inclusive skill-level flute solos by historical women composers

left to right: Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Lili Boulanger, Florence B. Price, Julia Perry, Germaine Tailleferre

terminology

inclusive skill-level

Because there are so many ways to “grade” music (based on level of difficulty of the music and taking various factors into consideration).  There is the ABRSM, the RCM, and terms such as beginner/intermediate/advanced, and ultimately, just because something has a particular label does not make it better or worse than other pieces of music.  It does not make it more meaningful to play, moving to listen to, or challenging because it is not considered “advanced” music.  This list will comprise of solos for flute written by women composers that would be appropriate for various skill levels. 

solos

Pieces of music written for flute alone or for flute and other various instrumentation.

women composers*

Composers who identify as women.  Until I picked my flute up again after a long hiatus away, I had never played a solo piece of flute repertoire written by a composer who was not a white man.  Though specifying women composers alludes to the fact that the dominant composer would be a man, women have historically been marginalized from classical music.  I also wanted to focus on deceased composers because while it is hugely important to support living composers, I firmly believe it is equally important to highlight women composers who are no longer living.   

*I would like to note that gender is not a binary and that my goal is to research more of the history of nonbinary composers, transgender composers, and composers who were members of the LGBTQ+ community.  Because of vastly changing societal concepts over the decades and centuries, this is a topic that deserves its own research and attention.

works

Gaúcho (1895) by Chiquinha Gonzaga

Francisca Edwiges Neves Gonzaga, known as “Chiquinha Gonzaga” (1847-1935), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, and conductor.  The first nationally recognized woman conductor in Brazil, actually.  Though Chiquinha Gonzaga endured tumultuous familial and romantic relationships, she had a successful career in music as an educator, pianist, composer, and conductor.  She also engaged in civil social movements in Brazil, including women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery.  Chiquinha Gonzaga also founded the Brazilian Society of Theater Authors, which provided copyright for Brazilian artists after having her music used frequently without permission.

Gaúcho (or Corta Jaca), was from the burlesque operetta Zizinha Maxixe, and references a Brazilian traditional dance.  The first lady of Brazil performed the piece publicly in 1914, causing a scandal due to the “vulgar nature” of the piece’s reference dance.  Today, there are multiple variations for Gaúcho, including for flute and guitar.

Nocturne (1911) by Lili Boulanger 

Marie-Juliette Olga, known as “Lili”, Boulanger (1893-1918) was a French composer and was noted to be a child prodigy, composing Nocturne when she was around 17-years-old.  She also came from a musical family, notedly her sister Nadia Boulanger, a prolific composer, pianist, and educator.  Lili Boulanger was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome when she was 19 but tragically passed away at only 24-years-old, due to chronic illness.  Despite this, her legacy continues to live on with the assistance of her sister, Nadia Boulanger, through the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Centre and the Boulanger Initiative, created by Joy-Leilani Garbutt and Laura Colgate to honor Lili and Nadia Boulanger and works composed by women.

Nocturne was originally written for violin and piano but has been performed many times as both a violin/piano pairing as well as by flute/piano.  Though a shorter piece, that doesn’t stop Nocturne from packing an emotional punch.

Idylle (1920) by Avril Coleridge-Taylor

Avril Coleridge-Taylor from wikipedia

Gwendolyn Avril Coleridge-Taylor (1903-1998) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist.  She was the daughter of composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.  Avril Coleridge-Taylor wrote her first composition at age 12 and made her formal debut as a conductor at age 30 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.  She also sometimes published compositions under the name “Peter Riley”.

Idylle is one part of Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s chamber collection though she also composed orchestral works and songs.  Though Idylle was originally published in 1920, it was republished in 2023.      

The Deserted Garden (1933) by Florence B. Price

Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953) was an American composer, pianist, organist, and educator and she just so happens to be one of my favorite composers.  Florence B. Price was the first Black woman composer to have a symphony (E Minor) debuted by a major orchestra (the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933) though she was met with racism during her career.  She composed over 300 works including symphonies, solo works, chamber works, and more.

The Deserted Garden was also originally written for piano and violin and has been performed as that pairing many times.  However, this piece can also be played by flute and piano and has a beautiful melody that is mesmerizing for both musicians and audiences.

Pastoral (1959) by Julia Perry

Julia Amanda Perry (1924-1979) was an American vocalist, pianist, and composer.  Julia Perry studied throughout the United States including at Tanglewood and Julliard, and Europe, notably with Nadia Boulanger, in Paris.  Her works were influenced largely by Black spiritual music and modern, neoclassical compositional technique.  She composed many works for voice, instrumentation, and a dozen symphonies.  Despite the volume of Julia Perry’s works and her vast accomplishments, many of her compositions are unable to be performed today due to complex copyright issues as well as the destruction and loss of her works since her death.

Pastoral is unique in that it is composed for flute and string sextet, making it the only septet on this list.  Though much of Julia Perry’s music is unknown, there have been efforts to perform, record, and pay homage to her music, including the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s Julia Perry Project in her hometown of Akron, Ohio, United States.

Forlane (1972) by Germaine Tailleferre

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982) was also a French composer and pianist, composing works from a young age all the way up to weeks before her death.  Germaine Tailleferre was the only woman member of Les Six, a group of six composers and friends who worked in Montparnasse, Paris, France.

Forlane is written for flute and piano and is based upon a furlana, or Italian fast-paced, typically duple metered, folk dance.  Likewise, Forlane is in 6/8 time signature and certainly has a dance-like feel to the melody.  

final notes

When doing research for this list, one of the themes I ran into was that despite women composers throughout history having documented lists of works composed and even published, many pieces have been lost due to copyright issues, destruction, theft, racism, and sexism.  There are many works that I attempted to find existing sheet music for or evidence of publication, but they have either not been published, are no longer available at all, or are no longer available in the United States.  With that being said, this is, of course, not an exhaustive list.  Coming in at 6 pieces, thank goodness it isn’t. 

I think it is important to continue supporting work such as the Boulanger Initiative, the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s Julia Perry Project, the Institute for Composer Diversity, and other resources to support diverse compositions, particularly for deceased composers.

Thank you for being here and reading and please comment if you have any other inclusive skill-level flutes solos by historical women composers to add to the list!