5 Websites on Women’s History in Music 

In anticipation of International Women’s Day (and indeed, International Women’s Month!), today we have collated some websites and articles for you that look to women in music in history. Of course, the contributions are so vast, with many lists abundant this cannot be condensed to just 5 pages on the worldwide web but here are a few as a starting point.

 WOMEN IN ROCK & ROLL’S FIRST WAVE

Hundreds of women and girls created and performed rock and roll songs in the 1950s and early 1960s. Their contributions shaped the culture and sound of rock and roll. This project is dedicated to preserving and telling their stories.

WOMEN IN MUSIC TIMELINE

Oxford Music Online is the home of Grove Music Online, an online music encyclopaedia, offering comprehensive coverage of music, musicians, music-making, and music scholarship. Their Women in Music Timeline gives a glimpse into key moments of the contribution of women in music over the ages. 

75 YEARS OF WOMEN'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

 In 2017, Billboard put together a photo compilation of women stalwarts of contemporary popular music in the music industry of the preceding 75 years. “These trendsetters combined fierce intelligence with the daring to chart their own course, making music history - and knocking down gender barriers in the process.”

A HISTORY OF CLASSICAL MUSIC (THE WOMEN-ONLY VERSION)

In 2016, it was noted by The New York Times that for the first time in more than 100 years, the Met was performing an opera written by a woman. Here you will find a summary of women’s contributions to classical music alongside a playlist of other women composers, who are often overlooked.

REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN IN MUSIC

“Are these the 10 most revolutionary women in music?”, asked the BBC on International Women’s Day in 2017. This article explores the landmark contributions of women from Kassia of Constantinople and Clara Schumannm, to Aretha Franklin and Björk, showcasing the diversity of talent throughout the ages.

ResourcesAysha Hussain