Piano Music by Black Women Composers - (Music Reference Collection) by Helen Walker-Hill (Hardcover)

About the Book

In recent years, considerable scholarly attention has been paid to women in music, and information on the music of a handful of black women composers, such as Florence Price and Mary Lou Williams, has been published. Determined search, however, is needed to locate what little data is available on most such composers. Proceeding from a desire to use music of black women composers in her piano performance and teaching, Helen Walker-Hill has dedicated herself to uncovering this material, utilizing secondary sources and numerous archives, conducting interviews with composers, and engaging in voluminous correspondence with individuals and institutions. The result is the most comprehensive catalog of music composed by African American women to date. The depth of detail required limiting the scope to solo and ensemble piano music. However, an introductory overview on the contributions of black women in music and biographical sketches on the fifty-four composers profiled in the catalog contain broader information.

Over 300 piano works are listed, with detailed descriptive information on close to 200 works the author was able to obtain and study, including sources and levels of difficulty. Appendixes list available published music, ensemble instrumentation, music for teaching, and music published before 1920. A selected bibliography and a selected discography are also provided. This biographical dictionary and descriptive catalog will be most directly useful to performers and teachers, but the breadth of information makes it valuable for research in music history, African American studies, and women's studies.

Book Synopsis

In recent years, considerable scholarly attention has been paid to women in music, and information on the music of a handful of black women composers, such as Florence Price and Mary Lou Williams, has been published. Determined search, however, is needed to locate what little data is available on most such composers. Proceeding from a desire to use music of black women composers in her piano performance and teaching, Helen Walker-Hill has dedicated herself to uncovering this material, utilizing secondary sources and numerous archives, conducting interviews with composers, and engaging in voluminous correspondence with individuals and institutions. The result is the most comprehensive catalog of music composed by African American women to date. The depth of detail required limiting the scope to solo and ensemble piano music. However, an introductory overview on the contributions of black women in music and biographical sketches on the fifty-four composers profiled in the catalog contain broader information.

Over 300 piano works are listed, with detailed descriptive information on close to 200 works the author was able to obtain and study, including sources and levels of difficulty. Appendixes list available published music, ensemble instrumentation, music for teaching, and music published before 1920. A selected bibliography and a selected discography are also provided. This biographical dictionary and descriptive catalog will be most directly useful to performers and teachers, but the breadth of information makes it valuable for research in music history, African American studies, and women's studies.

Review Quotes

?. . . a welcome addition to the currently available bibliographic tools for African-American keyboard music. . . presents important and often elusive data which has not been available before in any publication and which will be very helpful to scholars, educators, and performers?-Sonneck Society Bulletin

?Carefully researched and fluently written, Walker-Hill's new book is destined to be of great help to anyone interested in locating piano music by women.?-ARBA

?Recommended for academic libraries with interests in piano music, women's history, and African-American history. Well indexed.?-A.L.B.R.

?Walker-Hill's catalogue should be on the shelves of every music library, not because they are trendy, or because they answer some external multicultural imperative, but because they lead researchers, performers, and students to good music that has been overlooked and underrepresented in the traditional repertory.?-Notes

." . . a welcome addition to the currently available bibliographic tools for African-American keyboard music. . . presents important and often elusive data which has not been available before in any publication and which will be very helpful to scholars, educators, and performers"-Sonneck Society Bulletin

"Carefully researched and fluently written, Walker-Hill's new book is destined to be of great help to anyone interested in locating piano music by women."-ARBA

"Recommended for academic libraries with interests in piano music, women's history, and African-American history. Well indexed."-A.L.B.R.

"Walker-Hill's catalogue should be on the shelves of every music library, not because they are trendy, or because they answer some external multicultural imperative, but because they lead researchers, performers, and students to good music that has been overlooked and underrepresented in the traditional repertory."-Notes

About the Author

HELEN WALKER-HILL is also publishing an anthology of piano music, Black Women Composers: A Century of Piano Music, 1893-1990. Her articles have appeared in journals such as American Music Teacher and Black Music Research Bulletin. Her lecture/recital, Rediscovered Heritage: The Music of Black Women Composers, has been featured on National Public Radio's Morning Edition and Horizons programs and was the subject of a United States Information Agency film for foreign distribution.