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Music - Subject Guides

An archive of past music subject guides found on the Music Library website.

General Reading (A-L)

Ammer, Christine. Unsung: A History of Women in American Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1980.

ML82 .A45 MUSIC STACKS

A history of the role played by women in American music during the past two hundred years, as instrumentalists, conductors, composers and teachers.

 

Archer, Robyn. Star is Born. London: Virago, 1986.

ML400 .A734 1986 MUSIC STACKS

Biographies of 13 popular women entertainersMarie Lloyd, Bessie Smith, Helen Morgan, Jane Froman, Carmen Miranda, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, Judy Holliday, Judy Garland, Dinah Washington, Marilyn Monroe, Patsy Cline and Janis Joplin.

 

Bufwack, Mary A. Finding her voice : the saga of women in country music. New York : Crown Publishers, 1993.

ML3524 .B83 1993 MUSIC STACKS

A major study of women and country music, from rural folk music through popular Nashville.

 

Citron, Marcia J. Gender and the musical canon. New York : Cambridge University Press, 1993.

ML3890 .C58 1993 MUSIC STACKS

An examination of the practices and attitudes that have led to the exclusion of women composers from the body of performed musical works.

 

Cultivating music in America : women patrons and activists since 1860. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, 1997.

ML82 .C85 1997 MUSIC STACKS

A collection of essays and vignettes covering a broad range of activities by women in support of music.

 

Dahl, Linda. Stormy Weather: The Music and Lives of a Century of Jazzwomen. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984.

ML82 .D3 1984 MUSIC STACKS

A history of women jazz musicians from the 1890's to the 1980's. Includes chapters on instrumentalists and vocalists, a discography, and individual profiles of 10 women interviewed by the author.

 

Drinker, Sophie Lewis (Hutchinson). Music and Women: The Story of Women in Their Relation to Music. New York: Coward-McCann, 1948.

ML82 .D7 1948 MUSIC STACKS

A study of the music of women, concentrating heavily on primitive and ancient cultures and forward through the middle ages and renaissance. Some chapters devoted to the modern era. Some rather advanced views for the late 1940's.

 

Gaar, Gillian G. She's a rebel : the history of women in rock & roll. Seattle, WA : Seal Press, 1992.

ML394 .G28 1998 MUSIC STACKS

A study of women in rock & roll and pop music from 1950 to 1990.  In addition to information about artists, this book includes material on record industry producers, publicists, and attorneys.

  

Gourse, Leslie. Madame Jazz : contemporary women instrumentalists. New York : Oxford University Press, 1995.

ML82 .G69 1995 MUSIC STACKS

A general overview of the position of women in jazz from the late 1970's to the early 1990's. Includes chapters on selected players by instruments, profiles of four of the most successful players, and an appendix listing women active in the 1980's and early 1990's, primarily in New York.

 

Gray, Anne. The World of Women in Classical Music. La Jolla, Calif. : WordWorld, 2007.

ML82.G73 2007  MUSIC STACKS

 This resource is a biographical work including bibliographical references, a discography, and an index.

 

Green, Lucy. Music, gender, education. New York : Cambridge University Press, 1997.

 ML82 .G74 1997 MUSIC STACKS

A study of the concept of femininity on music and musical meaning, and gendered musical practices in the contemporary school music classroom.

 

Green, Mildred Denby. Black Women Composers: A Genesis. Boston: Twayne, 1983.

ML390 .G83 1983 MUSIC STACKS

A study of five black women composers (Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Julia Perry, Evelyn Pittman and Lena McLin). Each chapter includes biographical information and analysis of published compositions which represent the composers' styles. First chapter is an overview of women in music. Contains catalog of musical works and discography.

 

Groh, Jan Bell. Evening the score : women in music and the legacy of Frederique Petrides. Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 1991.

ML82 .G76 1991 MUSIC STACKS

A biographical sketch of the conductor, and an annotated reprint of her newsletter "Women in music", published from July 1935 to December 1940.

 

Halstead, Jill. The woman composer : creativity and the genered politics of musical composition. Brookfield, VT: Ashgate, 1997.

ML82 .H36 MUSIC STACKS

A study of factors influencing women and their ability to fulfill their musical potential. British focus.

 

Handy, D. Antoinette. Black Women in American Bands & Orchestras. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1981.

ML82 .H36 MUSIC STACKS

A history of Black women instrumentalists in ensembles in all areas of performance. Begins with an historical overview of the American orchestra, and continues with chapters on orchestra leaders, string, wind, percussion and keyboard players with individual profiles. Generously illustrated and well indexed.


Subjects: Music

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