international encyclopedia of women composersby aaron i. cohen
TRANSCRIPT
International Encyclopedia of Women Composers by Aaron I. CohenReview by: Judy TsouNotes, Second Series, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Mar., 1990), pp. 633-635Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/941433 .
Accessed: 14/06/2014 21:32
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
Music Library Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Notes.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 62.122.79.56 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 21:32:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Book Reviews Book Reviews
that the discussion throughout is the con- cern of the interpreter at large. It is an ex- position not of mechanics but of ideas, ideas intended to "bridge the remaining gap be- tween musical theory and artistic practice" (preface). The frame of reference is large, for the philosopher speaks from the pages of the work as often as the composer and performer.
It is of particular interest to this reader that the project was undertaken at a time when the concept of "authentic perfor- mance" had been brought into focus, and the authors have not evaded its polemic implications. Having originated at the turn of the century in a Romantic quest of re- discovery, the striving for authenticity has in time become the enemy of Romanticism, a sweeping reaction to nineteenth-century attitudes. What has replaced them is the twentieth-century commitment to technol- ogy and material values. The music histo- rian Hans F. Redlich coined the severe epithet musealer Klangmaterialismus-a "museum-oriented materialism [in the ap- proach to musical sound]" to describe these attitudes (see Donal Henahan in The New York Times, 16 July 1989).
That the authenticity movement has en- gendered a forced general attitude of modern achievement has long been rec- ognized, but it has also resulted in some very specific misinterpretations of historic man- dates. That both the problems of false premises and of, at times, grotesque con- sequences are here so intelligently dealt with is due to the wide prespective from which the authors surveyed their subject and the breadth of comprehension with which they took up their task. They, and Barenreiter, are to be congratulated.
ALFRED MANN Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester
International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. By Aaron I. Cohen. 2d ed., New York: Books and Music (USA) Inc., 1987. [2 vols. ISBN 0-9617485- 2-4 (set). $125.00.]
The second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Women Composers is a consid- erable enlargement of its predecessor. Some of the original 4,900 entries have been ex-
that the discussion throughout is the con- cern of the interpreter at large. It is an ex- position not of mechanics but of ideas, ideas intended to "bridge the remaining gap be- tween musical theory and artistic practice" (preface). The frame of reference is large, for the philosopher speaks from the pages of the work as often as the composer and performer.
It is of particular interest to this reader that the project was undertaken at a time when the concept of "authentic perfor- mance" had been brought into focus, and the authors have not evaded its polemic implications. Having originated at the turn of the century in a Romantic quest of re- discovery, the striving for authenticity has in time become the enemy of Romanticism, a sweeping reaction to nineteenth-century attitudes. What has replaced them is the twentieth-century commitment to technol- ogy and material values. The music histo- rian Hans F. Redlich coined the severe epithet musealer Klangmaterialismus-a "museum-oriented materialism [in the ap- proach to musical sound]" to describe these attitudes (see Donal Henahan in The New York Times, 16 July 1989).
That the authenticity movement has en- gendered a forced general attitude of modern achievement has long been rec- ognized, but it has also resulted in some very specific misinterpretations of historic man- dates. That both the problems of false premises and of, at times, grotesque con- sequences are here so intelligently dealt with is due to the wide prespective from which the authors surveyed their subject and the breadth of comprehension with which they took up their task. They, and Barenreiter, are to be congratulated.
ALFRED MANN Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester
International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. By Aaron I. Cohen. 2d ed., New York: Books and Music (USA) Inc., 1987. [2 vols. ISBN 0-9617485- 2-4 (set). $125.00.]
The second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Women Composers is a consid- erable enlargement of its predecessor. Some of the original 4,900 entries have been ex-
panded, and 1,300 new entries have been added. There are twelve new appendixes (now fourteen in all) and a new 577-item discography, which is a revision of Cohen's International Discography of Women Composers (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984). All these changes have swelled the one-vol- ume, 615-page first edition to two volumes and 1,241 pages.
As in the first edition, each entry is di- vided into five parts: a biographical para- graph, a list of compositions by genre, a list of writings by the composer, a bibliog- raphy, and numbered references which re- fer to the list that appears later in the vol- ume.
The fourteen appendixes vary widely in their content and function. Some function as indexes: instead of page numbers, com- posers' names are given so readers may re- fer to the main list for more details. The appendixes in this category include Women Composers by Country and Century, Op- eras and Operattas by Women Composers, and Women Composers by Instrument and Music Form. The less-than-idiomatic use of terms in some of these lists can be a source of confusion. For example, it is not im- mediately clear that the list of Women Composers by Instrument and Music Form is actually an index of compositions by in- strumentation and genre: to save space, the names of the composers, not the names of compositions, are given, and the reader must refer to the main biographical list to determine the titles of the works.
The other appendixes are true appen- dixes, but only some of them are relevant to the subject matter of the encyclopedia. Two of the most useful are "Comparative Distribution of Women Composers by Century" and "List of Pseudonyms." The best candidate for appendectomy is "Music Key Signatures in 25 Languages."
Many dictionaries and bio-bibliographies on women composers and musicians have been published since the previous edition of the encyclopedia, but none has been as comprehensive. The breadth of coverage of this edition is comparable to that of the earlier edition. There are composers from all periods of history and from many geo- graphic areas. The earliest composer rep- resented is Hemre (ca. 2723 B.C.), the Egyptian leader of court music who is the earliest known female musician. Other early musicians include the Egyptian songstress
panded, and 1,300 new entries have been added. There are twelve new appendixes (now fourteen in all) and a new 577-item discography, which is a revision of Cohen's International Discography of Women Composers (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984). All these changes have swelled the one-vol- ume, 615-page first edition to two volumes and 1,241 pages.
As in the first edition, each entry is di- vided into five parts: a biographical para- graph, a list of compositions by genre, a list of writings by the composer, a bibliog- raphy, and numbered references which re- fer to the list that appears later in the vol- ume.
The fourteen appendixes vary widely in their content and function. Some function as indexes: instead of page numbers, com- posers' names are given so readers may re- fer to the main list for more details. The appendixes in this category include Women Composers by Country and Century, Op- eras and Operattas by Women Composers, and Women Composers by Instrument and Music Form. The less-than-idiomatic use of terms in some of these lists can be a source of confusion. For example, it is not im- mediately clear that the list of Women Composers by Instrument and Music Form is actually an index of compositions by in- strumentation and genre: to save space, the names of the composers, not the names of compositions, are given, and the reader must refer to the main biographical list to determine the titles of the works.
The other appendixes are true appen- dixes, but only some of them are relevant to the subject matter of the encyclopedia. Two of the most useful are "Comparative Distribution of Women Composers by Century" and "List of Pseudonyms." The best candidate for appendectomy is "Music Key Signatures in 25 Languages."
Many dictionaries and bio-bibliographies on women composers and musicians have been published since the previous edition of the encyclopedia, but none has been as comprehensive. The breadth of coverage of this edition is comparable to that of the earlier edition. There are composers from all periods of history and from many geo- graphic areas. The earliest composer rep- resented is Hemre (ca. 2723 B.C.), the Egyptian leader of court music who is the earliest known female musician. Other early musicians include the Egyptian songstress
633 633
This content downloaded from 62.122.79.56 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 21:32:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
NOTES, March 1990
Iti and harpist Hekenu of the twenty-fifth century B.C., Sappho and other pre-Chris- tian Greek poets and composers, and Apala, the Vedic hymn composer of twenty-fifth- century B.C. India. In all, thirty-three women composers from the pre-Christian era are included. As one would expect, however, twentieth-century women constitute the majority of the entries.
The geographic variety in the coverage of the early composers is reflected in the coverage of later periods as well; some sev- enty-five countries and six continents are represented. As one might expect, the greatest number come from Western Eu- rope and North America, but 643 women are from Eastern Europe, 181 from South and Central America, and over 100 from Asia.
Given the all-encompassing historical and geographical coverage and the limited re- sources available to the author, there are bound to be lapses, omissions, and details that have not been given the attention that they deserve. What follows is a discussion of some of the more serious lapses that were revealed by spot checking.
Establishing authoritative forms of names for women composers of all but the most recent past is often problematic. To his credit, Cohen has employed cross-refer- ences to guide users to the main entries. Unfortunately, the cross-references are not always well-chosen. For example, the sev- enteenth-century French composer Elisa- beth Jacquet de la Guerre (whose entry is under "la Guerre") has cross-references under "de la Guerre" and "Guerre" but not under "Jacquet." Other problems arise be- cause of careless treatment of non-Western names. For example, Hong Kong com- poser Violet Lam is listed as "LAM MAN YEE, Violet" rather than "LAM, Violet Man Yee."
Besides the problems of names for the main entries themselves, other names men- tioned in the biographies are often lacking first names; this shortcoming was pointed out in the Notes review of the first edition (40 [1983]: 53-55). An examination of the instances pointed out in the earlier review indicates that Cohen either corrected the specifically mentioned omissions or deleted the information from the entry, presum- ably when unable to verify the name. Many partially unidentified persons remain. For example, Ethel Smyth's teacher Salomon
Jadassohn is identified only as S. Jadas- sohn. Similarly, first names are omitted from some of Ethel Glen Hier's lesser-known teachers, such as Carl Friedberg and Edgar Stillman-Kelley, whereas another teacher, the well-known composer Ernest Bloch, is identified with a first name. Something as readily available as The New Grove Dictionary of Music could easily have been consulted to provide most of this information.
Like the first edition, this edition also contains some obvious factual errors. For example, Cohen incorrectly identifies Es- ther Williamson Ballou as the first Amer- ican composer to have a work premiered in the White House. In fact, she was the first American woman to have a work thus honored. Another distressing error is the appearance of two operas in Ethel Smyth's list of works, one called The Forest (1901), the other called Der Wald (1902). One would think that two operas of the same name written in two consecutive years would arouse some suspicion. In truth, Smyth wrote the opera in German with English translation; the first edition was published in 1902 with the title Der Wald/The Forest.
Each biography begins with a line of in- formation about the composer's "instru- ment specialization" and "occupational ac- tivities." In all cases, "composer" is the last appellation given. It may be that the intent was not to belabor the obvious, since every- one included in this encyclopedia is a com- poser. The unfortunate result, however, is that composing appears to be the least im- portant of the activities listed. In addition, instruments played are usually listed (al- phabetically) before "occupations" such as author, teacher, etc. Thus Augusta Holmes is described as "pianist and composer," and Maria Malibran is "pianist, mezzo-soprano opera singer and composer." This is mis- information by implication. An extreme example is the description of the famous English singer Elizabeth Billington, whom Cohen lists as "harpsichordist, pianist, so- prano and composer." One might reason- ably infer from this that her primary mu- sical activity was as a harpsichordist. In fact, according to existing biographical material, she was a singer who premiered and re- vived many operas; she accompanied her brother (a violinist) on the piano as a child, and her activity as a composer is also re- ported in contemporary sources. Perhaps Billington did play the harpsichord, but
634
This content downloaded from 62.122.79.56 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 21:32:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Book Reviews Book Reviews
nowhere in contemporary literature is there an indication that she played the instru- ment professionally.
This odd ordering of professions can impede the recognition of women as bona fide composers. Award-winning composers such as Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Judith Lang Zaimont are listed as violinist and pi- anist, respectively; Zwilich is making her living solely as a composer, something not many of her male counterparts are able to do. Lexicographers would not dream of listing Robert Schumann as "pianist, critic, and composer" or Felix Mendelssohn as "pianist, violinist, conductor, editor, and composer."
The mistakes and misleading statements quoted here are the result of spot check- ing; one fears that there are many more errors lurking in these pages. I understand many of the circumstantial limitations that Cohen mentions in the preface; but any se- rious encyclopedic effort should at least make use of major, reputable sources if primary sources are not available. Cohen indicates in his preface that this is his swan song and that information for future re- visions should be directed to the Interna- tional Institute for the Study of Women in Music at California State University at Northridge, to which Cohen has donated his library. I hope whoever takes on the task of revising this encyclopedia will seriously consider inviting scholars in the field to re- search and write the articles, in the tradi- tion of major scholarly dictionaries and en- cyclopedias. Cohen has corrected many of the mistakes brought to his attention by re- viewers of the first edition, but no reviewer could do the job of an editor in finding all the mistakes; the reviews should be taken as guidelines for a thorough revision of the work.
Since this encyclopedia is the only com- prehensive source on women composers, it is an indispensable reference book for any music library. However, users should ex- ercise considerable caution and use other sources to verify the information whenever possible.
JUDY Tsou University of California at Berkeley
From Parry to Britten: British Mu- sic in Letters, 1900-1945. By Lewis
nowhere in contemporary literature is there an indication that she played the instru- ment professionally.
This odd ordering of professions can impede the recognition of women as bona fide composers. Award-winning composers such as Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Judith Lang Zaimont are listed as violinist and pi- anist, respectively; Zwilich is making her living solely as a composer, something not many of her male counterparts are able to do. Lexicographers would not dream of listing Robert Schumann as "pianist, critic, and composer" or Felix Mendelssohn as "pianist, violinist, conductor, editor, and composer."
The mistakes and misleading statements quoted here are the result of spot check- ing; one fears that there are many more errors lurking in these pages. I understand many of the circumstantial limitations that Cohen mentions in the preface; but any se- rious encyclopedic effort should at least make use of major, reputable sources if primary sources are not available. Cohen indicates in his preface that this is his swan song and that information for future re- visions should be directed to the Interna- tional Institute for the Study of Women in Music at California State University at Northridge, to which Cohen has donated his library. I hope whoever takes on the task of revising this encyclopedia will seriously consider inviting scholars in the field to re- search and write the articles, in the tradi- tion of major scholarly dictionaries and en- cyclopedias. Cohen has corrected many of the mistakes brought to his attention by re- viewers of the first edition, but no reviewer could do the job of an editor in finding all the mistakes; the reviews should be taken as guidelines for a thorough revision of the work.
Since this encyclopedia is the only com- prehensive source on women composers, it is an indispensable reference book for any music library. However, users should ex- ercise considerable caution and use other sources to verify the information whenever possible.
JUDY Tsou University of California at Berkeley
From Parry to Britten: British Mu- sic in Letters, 1900-1945. By Lewis
Foreman. Portland, Ore.: Amadeus Press, 1987. [xviii, 332 p. ISBN 0- 931340-03-9. $39.95.]
Although the title is somewhat ambigu- ous, this handsomely made and attractively illustrated book is a chronological anthol- ogy of letters principally by British com- posers during the first half of the twentieth century. It contains 248 letters and extracts from letters penned between 1900 and 1946 by seventy-three composers and musicians. They cover events, activities, attitudes, and philosophies important to British music during these years, seen from the view- point of the men and women who were creating this music. Lewis Foreman, well known for his previous writings on twen- tieth-century British music, has selected the letters from his own personal collection of documents intended to support his own re- search. There has been no attempt to focus the letters to a point of view or to present comprehensive documentation on the many issues, both musical and philosophical, that motivated British music during these years. Thus reading the letters is somewhat like viewing a panorama through a kaleido- scope: perspectives are skewed, reportage of events is fragmentary, and there is no real opportunity to follow up on interest- ing or significant points.
Why then, it may be asked, did Foreman feel compelled to publish this motley col- lection? In the introduction, he gives three reasons:
Firstly, I hope it will be useful to stu- dents of British music of this period, both as a history and as a sourcebook. Sec- ondly, I have tried to cast my net widely, and I anticipate that admirers of a wide variety of specific composers and social historians of different complexions will find something to interest them. Thirdly, although I have assumed a certain level of knowledge of the field in my readers, I hope that the collection succeeds both as anthology and as a history on its own account.
From this it appears that Foreman's pri- mary reason was no deeper than that he found the letters interesting and hoped that others would also. This seems a slight rea- son for publishing the work, and it is a wonder that Amadeus Press, a newcomer
Foreman. Portland, Ore.: Amadeus Press, 1987. [xviii, 332 p. ISBN 0- 931340-03-9. $39.95.]
Although the title is somewhat ambigu- ous, this handsomely made and attractively illustrated book is a chronological anthol- ogy of letters principally by British com- posers during the first half of the twentieth century. It contains 248 letters and extracts from letters penned between 1900 and 1946 by seventy-three composers and musicians. They cover events, activities, attitudes, and philosophies important to British music during these years, seen from the view- point of the men and women who were creating this music. Lewis Foreman, well known for his previous writings on twen- tieth-century British music, has selected the letters from his own personal collection of documents intended to support his own re- search. There has been no attempt to focus the letters to a point of view or to present comprehensive documentation on the many issues, both musical and philosophical, that motivated British music during these years. Thus reading the letters is somewhat like viewing a panorama through a kaleido- scope: perspectives are skewed, reportage of events is fragmentary, and there is no real opportunity to follow up on interest- ing or significant points.
Why then, it may be asked, did Foreman feel compelled to publish this motley col- lection? In the introduction, he gives three reasons:
Firstly, I hope it will be useful to stu- dents of British music of this period, both as a history and as a sourcebook. Sec- ondly, I have tried to cast my net widely, and I anticipate that admirers of a wide variety of specific composers and social historians of different complexions will find something to interest them. Thirdly, although I have assumed a certain level of knowledge of the field in my readers, I hope that the collection succeeds both as anthology and as a history on its own account.
From this it appears that Foreman's pri- mary reason was no deeper than that he found the letters interesting and hoped that others would also. This seems a slight rea- son for publishing the work, and it is a wonder that Amadeus Press, a newcomer
635 635
This content downloaded from 62.122.79.56 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 21:32:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions