Broadening the Repertoire, HerStory: The Piano Collection

HerStory:The Piano Collection is the latest publication from Faber music, written and compiled by award-winning author and piano pedagogue Karen Marshall. With it's publication date coinciding with International Women's Day, this collection perfectly reflects the global aims of the occasion; to celebrate women's achievements, and to raise a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

Not only does this book include invaluable repertoire by remarkable female composers across the ages, it also features new music by two young female composers, Margarida Gonçalves and Emily Pedersen. Read more about the publication and the inspirational women behind it's inception below.

HerStory: The Piano Collection

The latest publication by Karen Marshall, HerStory contains works by twenty-nine female composers, progressively graded for intermediate to advanced level pianists. Each piece in the book is accompanied by a fascinating snapshot of the composer's life, providing invaluable insight into how they lived. HerStory also includes suggestions for further repertoire, personal observations by the author, and pedagogical activities and suggestions.

Karen Marshall began this project when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. Unable to do her regular teaching, she began researching female composers in her free time, beginning a significant journey of discovery. Each composer researched provoked an array of emotions, from deep sorrow to profound admiration, as well as a feeling of affinity for the women, many of whom also taught the piano, led children's choirs, and taught in schools.

As part of the collection, a competition was held to include new piano music by a young female composer. The entries were of such high quality that two of the young composers' works were chosen. Based on a melody by the first known female composer, Hildegard von Bingen, O Virtuo Sapientiae by Margarida Gonçalves, and Now Think. by Emily Pedersen are included in this collection.

Karen Marshall is the creator of the award-winning PianoTrainer series, and many other excellent piano publications such as Encore, and Get Set! Piano. You can find more of her publications here.

Female Composers Featured in HerStory: The Piano Collection

For those interested in researching the composers featured in HerStory, below you will find a list of all twenty-nine composers featured in the book, where possible including links to their composer pages on our website, helping you discover further repertoire and information on the composers.

Hildegard von Bingen (1098 -1179) German writer, composer, and philosopher of the Middle Ages. The first known female composer in history.

Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677): Italian composer and singer of the Baroque period. She published eight volumes of her own music, and had more secular music in print than any other composer of the era.

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729): French musician, harpsichordist, and composer. The first woman to compose an opera in France.

Elisabetta de Gambarini (1730-1765): English composer, mezzo-soprano, organist, harpsichordist, pianist, and conductor. Renowned as both a professional performer and one of the first female composers to publish in Britain.

Anna Amalia of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel ( (1739-1807): German princess and composer.

Marianna Martines (1744-1812): Austrian composer, pianist, and singer of the classical era. Known for hosting musical soirees at her home attracting many distinguished guests, including Haydn and Mozart.

Maria Hester Park (1760-1813): British composer, pianist and singer. Tutored many students in the nobility, including the Duchess of Devonshire and her daughters.

Maria Szymanowska (1789-1831): Polish composer, and one of the first professional virtuoso pianists of the nineteenth century.

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875): French composer, pianist, and teacher. The only woman to be appointed as professor at the Paris Conservatory during the 19th century.

Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847): German composer and pianist of the Early Romantic era.

Josephine Lang (1815-1880): German composer.

Clara Schumann (1819-1896): German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. The first woman to play the Beethoven piano sonatas in public, and the first pianist to perform without using printed scores.

Marie Jaëll (1846-1925): French pianist, composer, and pedagogue. Awarded a First Prize from the Paris Conservatory at sixteen years old.

Augusta Holmés (1847-1903): French composer of Irish descent. She gained a reputation of being a composer of programme music with political meaning.

Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1935): Brazilian composer, pianist and the first woman conductor in Brazil.

Marguerite Balutet (1853-1928): Parisian pianist, composer, and music pedagogue.

Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944): French composer and pianist. Awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer.

Ethel Smyth (1858-1944): English composer and prominent member of the women's suffrage movement.

Inga Lærum Liebich (1864-1936): Nowegian pianist and composer.

Amy Beach (1867-1944): American composer and pianist. The first successful American female composer of large-scale art music.

Elena Gnesina (1874-1967): Soviet and Russian composer and music educator. Students included Lev Oborin and Aram Khachaturian.

Florence P. Rea (1878-1924): California musician and composer.

Nannie Louise Wright (1879-1958): American composer, pianist, and teacher.

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923): Croatian composer and member of the Pejačević noble family.

Paula Szalit (1886-1920): Polish pianist and composer.

Florence Price (1887-1953): African-American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. The first American woman to have music performed by a major symphony orchestra.

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983): French composer. The only female member of the group of composers known as Les Six.

Competition winners: Emily Pedersen and Margarida Gonçalves