Print+Resources

**Print Resources**
 * Women in the Performing Arts**


 * For the Serious Researcher**

**International Encyclopedia of Women Composers** //Aaron I. Cohen// With biographies of over 6,000 women composers from 72 countries spanning 4,000 years, Cohen’s two- volume work has long been considered among the most comprehensive guides to the women of the Western classical music tradition. 3,700 of these entries are substantial biographies. Each entry in the encyclopedia is divided into five partshe composer’s biography, a list of her compositions, a list of her writings, a bibliography, and a reference to the appendices. //The International Encyclopedia of Women Composers// contains 14 appendices. Some of these appendices function more like indexes, such as the appendix listing the composers by their instrument played, or by musical form. Other indexes include a Comparative Distribution of Women Composers by Century as well as a list of pseudonyms used by the composers.

**Women Composers, Conductors, and Musicians of the Twentieth Century: Selected Biographies** //Jane Wiener LePage Metuchen// This two-volume work provides extensive biographies on thirty of the most influential women composers, conductors, and musicians of the twentieth century. Each entry consists of a biography, lists of the artist’s published compositions, excerpts from concert reviews, and a black and white photo. Metuchen utilizes extensive personal interviews in the biographies, as well as the frequent inclusion of quotations. Many of those included in this work are left out by basic reference works; indeed, for many of the subjects, this work is their first time in a major printed work at all. Ultimately, //Women Composers, Conductors, and Musicians of the Twentieth Century// is a valuable source, especially for performers and teachers, who are looking to supplement more traditional sources.

**Casual Interest and Research Starting Points**



**A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts** //Liz Sonneborn// Best suited for the casual browser or the high school student beginning research, this work contains biographies of 150 American female performers, selected because they represent the wide range of American women’s influence in the entertainment world. While most of the women included are film actresses, dancers, musicians, theatre actresses, and even rodeo performers are included. The collection includes foreign born actresses whose careers were anchored in the United States. Many individual entries are substantial, while all entries include listings of recommended recorded and videotaped performances, other biographies, periodical interviews, and articles. The collection is user friendly, written in an accessible writing style with simple language.

**Blueswomen: Profiles of 37 Early Performers with an Anthology of Lyrics: 1920-1945** //Anna Stong Bourgeois// While male blues singers have been immortalized in an abundance of literature, very little attention has been paid to the female blues singers of the first half of the twentieth century. In //Blueswomen//, Bourgeois profiles 37 women who best represent the many blueswomen performing in the United States before the Second World War While some biographies are of well-known singers, many of those profiled are obscure. In //Blueswomen//, the biographical profiles are followed by a sampling of the performer’s lyrics. A discography and bibliography are also included.

**She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll** //Gillian A. Gaar// This definitive work on women in rock and roll is an encyclopedic narrative of women in rock and pop music over the last 40 years, from the early 1950s R&B singers to folksingers, riot girls, and the emerging rock and pop stars of today. //She’s a Rebel// includes musicians that are popular and obscure, mainstream and non-mainstream. Chapters are divided chronologically by decade, with biographies of individual musicians blended into an overarching narrative of the history of women and rock and roll. The work includes photographs and an extensive bibliography and index. Gaar’s choices for inclusion are questionable in some areas, as she includes not only performers, but publicists and music attorneys as well, while overlooking some major female artists, i.e. Stevie Nicks and Chaka Khan.

**Women Vaudeville Stars: Eighty Biographical Profiles** //Armond Fields// This work tells the stories of eighty women who were among the top vaudeville acts in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The chosen women are not exclusively American; vaudeville performers from Europe, Australia, and Canada are also included. The biographies are first organized into categories: singers, singer-comediennes, comediennes, dancers, sister acts, actresses, male impersonators, and novelty acts. Within these separate categories, individual biographies appear in the order of the date that the performer entered onto the vaudeville stage. This organization allows the reader to trace the history of vaudeville itself, outside of the individual performers. Each biography is three to four pages long, including photographs and essential elements of the performer’s headlining act and career. The final section of //Women Vaudeville Stars// takes a broader look at the heritage of the stars, comparing the group as it comes to ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and family life.

**Reel Women: Pioneers of the Cinema, 1896 to the Present** //Ally Acker// //Reel Women// is a compact, yet comprehensive, guide that focuses on more than 120 women who have made significant contributions behind-the-scenes of American cinema, from directors to producers to camerawomen to stuntwomen. Each biography emphasizes interviews and includes both selective and exhaustive filmographies, photographs, and entertaining anecdotes. In reading the biographies, readers can not only gain a sense of the enormous contributions made by women to American cinema, but can also develop a knowledge of the many films that were largely shaped by women.

**Leading Ladies: The Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era** //Turner Classic Movies// Produced by Turner Classic Movies, this book features Hollywood’s most memorable film starlets of the early and middle of the twentieth century. Actresses are listed alphabetically, and each biography is four full pages long, with a full page photograph. Accompanying each biography is accompanied by an annotated list of essential films, a complete filmography, behind-the-scenes information, style notes, Academy Award information, trivia, film stills, and photographs from historical film archives. The visual appeal and playful tone of this work make it ideal as a casual reference work for the film buff or other interested reader.

**For Children and Young Adults**

**Wild Women and Tricky Ladies: Rodeo Cowgirls, Trick Riders, and Other Performing Women Who Made the West Wilder** //Jill Charlotte Stanford// This book features biographies of 15 women of the rodeo arena, from the Wild West shows and fairs of the 1800s to the rodeos of today. With archival photography, first-hand accounts, and other primary documents, Stanford is able to showcase the lives and philosophies of these women, from Florence Hughes, who made more than 500 rodeo appearances to the modern day star, Erin Mullis, the “Kamakaze Kowgirl.” //Wild Women and Tricky Ladies// includes rodeo-themed insets with “rodeo fun-facts,” as well as an introduction to trick riding with a glossary of terms, a list for suggested further reading, and an index.

**The Women in Profile Series** **Visual and Performing Arts**: //Shaun Hunter// **Musicians**: //Leslie Strudwick// This series, written for Grades 3 through 6, chronicles the lives and achievements of talented women in a number of areas, from science to exploration to the arts. It focuses on historical and contemporary women of various nationalities that set an inspiring example for young children, both male and female. Most of the subjects have never been features in biographical material for children. The subjects are not mainstream pop starts, but rather include musicians like harpsichordist Wanda Landowski and dancer Natalia Makarova. While none of these biographies are exhaustive by any means, the //Women in Profile// series is a work that is nonetheless suitable for browsing, and worthwhile as an educational tool, enlightening young readers about the extensive accomplishments of women around the world.

**Great Women Comedians** //Gail Stewart// Intended for readers in Grades 5 through 8, this book includes informative biographies of five groundbreaking female comedians: Gracie Allen, Lucille Ball, Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne, and Ellen DeGeneres. The introduction describes the historical exclusion of women from comedy, and throughout the biographies, Stewart emphasizes the struggles, both personal and in their careers, of the women, and how the comediennes have broken barriers, opening up the path for those women who would follow in their footsteps. //Great Women Comedians// was included in Booklist’s Top 10 Biographies for Youth, and is a helpful starting point for research. It includes black and white photographs, a detailed index, and an annotated list for further reading.