Charlotte Sohy

Synopsis

Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, political, and cultural achievements of women, so here’s a French composer whose name you may not have heard before, but you should!

After all, her music was good enough that Gabriel Fauré, Paul Dukas, and Maurice Ravel performed it at musical salons in Paris. She was a close friend of the famous composer and teacher Nadia Boulanger, studied organ with Louis Vierne, and composition with Vincent d’Indy.

But enough name-dropping. Her name was Charlotte Sohy. Born in Paris in 1887, and in the early decades of the 20th century, achieved both professional status and public success as a composer, writing masses, art songs, piano pieces, chamber music, and this symphony, which dates from 1917.

Unlike many women composers of the past, Sohy’s husband fully supported her career. After all, he was also a composer, and she even collaborated with him on a few of his pieces. Still, even in cosmopolitan Paris, she chose to publish her music under the pseudonym Charles Sohy, and while her chamber works received performances, her symphony remained unperformed during her lifetime.

Music Played in Today's Program

Charlotte Sohy (1887-1955): Symphony in C-sharp minor; Orchestre National de France; Débora Waldman, conductor; Palazzetto Bru Zane Label BZ-2006

On This Day

Births

• 1714 - German composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (the third son of J.S. Bach), in Weimar

• 1904 - Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas, on the island of Euboca

• 1911 - American composer Alan Hovhaness, in Somerville, Massachusetts

Deaths

• 1869 - French composer Hector Berlioz, 62, in Paris

• 1957 - Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck, 70, in Zurich

• 1961 - British conductor and arranger Thomas Beecham, 81, in London

• 1983 - English composer and conductor Sir William Walton, 80, in Ischia

Premieres

• 1752 - Handel: oratorio Jephtha, in London (Julian date: Feb. 26)

• 1896 - Rachmaninoff: symphonic fantasy The Rock, in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 20)

• 1898 - R. Strauss: tone-poem Don Quixote, in Cologne, Wüllner conducting

• 1902 - Sibelius: Symphony No. 2, by the Helsinki Philharmonic, with the composer conducting

• 1903 - Enescu: Rumanian Rhapsodies Nos. 1 and 2, in Bucharest, with the composer conducting

• 1934 - Piston: Concerto for Orchestra, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting

• 1954 - Stravinsky: Three Songs from William Shakespeare, at an Evenings on the Roof concert in Los Angeles conducted by Robert Craft

• 1956 - David Diamond: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony, Charles Munch conducting

• 1957 - Xenakis: Pithoprakta, in Munich

• 1979 - Rihm: opera Jakob Lenz, in Hamburg at the Opera stabile (Staatsoper)

• 1991 - Daniel Asia: At the Far Edge for orchestra, by the Seattle Youth Symphony, Ruben Gurevich conducting

• 2000 - Karen Tanaka: At the Grave of Beethoven for string quartet, in London, by the Brodsky Quartet

• 2000 - John Tavener: The Lord’s Prayer, in Guildford (England), by the Tallis Scholars