Music by Women Composers
Discover the diversity and quality of compositions by women who were long forbidden to publicly perform and compose music. Today, these musical gems offer a unique opportunity to experience the classical music world in a new way.
Here you will find a wide selection of Sheet music by Women Composers for performances and concerts. Immerse yourself in the world of Women Composers and be enchanted by the beauty and creativity of their music!
Selected sheet music by Women Composers for all instruments:
V. Olive
Three Flower Songs by New England Poets
Mixed choir (4–5 parts) a cappella
F. Hensel
Oratoria on words of the bible
4 soloists (SATB), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
C. Schumann
3 Mixed Choruses
Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
E.M. Smyth
The March of the Women
Choir (one voice) a cappella
C. Schumann
If You Love for Beauty (Liebst du um Schönheit)
Women's choir (SSAA), piano
H. von Bingen
Ordo Virtutum
Women's choir a cappella
L. Boulanger
Hymn to the sun LB 24
Solo voice (alto), mixed choir (SATB), piano
L. Boulanger
Psaume XXIV (24) : La Terre Appartient A L'Eternel
Mixed choir, piano
K. Saariaho
Grammaire des Rêves
2 voices (SA), chamber ensemble
Multitude of Voyces 3
Mixed choir (SATB), piano
A. Beach
The Sea-Fairies, Op. 59
Women's choir, orchestra
F. Hensel
Im Wald, im hellen Sonnenschein op. 3,6
Mixed choir (SABar) a cappella
I. Aboulker
La Fontaine et le Corbeau
Children's choir, 9 instruments
F. Hensel
Weltliche A Cappella Choere 3
Mixed choir a cappella
C. Schumann
Anniversary Songbook
Voice (high), piano
New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers
Voice (melody instrument]
Lieder von Komponistinnen
Voice, piano
F. Hensel
Three Songs on texts by Lord Byron
Voice (high), piano
H. von Bingen
12 ausgewählte Lieder der heiligen Hildegard
Voice, piano [organ]
Folk Tunes from the Women
Voice (melody instrument]
A. Mahler
Complete Songs
Voice (medium), piano
S. Gubaidulina
From the Visions of Hildegard of Bingen / An Angel...
Voice (alto), double bass
I. Aboulker
Mélodies
Voice, piano
F. Hensel
Eight Songs
Voice (medium), piano
V. Olive
Creature of the Night
Voice (soprano), piano
B. von Arnim
Liedkompositionen
Voice, piano
M. Schweikert
Vier Blumenlieder
Voice, piano
L. Boulanger
Four Songs
Voice, piano
K. Saariaho
From the Grammar of Dreams
Voice (soprano), live electronics
R. Saunders
O
Voice (soprano) a cappella
B. Heller
Kinderspiele
Treble recorder, piano
Flute Music by Female Composers
Flute, piano
M. Bonis
Sonate
Flute, piano
C. Chaminade
Concertino op. 107
Flute, piano
L. Boulanger
Deux Morceaux
Clarinet (B-flat), piano
S. Gubaidulina
Duo Sonata
2 baritone saxophones
C. Schumann
Drei Romanzen op. 22
Oboe, piano
S. Gubaidulina
Duo Sonata for 2 Bassoons
2 bassoons
F. Kukuck
Volksliedsaetze
4 recorders (quartet)
A. Clesse
Elégie & Humoresque
Flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon (wind quintet)
A. Beach
Le Fée de la Fontaine op. 65/1
Flute, piano
Violinmusik von Komponistinnen
Violin, piano
L.A. Le Beau
3 Stücke op. 26
Viola, piano
C. Chaminade
Danse Creole
2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
F. Hensel
Zwei Stücke
Cello, piano
K. Saariaho
Vent Nocturne
Viola, electronics
Beach, Amy Marcy
Violinsonate a-Moll op.34
Violin, piano
M.T. von Paradis
Sicilienne
Double bass, piano
C. Schumann
Three Romance op. 22
Violin, piano
G. Finzi
Crépuscule Du Kol Nidré
Cello
S. Gubaidulina
Pentimento
double bass, 3 guitars
E. Mayer
Streichquartett G-Dur
2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
F. Mulsant
Cinq Pièces op. 67
Harp
G. Finzi
On frappe à la porte
Celtic harp
C. Charrière
La Forêt enchantée
2 harps
M. Bonis
Scenes De La Foret
Flute, viola, harp
C. Charrière
Libera me
Women's choir (SA), 2 horns, harp
F. Mulsant
Trio
Flute, harp, vibraphone, marimba
S. Gubaidulina
Garten von Freuden und Traurigkeiten
Flöte, Viola, Harfe, [Sprecher]
K. Saariaho
Sombre
Voice (baritone), bass flute, percussion, harp, double bass
B. Heller
Musical Flowers
Violin, harp
F. Hensel
5 Lieder
CHORMUSIK GEMISCHTER CHOR MIT BEGLEITUNG WELTLICH EINZELN
Journal posts on Women Composers and Women in Music
An insight into the music of selected women composers:
Who are the best women composers of all time? In general, it is difficult to rate music, as tastes are known to differ! Here are examples of the diversity of works by women composers of different styles.
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Saint Hildegard of Bingen was a polymath in the truest sense of the word and also exceptional among the saints. She was not only an authority in medicine and the science of remedies, she was also important as a theologian and mystic - and not least in music.
12 selected songs of St. Hildegard
Ordo Virtutum for women's choir
Hildegard von Bingen - Songs
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
The Italian Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) was considered particularly prolific. No one else is said to have written more secular vocal music in Venice in the 17th century. She accompanied herself on the viola da gamba and was known for her excellent soprano voice.
Cantate, Ariette e Duetti op.2
Sacri musicali affetti
Lagrime mie
Marianna von Martines (1744-1812)
The Austrian Marianna von Martines (1744-1812) was a pupil of Joseph Haydn and was also taught by Pietro Metastasio. With the publication of two piano sonatas in 1760, she was one of the first women composers whose works were printed.
Concerto in A major for piano and orchestra
Sonata da Cimbalo G major
Concerto in C major for harpsichord and orchestra
Fanny Hensel (1805-1847)
"If Fanny had been a man, she would rank among the great composers of the 19th century." (Chen Reiss, opera singer) Anyone familiar with the extensive oeuvre of Fanny Hensel (1805-1847) will have no doubt about this statement! Best of all, her multifaceted oeuvre is only just being grasped in its full scope.
8 Songs for Medium Voice
Oratorio based on images from the Bible
Fanny Hensel (1805 - 1847).
Two Pieces for Violoncello and Piano (incl. Fantasy in G minor)
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
French composer, pianist and musicologist Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) enjoyed success in her lifetime with her classical-romantic style of composition, founded a publishing house and was professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire.
Piano Quintet No. 1 in A minor op. 30
Sextet in C minor op.40
The orchestral and chamber music of Louise Farrenc
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
The German pianist and composer Clara Schumann (1819-1896) is considered one of the most important female composers and also made a name for herself worldwide as a virtuoso pianist.
Anniversary Song Album Sheet Music
Selected Piano Works
Clara Schumann - Music as a way of life
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
The admiring reviews of figures such as Camille Saint-Saëns and Georges Bizet show that Cécile Chaminade was one of the few female composers of her time to achieve a high profile.
Concertino in D major, op. 107 for flute and piano
Meditation for solo instrument and organ
Mass op. 167 for 2 voices and organ
Mel Bonis (1858-1937)
French composer Mélanie Bonis (1858-1937) published many of her works under the pseudonym Mel Bonis and is one of the most important women composers.
Sonata for flute and piano
Piano Music
21 Composizioni per Organo
Ethel Smyth (1858-1944)
Composer, writer and women's rights activist - British Ethel Mary Smyth (1858-1944) is one of the most important women composers. Throughout her life she struggled for proper recognition of her works.
The March of the Women
Concerto for Violin, Horn & Piano
Complete Piano Works
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Child prodigy and self-taught composer - Amy Beach (1867-1944), born Amy Cheney in New Hampshire, was the first American composer to write a symphony. The art song was central to her compositional output.
Summer Dreams Op.47 (piano four hands)
Trio op. 150 for: Violin, Violoncello, Piano
Piano Music of Amy Beach
Alma Mahler (1879-1964)
Alma Maria Mahler-Werfel was a personality of the art, music and literature scene in the first half of the 20th century.
All Songs
Three early songs for choir
Alma Mahler - Arnold Schönberg. The correspondence.
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
The French composer Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) was surrounded by great musicians in her much too short life: among many other personalities, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet and Camille Saint-Saëns were family friends, Louis Vierne was her organ teacher and she took composition lessons with Gabriel Fauré. In 1913, Boulanger won the Grand Prix de Rome, the first time in its 110-year history that a woman had won the coveted prize.
2 Morceaux: Nocturne and Cortège for violin and piano
D'un matin de printemps
Quatre Chants
Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931)
"Whether I am modern or not does not matter to me. What is important to me is the inner truth of my music." Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931) is one of the most important Russian composers of the generation after Dmitri Shostakovich.
Offertory: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Selected piano works
From the Visions of Hildegard of Bingen / An Angel ... for alto voice and double bass
Kaija Saariaho (*1952)
The Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (*1952) is already one of the most successful composers during her lifetime. The recording of her opera L'amour de loin, which has already been performed at the Salzburg Festival and at the Metropolitan Opera, was awarded a Grammy.
Laterna Magica for Orchestra
Vent Nocturne for viola and electronics
Nocturne for violin
Judith Weir (b. 1954)
British composer with Scottish roots Judith Weir (b. 1954) became the first woman to be awarded the post of Master of the Queen's Music in 2014. She is one of the most important female composers of our time and writes mostly operas and vocal works, but also orchestral and chamber music.
A Song Of Departure for: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass and Piano
The song sung true for choir
Ave maris stella for choir and organ
Rachel Portman (b. 1960)
In 1997, British composer Rachel Portman (b. 1960) became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Film Score for the film "Emma". In 2003, her opera "The Little Prince" based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was successfully premiered.
Juniper for: Violin, Violoncello, Piano
Chocolat Main Titles
Emma
Rebecca Saunders (*1967)
British composer Rebecca Saunders received the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2019 for her outstanding work in contemporary music.
Fury II for double bass and ensemble
to an utterance for piano
Solitude for Cello Solo
Alma Deutscher (*2005)
Child prodigy Alma Deutscher, born in England in 2005, composed her first piano sonata at six, her first opera at seven, a violin concerto at nine and a piano concerto at 12. In March 2023, her third opera, "Des Kaisers neue Walzer", was premiered in Salzburg. (header photo: © G.Deutscher & Mothwurf)
From My Book of Melodies
Available sheet music by Women Composers
Here you will find a still incomplete, but constantly growing overview of all available sheet music for compositions by women composers. If you would like to filter sheet music directly for your instrument, visit our shop page: Sheet Music by Women Composers The overview is constantly being expanded!
Women composers before 1600
Women composers in the 17th century
Women composers in the 18th century
Women composers in the 19th century
Click here for more women composers from the 19th century...
Women composers in the 20th century
Click here for more 20th century women composers...
Women composers in the 21st century
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