Women Of Note: The Rise Of Australian Women Composers

‘This much-welcomed book profiles those women, largely unacknowledged, who stand as the major landmarks in the Australian musical landscape.’ John Davis, CEO Australian Music Centre, President International Society for Contemporary Music.

In the early twentieth century being a female composer was a dangerous game; one composer was diagnosed as mentally insane by her psychiatrist husband, several achieved success only after their divorces and often the only way to get their music published was to lie about their gender. Still, the allure of writing music enticed women from all walks of life, and from the convent and the nappy-change table women began to compose.

Music journalist Rosalind Appleby takes a fresh look at Australia’s history and makes some startling discoveries about the contribution of women to Australian classical music. Women of Note puts together the missing pieces of history with well-researched snapshots of twenty women composers spanning the twentieth century to present day.