-

 

·        




Women Composers on Women Composing








"I have never been able to understand women composers who do not wish to be called women composers. I understand their argument but it seems so superficial to me. Our strength lies in our identification with women and music."  

Beth Anderson, Composer



#BringingBackBranscombe

Photo credit:  Molly Sheridan, NewMusicBox.

B


B

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coventry's Choir

-
Image
South Devonshire, England, the village of Branscombe……that’s where Gena Branscombe’s paternal family heritage began.  Through her musical compositions and life style, she honored her British roots.  “Tea, we must have tea,” a line from my one-woman show probably best describes how Miss Branscombe lived her life.  Tea and small sandwiches were served when one had company, making conversation quite civilized!  Laurine Elkins Marlow, who wrote her dissertation on Gena Branscombe, told me that each time she visited the composer they would work together for a short while, then tea was served after which they returned to work.  Laurine has in her possession the tea cup that was officially hers during those working sessions. “Coventry’s Choir,” a choral work, was composed amidst the bombings of England during World War II.  Coventry Cathedral, known as St. Michael’s, located in the West Midlands of England was destroyed by the Luftwaffe on November 14,...
Read more

Four Daughters

-
Image
Many of my blog posts of the past have made mention of Gena Branscombe and John Tenney’s four daughters. There have been pictures of the girls added to the blog entries showing a small slice of their family life. I have not written about the lives and careers of the Tenney girls so now it is time to bring them forward as an important part of Gena’s life as a working mother and musician. Gena and John were married October 5, 1910 at the First Methodist Church of Picton, Ontario. Shortly thereafter, they made their home in New York City. Family life had to have been hectic with two working parents. Each day Gena devoted time for her career with the help of a nurse to care for the children. As an accompanist she coached and prepared singers for performance. Meetings with woman composers such as Amy Beach, Harriet Ware and others took place in her piano studio. Gena’s involvement with women’s organizations and her conducting duties took a great deal of her time, yet, there was alway...
Read more

Kathleen Lockhart Manning

-
Image
Kathleen Lockhart Manning (1890-1951). Born in Hollywood, California, Kathleen was fortunate to study piano and composition with Moritz Moszkowski in Paris.   Also a singer, she performed with the Hammerstein Opera Company in London during the 1911-1912 season.   As a composer she wrote mainly vocal works for which she penned her own words.   Her song cycles include, “Sketches of New York,” “Sketches of London,”   “Sketches of Paris,” “Chinese Impressions,” and “Songs of Egypt.”   A number of her individual songs were arranged for chorus. After the death of Miss Lockhart Manning’s husband in 1938, mental illness haunted her the remainder of her life.   She died in Los Angeles.   I am not sure if Kathleen Lockhart Manning and Gena Branscombe actually knew each other but there is a reference to Gena in one of Kathleen’s diary entries.   She noted that she must send Miss Branscombe a copy of her newest published song cyc...
Read more