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The French composer Louise Farrenc<\/a><\/strong> (1804\u20131875) was one of the 19th century’s most prominent female musicians. Sexism prevented her, as many others, from making the progress that her great musical talent should have earned her. She was a formidable composer of symphonies, chamber music, and piano works. Here are six best works by Louise Farrenc.<\/p> Teacher, composer and equality campaigner: Louise Farrenc was a force to be reckoned with. Born in 1804 into a progressive family of sculptors and artists, she was encouraged to embrace her creative abilities from an early age.<\/p> As well as being an enthusiastic pianist, she harnessed a love for composition and was enrolled at the prestigious Paris Conservatory during her teens. Here, she began composition lessons with Anton Reicha (who later schooled Berlioz<\/a><\/strong> and Liszt<\/a><\/strong>), and went on to write chamber music<\/a><\/strong>, piano works and symphonies<\/a><\/strong>. Alongside maintaining a thriving concert pianist career, in 1842 she was appointed professor of piano<\/a><\/strong> at the Paris Conservatory – the only female professor appointed in the entire 19th century.<\/p> Farrenc remained popular as a performer. Sadly, however, her compositions never gained the traction achieved by those of her male counterparts. She persisted nevertheless, and continued to compose well into the 1860s. Fast forward to today… and her legacy prevails. The rediscovery of her music has deemed her a musician of enviable accomplishment. We named Louise Farrenc one of the greatest French composers<\/a><\/strong> of all time.<\/p> We\u2019ve compiled a list of her six greatest (and most memorable) pieces that deserve your attention.<\/p> While best known for her chamber music, Farrenc also composed many orchestral works. Her Third Symphony, written in 1847 (after her First in 1842 and Second in 1845), is energetic and deliciously rich in texture. Influences from Beethoven<\/strong><\/a> (a friend of her teacher, Anton Reicha) are plentiful, particularly in the final movement, which opens with bold and ample strings. The Adagio<\/em> movement is equally glorious, transforming from a gentle clarinet and oboe melody to full-bodied symphonic pleasure very early on. All four movements are worth a listen.<\/p> You can hear Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3 at the 2024 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>. It’s being performed alongside Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>‘s Symphony No. 3, the legendary Eroica<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, at Prom 72<\/a><\/strong>, which takes place on Friday 13 September.<\/p>Who was Louise Farrenc?<\/strong><\/h2>
Louise Farrenc: best works<\/strong><\/h2><\/div><\/div>
Symphony No. 3<\/strong><\/h3>