, and presumably prepared from the MS. I wonder where her MSS are.

[Syrelius]

Don't forget Swedish symphonist Elfrida Andrée. Her 2nd symphony is avaliable on Sterling, together with a suite from her opera Frithiof. The music does have it's weaknesses, but also real merits.

If we talk about composers of symphonic works and not only symphonies, one should also add Helena Munktell (Swedish composer, available on Sterling) and Doreeen Carwithen (British composer, available on a very enjoyable CD from Chandos).

[John H White]

I find Ruth Gipps' 2nd symphony, the only one I have a recording of, very pleasant and tuneful, but consisting of  as it does of 15 short linked movements, is it really a true symphony?
   By the way, I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Amy Beach. Surely she deserves an honoured place amongst American symphonists.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I mentioned Amy Beach's Gaelic Symphony in my response to your first post, John.

[mbhaub]

    By the way, I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Amy Beach. Surely she deserves an honoured place amongst American symphonists.

Surely she might, but doesn't have it. American symphonies appear infrequently as it is, and when they do show up we know what it's going to be. Hanson 2. Bernstein 2 or 3. Copland 3. Harris 3. And that's about it. Rarely does music by W Schuman, D Diamond, or even Ives show up. The Afro-American symphony of William Grant Still shows up from time to time, but the finer symphony by Dawson never. Same with Chadwick. In all the years and concerts I've attended the Beach symphony came up only once, and that was a performance I took part in. In the meanwhile, our orchestras are once again doing their annual tributes to Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky...makes me sick! Although I have to say I'm quite thrilled at this season's programming for one of my orchestra gigs: the Elgar 1st. Finally! Love that symphony.

[John H White]

Sorry Gareth, I should have read your post more carefully!

[Mark Thomas]

I'd quite forgotten about Emilie Mayer's 5th. Symphony. I've just dug out the CD and played the work. It was a real pleasure to get reacquainted with it. Such a confident and assured piece, if just a tad Beethovenian here and there for the 1850s.

As we've just been saying elsewhere (Chopin/Field) comparisons are invidious, but, as they were contemporaries, I suppose that it's inevitable in this thread to compare Mayer's Fifth with Farrenc's symphonies. Both were certainly accomplished composers and there is plenty of drive and invention in their symphonies. Having recently listened to Farrenc's three works and now this one by Mayer I'm inclined to rate the latter's marginally higher because her orchestration is more adventurous and her thematic material sticks in the mind straight away, whereas Farrenc's works are memorable for their vigoour, rather than their melodies.