Did you know women have been writing music as long as men?   Léonin was the first known significant composer of polyphonic music, and lived, it is thought, around 1150-1201.  But Hildegarde von Bingen lived from 1098-1179, and was a composer, philosopher, writer and visionary, and you can hear her music today due to a resurgence of interest in music from the Middle Ages.  And she was canonized as recently as May, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI! 

While it was much later in history when women were actually permitted to study composition, they have been composing, often behind closed doors, for centuries.  Take a listen to some of the music featured on this web site.  And let’s continue to promote music by women as well as men.  Maybe it’s actually time to drop all the adjectives, and call anyone who writes music, a composer.