ABSTRACT

Any assessment of women’s music and its reception requires consideration of their role in musical society. Early twentieth-century Britain offered women composers a very particular set of circumstances, both social and musical, in which to create their works. The main purpose of this book is to uncover some neglected works and place them in the context of early twentieth-century British music. This exercise builds on the pioneering work of Derek Scott, Derek Hyde, Sophie Fuller and Paula Gillett.1 The general focus of these studies and other works in this area, however, has been the necessary collection of biographical material, the presentation of cultural context and, more specifically, the promotion of songs and piano works by women. This study, therefore, is part of a second wave of musicological investigation into British women’s music. In this spirit it will consider some aspects of women’s history and feminist criticism as well as feminist musicology.