Forty-Five Women Composers
in Early 20th-Century America

From June 1909 to April 1910, the journal Musical America published a series of forty-five illustrated articles entitled, “Women Composers of America”. This series, well in advance of its time, serves as an excellent resource for research on the presence, impact, and advocacy of American women in music during the early 20th century. Today, we spotlight five composers of particular interest, whose works range from parlor songs to large-form European concert music.

Vol. 10 No. 17 (4 September 1909): 15.

Listen to Helen Hopekirk’s Konzertstück in D minor by clicking here!

Vol. 10 No. 8 (3 July 1909): 15.

Vol. 10 No. 7 (26 June 1909): 15.

Interestingly, one of Anita Owen’s most popular songs, “Sweet Bunch of Daisies”, has over time become a standard of the bluegrass genre, so much so, that many enthusiasts are unaware of its parlor song origins.