Songs of Wartime: An Anthology of Music Composed by Women during the Second World War
Presentation Type
Artwork
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
World War 2, Holocaust, Music, Female Composers, Europe, Germaine Tailleferre, Elsa Barraine, Josima Feldschuh, Ilse Weber, Grazyna Bacewicz
Department
Music
Major
Music (Vocal Performance)
Abstract
During the Second World War, female European composers wrote a prolific amount of music which often goes unrecognized in favor of their male counterparts. The composers that I focus on are Elsa Barraine, Ilse Weber, Josima Feldschuh, Germaine Tailleferre, and Grażyna Bacewicz. The goal of this study is to collect an anthology of five pieces, one piece by each composer, in order to highlight and celebrate their contribution to the musical canon, as well as to understand how the conflict in Europe affected them.
For my research, I first found five female composers who were in some way affected by World War II in Europe. I then chose one piece by each of them that they wrote in response to the war that represented their musical output well. I then wrote entries for the anthology, the first part a biography of the composer, the second part describing the piece being studied. Finally, I included the score, as well as the text and translations for the vocal works. For one piece, I also transcribed a piece into a notation software from a handwritten score.
I found that these pieces served as an artistic expression in the midst of a horrific conflict. Although these composers were of varying ages and their lives had different outcomes, the music they wrote provided an astonishing contribution to the classical music canon. Their legacies live on through their music, making up just a part of the mosaic that is the European wartime narrative.
Faculty Mentor
Gary Cobb
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
25-3-2022 2:00 PM
End Date
25-3-2022 3:00 PM
Songs of Wartime: An Anthology of Music Composed by Women during the Second World War
Waves Cafeteria
During the Second World War, female European composers wrote a prolific amount of music which often goes unrecognized in favor of their male counterparts. The composers that I focus on are Elsa Barraine, Ilse Weber, Josima Feldschuh, Germaine Tailleferre, and Grażyna Bacewicz. The goal of this study is to collect an anthology of five pieces, one piece by each composer, in order to highlight and celebrate their contribution to the musical canon, as well as to understand how the conflict in Europe affected them.
For my research, I first found five female composers who were in some way affected by World War II in Europe. I then chose one piece by each of them that they wrote in response to the war that represented their musical output well. I then wrote entries for the anthology, the first part a biography of the composer, the second part describing the piece being studied. Finally, I included the score, as well as the text and translations for the vocal works. For one piece, I also transcribed a piece into a notation software from a handwritten score.
I found that these pieces served as an artistic expression in the midst of a horrific conflict. Although these composers were of varying ages and their lives had different outcomes, the music they wrote provided an astonishing contribution to the classical music canon. Their legacies live on through their music, making up just a part of the mosaic that is the European wartime narrative.
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