#ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth 2018 - Week 1

Some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to celebrate the role of women in classical music for March. Those posts included both the #ClassicsaDay and #WomensHistoryMonth hashtags. There were many posts of female performers and conductors. I chose to stick with composers.

Here is an annotated list of the composers I posted for the first week:

Kassia (c.810-867) - Petron ke Pavlon-VocaMe

Kassia was a Byzantine-Greek composer. She lived in Constantinople and became the abbess in the 830s. Over 50 hymns and sacred compositions are credited to Kassia.

Caterina Assandra (1590-after 1618) O solutaris hostia

Like many women composers of her day, Caterina Assandra was a nun. She had studied counterpoint and was an accomplished organist.She wrote both instrumental and choral works and published at least two volumes of her music.

Isabella Leonarda (1620–1704)

Isabella Leonarda was born in Novara and entered a convent at 16. She was one of the most prolific women composers of the Baroque. Her work was well-known (and published) in Novara. Virtually all of her more than 200 works are religious, ranging from motets to masses.

Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1739-1807)

Anna Amelia was a German princess and served as Regent of Saxe-Weimar. An extremely talented harpsichordist and composer, she was a strong supporter of the performing arts. Her works include an opera, a symphony, an oratorio, and various chamber works.

Leopoldine Blahetka (1809–1885) - Polonaise, Op. 19

Leopoldine Bahetka came from a musical Viennese family. Blahetka studied with Joseph Czerny and Ignaz Moscheles. Blahetka toured Europe as a concert pianist. Most of her works are either for solo piano or chamber ensembles with piano.