Composers Forum is a daily web log that allows invited contemporary composers to share their thoughts and ideas on any topic that interests them--from the ethereal, like how new music gets created, music history, theory, performance, other composers, alive or dead, to the mundane, like getting works played and recorded and the joys of teaching. If you're a professional composer and would like to participate, send us an e-mail.
Record companies, artists and publicists are invited to submit CDs to be considered for review. Send to: Jerry Bowles, Editor, Sequenza 21, 340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019
Like Beth Anderson (Hi Beth!), life here is pretty busy. But some things need saying, so:
- I sigh (!) whenever someone says about our sheer numbers "I suspect" or "I think". The info is out there -- we're legions, in the thousands -- and has been pushed hard since the '80s in a number of publications (including my own 3-book Greenwood Press series, The Musical Woman - An International Perspective).
For example, there are two current posters that profile hundreds of women composers through the ages, one published by Leonarda Productions, the other by Hildegard Press. And, these are being bought by elementary schools (!).
- Statistics for exposure in prime venues remain grim. In one early'90s speech I tried to 'spin' the mildly encouraging upward trend at that time to indicate we were on the cusp of matching Germaine Tailleferre's c. 18% 'share' of Les Six, but there's been a distinct fall-off since the mid'90s.
posted by Judith Lang Zaimont
11:00 PM
