Women Composers’ Music Contributions Equal to Those of Male Counterparts During the Romantic Era

Authors

Chelsea J. Abels, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dr. Amy Guevara

Second Advisor

Mr. David Neely

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Abels, C. 2025. Women Composers’ Music Contributions Equal to Those of Male Counterparts During the Romantic Era. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Chelsea Abels 2025

Abstract

Though women composers were downplayed and overlooked, they were no less talented than their male counterparts, providing meaningful compositions and contributions to Romantic Era music. This thesis studies three women who made meaningful contributions during the Romantic period. Their names are Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, and Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn. Four aspects about them will be studied: The life and childhood of each woman, the trials and discrimination they faced, the problems they solved, and how their works compare to male composers. These three women were prodigy musicians and skilled composers. They demonstrated a great affinity for music from an early age and became world-famous musicians as grown women.

Unfortunately, these women didn’t have easy lives due to the discrimination and barriers they faced while publishing their music. It was also difficult for them to balance family life alongside their musical endeavors. This was especially true of Clara Schumann, who practically raised eight children on her own because of a mostly absent husband. Regardless, each woman produced high-quality compositions comparable to those of male composers at the time. Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, and Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn are examples of perseverance and determination amidst a male-dominated industry.