Women Musicians: Top Picks

Winter Holiday Albums by Female Artists
For the holidays, why not enjoy hearing women musicians on these single- and multi-artist albums?

Women in Classical Music, 19th/20th Centuries: Albums
A standard challenge: "Why no women Mozarts?" Besides the fact that there's only been one male Mozart, could we have known if Mozart's sister had great talent, given family and social roles, expectations and education for women? But some women nearly transcended those odds.

Women in Jazz and the Blues: Albums
The history of jazz and the blues has featured a few fantastic women as vocalists and some, though fewer, as instrumentalists. These selections highlight some of the women who've made contributions to jazz and blues history. If you're interested in expanding or deepening your knowledge of women in jazz and the blues, here are some suggested albums to get started with.

Women in Medieval and Renaissance Music: Albums
Today, women composers of the medieval and Renaissance periods are becoming better known. Many were women leading religious lives who had the time and education to devote to composition. Here are some picks of music by women composers or with female subjects and performers, selected for diversity and quality.

Posters of Women in Jazz
Women's contribution to jazz has been mostly as singers, though a few have also been instrumentalists. If you'd like to give some of the ladies of jazz a place in your home, office or classroom, here are some posters and art prints featuring Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker and -- in a rare treat -- Lil Armstrong, appearing with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.