From the 1500s through the 1900s there were a surprising number of women composing classical music. Many were successful, finding venues for both publishing and performing their music; others found the social barriers for women impossible to overcome. This book provides access to these composers, both well known and obscure. Arranged chronologically by era, each section is divided into countries. For each female composer within a country, a brief biographical sketch is provided, as well as a description of her body of work. This text also includes an extensive opera timeline of works by...

The past quarter-century has seen a number of biographies and anthologies on women travelers but to date there has been little comprehensive reference work done on the travelers themselves. Some of the women were eccentric, many were very adventurous, some were in search of a different world...

British women make up the largest portion of the book's focus--these particular adventurers being backed in many cases by family money, scientific inquiry, and the ready availability of the British seafaring tradition. Entries include the woman's family background, her educational history, and a...

The history of women in the opera is a grand story. Women were singers and patrons, of course, but from opera's beginnings in Renaissance Italy, they were also opera composers and librettists. At first it was exclusively for the nobility. In the 19th century, with the emergence of the middle class and the rise of nationalism, there were more public theaters and opera seemed to be everywhere. This meant more opportunities for composers, though men predominated. This book focuses on the women, from the 16th century to today, who had successful careers in opera, many of them well known in...