Inclusion of women composers in college music history textbooks

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which women composers have been included in college music history textbooks. A comparison of one-volume comprehensive college music history textbooks (the first edition dating prior to 1972 and subsequent editions dating 1990 or later) was conducted to determine if the increase in information currently available about women composers is reflected in the most recent texts. Reference material related to each woman listed in the index was examined to determine if she was a composer, performer, or relative of a composer. Each entry was categorized as either brief reference, major reference, musical example, or picture. The oldest edition of each text was evaluated first, to establish a baseline, then each subsequent text was reviewed in chronological order. Results indicated a notable and continuous increase in information about women composers in the publications printed in the 1990s and 2000s.