Sahakdukht and
Khosrovidukht of the 8th century are among the earliest recorded women composers. Both are of Armenian origin and have composed liturgical chants. In the 12th century,
Hildegard of Bingen also wrote religious pieces. Women have been necessary for the functioning of adult choirs, which require the upper register that few men can sing, although
Pope Leo IV (847–855 A.D.) banned women in choirs from singing in churches, and
Pope Pius X banned women from church choirs in 1907.
Antonio Vivaldi directed an all-girl orchestra in 1714 at a
school for girls. Historically, women were often expected to master instruments along with learning music basics such as reading music, writing music, and performing it. However, until the 20th century, it was seen as immoral to perform publicly and women were only expected to play in the private domestic setting. when she was only 26 years old. Despite that her one published opera,
Céphale et Procris, only had 5 or 6 performances, she continued to compose throughout her life, producing a wide variety of pieces. After her death, her genius in compositions, her creativity in vocal and instrumental music, and her variety of genres have been acknowledged. Her life and career success show that she was given a rare opportunity to succeed as a female composer, and how she took full advantage of it. was a renowned pianist and composer, known for her symphonic, chamber, and art song works. It used to be considered proper for a young woman in upper society to attain proficiency on a classical instrument, usually the piano, harp, classical guitar, or voice. Women's roles in music, whether it be performance or education, was meant for their private lives inside their homes, rather than for public 'display'. Further, women were not trained as professionals, because it was considered immodest for a woman to perform in public. These etiquette guidelines were typically spread by books such as
Letters to a Young Lady written by John Bennett in 1798, and
Letters to Young Ladies written by
Lydia Sigourney in 1844. The culture of women learning music was strong in the 18th century and
George Washington's step-granddaughter
Eleanor Custis Parke and
Thomas Jefferson's wife
Martha Jefferson were musicians. From 1870 to 1910, women started to take more jobs in classical music, usually teaching positions. American
Clara Baur was the first woman to found a conservatory, the
University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, in 1867. (later known as the
BBC Symphony Orchestra) in 1938 in London, during the 16th
ISCM Festival. Following the end of
World War II, the number of women in classical music jobs greatly increased in the United States. In 1947, only 8% of symphony orchestra musicians were women, compared to 26.3% in 1982. at the
Royal Albert Hall.
21st century is an American conductor and the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The ratio of women to men players in U.S. orchestras is roughly equal, but the ratio in European orchestras is still low. Across the world, there are relatively few women conductors, but numbers are increasing, as figures like
Marin Alsop,
Barbara Hannigan,
Susanna Mälkki and
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla gain public attention and popularity. ==Women in orchestras==