This
month, Clef Notes looks at women composers. This week, we’re focusing on
composer and violist Rebecca Clarke, an English musician from the early
twentieth century.
Though
her gender made a career in music difficult, Rebecca did not lose her drive to
compose and perform. She was known primarily for her songs, choral works,
chamber music, and solo piano pieces. She wrote around 100 pieces, however only
a handful were published during her lifetime and later forgotten about.
Today,
let’s listen to Rebecca’s Viola Sonata. This work tied for first prize in a
competition in 1919, but the prize ended up going to Ernest Bloch. Sadly,
following the competition, a reporter commented that it was impossible for a
piece like the Viola Sonata to be written by a woman! Her knowledge of the
viola is evident as this is a beautiful addition to its repertoire. What do you
think?
