Don’t forget to download your free WPA Calendar for June!
One of the great challenges in researching the work of women composers is often just how little information is readily available. While some composers chose to destroy their own work, others have their papers incredibly well preserved in archives around the world – but not digitized or easily accessible.
In months past we have done our best to include images of the women we are honoring – whether it is including public domain photographs or oil paintings, or creating artistic reinterpretations. This month we ran into a particular challenge in locating any images for the historic composers we are celebrating.
However, we did have luck in finding the art from the original publications of several works. Susan McFarland Parkhurst, Anna Caroline Oury, Helen Hood, and Louise Haenel de Cronenthall are not well-remembered names in music history, just as the genres they largely worked in (piano music and parlor songs) are not usually considered “high art”. However, each played a key role – and had significant influence – in music history.
Get your copy of the June Calendar here and learn more about each of these talented and under appreciated composers!