Women Composers - The Book
Dear Visitor,
I want to take you on an exciting journey of discovery.
When I began playing the piano, I always wanted to know who composed the music that I was exploring. Then I realized that in all of my sheet music, the composers were only men.
"Aren't there any women composers?"
I asked my Mama that question – and then we started doing research. And, yes! There are very, very many. The things that I found most interesting about their lives, you`ll find in my book Women Composers.
In the last few years I learned that even many people who love music very much are barely aware of any women composers. That is why I wanted this book to go out into the world. Those many women encouraged me to believe that I, too, can be a composer. Maybe it will be the same for you?
So in my book there are a few of these wonderful women who fascinate me especially. I hope you will feel joy as I did when you get to know, with your eyes and ears, about their music and their lives.
Cheers,
Hemma Bach
What makes this book unique?
The book about women composers is told from the perspective of a young girl who embarks on an exciting journey to uncover the often overlooked contributions of women to music history. Hemma Bach began her search at just four years old, and every piece that captivated her and that her small fingers could play became part of her personal collection. The result is a unique and moving journey that spans centuries and continents. Originally created purely for her own joy of discovery and shared only with family and friends, Hemma revised all the texts at the age of seven so they could be shared with a wider audience.
Order the book
It's great that you would like to order the book! It can be easily purchased through any local bookstore using the ISBN 9-783695-725052. Alternatively, it is also available from all common online book retailers, for example at buchshop.bod.de.
How did this book come to be?
Hemma was just four years old and already composing when she began to wonder whether she could really become a composer if all the pieces she played had been written by men. The thought seemed strange to us, but for the little girl it was a deeply serious question.
Of course, we parents helped –
at first mainly with the research. Everything we discovered, we passed on to Hemma. Before long, however, she was reading well enough to explore books and online sources on her own. She then picked out what interested her about the women composers she found – which often differed from what we would have chosen. The project came to a close once Hemma had firmly internalized the idea that women and men alike can create wonderful music.
At some point, we decided to type up these notes as a keepsake and turn them into a book. And one day, when she was seven, Hemma chose to revise everything once again so that it would be accessible to others. To make it available to people who do not speak German, Thomas Stockinger helped with the translation of the book. Thank you, Thomas!
This journey of discovery has been a gift to us parents, one that has also broadened our own horizons.
Why were these women composers selected?
Quite simply: because we found out about them, because Hemma loved their music, and because all of them composed pieces that Hemma was able to play at the age of four.
When Hemma revisited this journey at the age of seven so it could inspire others as well, she pointed out that many wonderful women composers from all eras are still missing (for example, Marianna Martinez as a representative of classical music or Alma Deutscher as a contemporary composer). So if the book is well received, there may be a second volume.