Quartet: Four Women Who Revolutionized Music

The Quartet: Ethel Smyth, Rebecca Clarke, Dorothy Howell, and Doreen Carwithen - Four Extraordinary Women, Trailblazers in Music

Magnificent, riveting, a breath of fresh air, fascinating, wonderful, splendid, remarkable, and pioneering - these are the words used by renowned authors and critics to describe Leah Broad's debut group biography, "The Quartet." This captivating work shines a light on the lives, loves, adventures, and trailblazing musical careers of four extraordinary women who have long been overshadowed by their male contemporaries.

Ethel Smyth (b.1858) was a famed Victorian composer, a larger-than-life socialite, an intrepid traveller, and a committed Suffragette. Rebecca Clarke (b.1886) was a talented violist and Pre-Raphaelite beauty, one of the first women ever hired by a professional orchestra, celebrated for her modernist experimentation. Dorothy Howell (b.1898) was a prodigy who shot to fame at the 1919 Proms, known as the 'English Strauss,' her modesty never dented by her success. Doreen Carwithen (b.1922) was one of Britain's first woman film composers, who scored Elizabeth II's coronation film, but her success hid a 20-year affair with her married composition tutor.

In their time, these women were celebrities, composing some of the century's most popular music and pioneering creative careers. Yet, today, they have become 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, "The Quartet" revolutionizes the canon forever.

The lives of these four extraordinary women are expertly woven together, creating a captivating narrative that takes the reader on a journey through the tumultuous 20th century. Broad's meticulous research and impeccable storytelling bring these forgotten figures to life, shedding light on their remarkable achievements and the challenges they faced in a male-dominated industry.

From Smyth's defiant political activism to Clarke's groundbreaking orchestral performances, from Howell's humble modesty to Carwithen's hidden love affair, each woman's story is a testament to the power of resilience, creativity, and the pursuit of artistic expression. "The Quartet" is a celebration of these trailblazers, a long-overdue recognition of their vital contributions to the musical landscape, and a clarion call to reclaim the narratives of women in history.

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