Lecture Recital: Reexamining the Repertoire: French Women Composers of Solo Trumpet Music at the Paris Conservatory with Elijah Denecke

Prelude: Southern Utah University Trumpet Ensemble

Many frequently performed solo trumpet works of the past century have been written by French composers. They are played for jury performances, at recitals, and on stage with symphony orchestras to showcase the virtuosic capabilities of trumpeters worldwide. Of the most commonly performed French pieces, very few were written by women. This is not, however, because of an absence of music. A shift in European gender roles spurred by the industrial revolution and World Wars ignited a significant increase in the number of women composers and the quality of their work. Unfortunately, gendered or lack of public critical review, securing publication past an initial premiere, the use of pseudonyms, and balancing home and professional lives significantly impacted the likelihood that pieces by women would be programmed. As a devastating result, most have been forgotten for decades. The purpose of this lecture recital is to provide a practical point of reference for musicians interested in the morceaux de concours written by women for the trumpet and cornet at the Paris Conservatory during the twentieth century, while also raising questions about why and how certain works are excluded from the standard solo repertoire.