Pauline Viardot, like many other women featured this month, was fortunate to be born into a musical family. Born in Paris in 1821, Viardot (nee Garcia) has Spanish ancestry. Her parents were opera singers and fostered her talents as a singer, though she was also a...
Lili Boulanger’s life ended tragically on March 15, 1918 – 93 years ago today. The younger sister of Nadia Boulanger, Lili was a child prodigy and accomplished a great deal in her short 24 years. Born and raised in Paris to a musical family, she repotedly tagged along...
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) was born in Italy to a prominent family. She entered a convent at the age of 16, which was common for upper-class daughters at the time, and gained local fame for her compositions. She was a rather prolific composer, which is significant...
Augusta Holmès (1847-1903) was born in Paris to Irish ancestry. Though she was prevented from studying at the Paris Conservatory, she did take lessons privately and studied with César Franck. She first published her compositions under the pseudonym Hermann Zenta, but...
Born in Virginia in 1882 and raised in Washington, D.C., Mary Howe (nee Carlisle) was an accomplished pianist and composer of large and small forms. She studied at the Peabody Conservatory as well as abroad with Nadia Boulanger. Known primarily for her piano works,...
Though her name has fallen into obscurity among contemporary audiences, Louise Farrenc (nee Dumont) (1804-1875) was a well-known and highly respected composer, pianist, and educator throughout her lifetime. A pupil of Muzio Clementi and Anton Reicha, Farrenc had the...
