ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how a male-dominated musical tradition built on a discriminatory social system has both affected and restricted the work of female composers. The legacies of women's traditional roles in music-making, which have been largely dictated by their social status, form an important link in the chain of understanding that illuminates contemporary attitudes towards music written by women. At the heart of the discussion of women's musical traditions lies the concept that the compositional genre used by a composer can be affected by non-musical as well as musical considerations. Furthermore, compositional genre can be seen as a powerful indicator of composers' place in musical life and their access to institutions which can bring their music to public attention. To understand women's position in musical culture in the twentieth century, many aspects traditionally considered purely musical, and therefore natural or unchangeable, need to be analysed and understood in the context of the patriarchal society which produced them.
