Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel - She lived at a time when opportunities for women were strictly limited. Although a brilliant composer and pianist, Fanny's father discouraged her from pursuing a career in music. Her brother, Felix, on the other hand, was given encouragement and support. Yet despite that, Fanny and Felix remained close throughout their lives. Fanny married Wilhelm Hensel, a painter, on October 3, 1829. They had one son, Sebastian, named after Fanny's favorite composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
Florence Beatrice Price - She was one of the African-American women who made a lasting mark in music and paved the way for other women composers. When Price separated from her husband, she became a single mom to their 2 children.
Alma Schindler - She was an Austrian composer, author and the wife of composer Gustav Mahler. They had 2 daughters, Anna, who became a sculptress and Maria Anna who died at age 5. They stayed together for 9 years until Mahler's death in 1911.
Clara Wieck Schumann - Known as the premier female composer of the Romantic period. Her compositions for the piano and her interpretation of works by other great composers are much appreciated to this day. She is the wife of composer Robert Schumann and they had 8 children.
Pauline Viardot - She started out as one of the most celebrated operatic singers in the late 1800s. Later on she focused her talents on composing and teaching. Viardot's daughter, Marianne, was engaged to composer Gabriel Fauré although their engagement did not end in marriage.
