Unsung Heroines: the lost World of Female Composers

[Andrew Slater]

Link to iPlayer is here.

[Mary Chambers]

I thought the Britten Symphony no. 1 was probably the Sinfonia da Requiem, but I wasn’t concentrating very hard and can't remember the context now.

I find Danielle de Niese incredibly irritating, and very hard to watch. This was a bit better than usual, perhaps.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

We have differing views from Lat-Literal and ferneyhoughgeliebte on separate threads....

Not any more.

Britten's '1st symphony' was presumably the Spring Symphony?

Not in 1941 - Mary's suggestion of the Sinfonia da Requiem is probably correct; but did people during the Blitz really take the composition of that work (along with the Maconchy 4th S4tet) as "showing the pluck of the composers in carrying on composing during the War"?

(The relevant quotation is at 52mins 20" into the programme.)

[LMcD]

I thought the Britten Symphony no. 1 was probably the Sinfonia da Requiem, but I wasn’t concentrating very hard and can't remember the context now.

I find Danielle de Niese incredibly irritating, and very hard to watch. This was a bit better than usual, perhaps.

My problem was that I found her all too easy to watch ....
Thanks to fhg for combining the threads.
Despite its shortcomings, the programme is definitely worth watching IMHO.
Unfortunately, the International Women's Day concert, conducted by Jane Glover and including a work by Florence Price, which might have proved an interesting companion piece to the documentary, is not currently available on iPlayer.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Despite its shortcomings, the programme is definitely worth watching IMHO.

Unfortunately, the International Women's Day concert, conducted by Jane Glover and including a work by Florence Price, which might have proved an interesting companion piece to the documentary, is not currently available on iPlayer.

That would, indeed, have been excellent programming.

[kernelbogey]

There's a repeat at 0100 Sunday morning on BBC4.

[Serial_Apologist]

Nicola Lefanu was interesting on her mother; but did the programme mention that she, too, is a very fine composer in her own right? Personally I would have preferred to have Elisabeth Lutyens featured, one of the most important influences on the post-1950 generation of serial composers in this country, and given prominence over Ms Maconchy. And I wonder how long it will be before ahinton comes on and mentions the wonderful yet omitted Grazyna Bacewicz! For me the most interesting part of the programme was rather incidental to its main theme, namely when we were taken to the church in Bingen where Hildergarde de took church music several centuries into the future, and we were given the opportunity to see the original score of one of her most influential works, and its interpretation. As with others in this discussion, I too had never heard of Florence Price. A programme or series devoted to black American composers' contributions to the classical tradition would be welcome.

[Lat-Literal]

Not any more.

Thank you.

I'm not sure that we do disagree here wildly.

While I loved the programme - it possibly appealed more to someone who knows less rather than knowing more and I know less : that's the main point - it would have benefited from being a series. As just five, we will all disagree on who should have been included. eg A couple on this forum would have wanted Derbyshire there.

On a light note, I am a bit disconcerted by the comments on Price on this thread. People will be saying next that they don't know William Grant Still, R Nathaniel Dett, Clarence Cameron White, Ludovic Lamothe, Occide Jeanty, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and even - to be gender specific - Eleanor Alberga.

Nicola Lefanu was interesting on her mother; but did the programme mention that she, too, is a very fine composer in her own right? Personally I would have preferred to have Elisabeth Lutyens featured, one of the most important influences on the post-1950 generation of serial composers in this country, and given prominence over Ms Maconchy. And I wonder how long it will be before ahinton comes on and mentions the wonderful yet omitted Grazyna Bacewicz! For me the most interesting part of the programme was rather incidental to its main theme, namely when we were taken to the church in Bingen where Hildergarde de took church music several centuries into the future, and we were given the opportunity to see the original score of one of her most influential works, and its interpretation. As with others in this discussion, I too had never heard of Florence Price. A programme or series devoted to black American composers' contributions to the classical tradition would be welcome.

I didn't know that about Nicola Lefanu.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm not sure that we do disagree here wildly.

While I loved the programme - it possibly appealed more to someone who knows less rather than knowing more and I know less : that's the main point - it would have benefited from being a series. As just five, we will all disagree on who should have been included. eg A couple on this forum would have wanted Derbyshire there.

Oh, make that three! (Series Two - of twenty-odd.) And, like S_A, I'd've put Lutyens in my Series One and kept Maconchy for Series Two ... and ... and ... and ...

I didn't know that about Nicola Lefanu.

Well worth getting to know - she had her own CotW about a year/eighteen months ago.

William Grant Still - that's a whisky distillery, isn't it?

[Lat-Literal]

Oh, make that three! (Series Two - of twenty-odd.) And, like S_A, I'd've put Lutyens in my Series One and kept Maconchy for Series Two ... and ... and ... and ...


Well worth getting to know - she had her own CotW about a year/eighteen months ago.

William Grant Still - that's a whisky distillery, isn't it?

Ahem.

It's who Gershwin enthusiasts, not to mention linear thinkers on Paul Whiteman, are mainly missing out on.

Once accomplished, they can investigate William Levi Dawson.