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Quartet

How Four Women Changed the Musical World

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Quartet

By: Leah Broad
Narrated by: Leah Broad
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About this listen

*WINNER OF THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY STORYTELLING AWARD*
The lives, loves, adventures and trailblazing musical careers of four extraordinary women from a stunning debut biographer.
'Magnificent.' Kate Mosse 'Riveting.' Antonia Fraser 'A breath of fresh air.' Kate Molleson 'Fascinating.' Alexandra Harris 'Wonderful.' Claire Tomalin 'Splendid.' Miranda Seymour 'Remarkable.' Fiona Maddocks 'Pioneering.' Andrew Motion ' Brilliant.' Helen Pankhurst
Ethel Smyth (b.1858): Famed for her operas, this trailblazing queer Victorian composer was a larger-than-life socialite, intrepid traveller and committed Suffragette.
Rebecca Clarke (b.1886): This talented violist and Pre-Raphaelite beauty was one of the first women ever hired by a professional orchestra, later celebrated for her modernist experimentation.

Dorothy Howell (b.1898):
A prodigy who shot to fame at the 1919 Proms, her reputation as the 'English Strauss' never dented her modesty; on retirement, she tended Elgar's grave alone.
Doreen Carwithen (b.1922): One of Britain's first woman film composers who scored Elizabeth II's coronation film, her success hid a 20-year affair with her married composition tutor .

In their time, these women were celebrities. They composed some of the century's most popular music and pioneered creative careers; but today, they are ghostly presences, surviving only as muses and footnotes to male contemporaries like Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten - until now.

Leah Broad's magnificent group biography resurrects these forgotten voices, recounting lives of rebellion, heartbreak and ambition, and celebrating their musical masterpieces. Lighting up a panoramic sweep of British history over two World Wars, Quartet revolutionises the canon forever.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Leah Broad (P)2023 Faber & Faber
Entertainment & Celebrities Music Women Celebrity Heartfelt War Opera Women Composers
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A musical revelation

I listened to Quartet because of a recent presentation I did on the conductor Marin Alsop. I was blown away by how much I learned about these four women composers, none of whom I was familiar with. There is much to learn and much to ponder these pages. A must for serious musical students.

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