Broadening the Repertoire,
Choral Music by Women Composers
Throughout history, compositions by women have often been overlooked and frequently omitted from established anthologies. Things are beginning to change however, with publishers such as Oxford University Press, and Multitude of Voyces, addressing the issue and publishing choral works by great women composers, living and historical, such as Sarah Quartel, Cecilia McDowall, Libby Larsen, Becky McGlade, Rebecca Clarke, Grace Williams, Phyllis Tate, and many more. Below you will find our selection of recent publications celebrating the fantastic output of choral music by women composers.
Sacred Music by Women Composers
Multitude of Voyces is a publisher which exists to support underrepresented, underutilised, vulnerable, or marginalised communities, through creative use of music and words. The Sacred Music by Women Composers anthologies present sixty-three women composers spanning eight-hundred years of music, with many historical works published here for the first time, alongside works composed specifically for the anthologies. In three volumes, these anthologies are perfect for choirs looking to expand their repertoire
Sheet Music Collections by Sarah Quartel
Sarah Quartel is a Canadian composer, conductor, and educator known for her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. The Sarah Quartel Songbook brings together a selection of her best-loved pieces available for SATB or upper voices, providing an invaluable resource for choirs. In addition to these songbooks, the recent publication Breath of Song is a collection of ten exquisite works by contemporary women composers, compiled and edited by Quartel, and includes an eclectic mix of styles and colours.
New and Notable Publications by Women Composers
The choirbook Women of Our World is more than a simple song collection: In easy two- to three-part arrangements for women’s voices, forty pieces in twenty-five different languages from more than thirty countries are gathered here. Singable transcriptions for each piece as well as pronunciation guides and translations in the appendix enable an immediate access. Introductory texts inform on the origin and cultural background of the songs; chord symbols allow an instrumental accompaniment, too. Unique for choirbooks of this kind though are the contributions from women of international origin living in Germany; they are presented in portraits and describe their personal relation to singing in a choir. Women of Our World is the result of the years long work of editor Hayat Chaoui with international song repertoire as choir leader, singer and consultant.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
