As of March 2016, the Metropolitan Opera held an unfortunate distinction: In its 135 years of history, it had only ever performed one opera written by a female composer: Ethel Smyth’s Der Wald. This opera had its Met premiere in 1903 – just one year after its world premiere in Berlin (good) – and has never been revived at the Met since (bad).
This peculiar distinction changed in the Met’s 2016 season, which offered Kaija Saariaho’s L’Amour de loin (Love from Afar). This opera premiered in 2000, which makes it a spring chicken by the Met’s classics-oriented normal repertoire. However, there is much room for improving this diversification.
In an effort to help draw attention to operas by women composers, and to the librettists who are sometimes left out of the spotlight, Really Spicy Opera presents the following list of 19th-century operas with scores or librettos written by women:
| Year of Premiere | Last Name | First & Middle Names | Birth Year | Death Year | Capacity | Title | Source of Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | Devismes | Jeanne-Hipplolyte | 1765 | 1808 | Composer | Praxitèle, ou la ceinture | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1804 | Bawr | Sophie | 1773 | 1860 | Composer-Librettist | Les chevaliers du lion | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1805 | Kerkado | Mlle Le Senechal de | 1786 | 1805+ | Composer | La méprise volontaire, ou la double leçon | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1809 | Bursay | Aurore Domergue | 17?? | ???? | Librettist | Sophie de Brabant | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1811 | Bawr | Sophie | 1773 | 1860 | Composer-Librettist | Léon, ou le château de Montaldi | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1813 | Gail [Baptiste] | Sophie | 1775 | 1819 | Composer | Mademoiselle de Launay à la Bastille | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1813 | Gail [Baptiste] | Sophie | 1775 | 1819 | Composer | Les deux jaloux | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1814 | Gail [Baptiste] | Sophie | 1775 | 1819 | Composer | Angela, ou l'atelier de Jean Cousin | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1814 | Gail [Baptiste] | Sophie | 1775 | 1819 | Composer | La méprise | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1818 | Gail [Baptiste] | Sophie | 1775 | 1819 | Composer | La sirinade | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1818 | Gay | Sophie | 1776 | 1852 | Librettist | La sirinade | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1821 | Gay | Sophie | 1776 | 1852 | Librettist | Le maitre de chapelle, ou le souper imprivu | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1823 | von Chézy | Helmina | 1783 | 1856 | Librettist | Euryanthe [Music by Schubert] | |
| 1825 | Bertin | Louise | 1805 | 1877 | Composer-Librettist | Guy Mannering | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1827 | Bertin | Louise | 1805 | 1877 | Composer-Librettist | Le loup-garou | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1830 | Rivay | Mme | 18?? | ???? | Composer | Maitre Palma | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1831 | Bertin | Louise | 1805 | 1877 | Composer-Librettist | Fausto | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1836 | Bertin | Louise | 1805 | 1877 | Composer | La Esmeralda | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1836 | Gay | Sophie | 1776 | 1852 | Librettist | Le Chevalier de Canolle | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1836 | Puget | Loïsa [Louise-Françoise] | 1810 | 1819 | Composer | Le mauvais oeil | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1841 | Pean de la Roche-Jagu | E. Françoise | 1820 | 1871 | Composer | Le gabier d'Artimon | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1844 | Pean de la Roche-Jagu | E. Françoise | 1820 | 1871 | Composer | Gil Diaze | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1845 | Pean de la Roche-Jagu | E. Françoise | 1820 | 1871 | Composer | Le tuteur dupe | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1857 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | La pomme de Turquie | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1859 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | Le sou de Lise | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1859 | Déjazet | Hermine | 18?? | ???? | Composer | Le diable rose | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1860 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | La perruque de Bailli | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1860 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | Dieu le garde | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1860 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | Quand Dieu est dans le ménage | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1862 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | Le pays de Cocagne | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1863 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | Les fiancés de Rosa | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1864 | Tarbé des Salons | Mme | 1840 | 1875 | Composer | I Batavi | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1864 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | La comtesse Eva | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1864 | Santa-Colona Sourget | Eugenie de | 18?? | ???? | Composer | L'image | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1865 | Sabatier-Blot | Mme | 18?? | ???? | Composer | Un mariage par quidproquo | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1865 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | Donna Maria Infante di Spagna | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1865 | Perry-Biagioli | Antoinette | 18?? | ???? | Composer | Les matelots de formidable | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1865 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | Manette | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1866 | Perrière-Pilté | Anaïs | 1836 | 1878 | Composer-Librettist | Le sorcier | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1867 | Paigne | Mme | 18?? | ?? | Composer | Enfermez-la! | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1867 | Viardot | Pauline [Michelle Ferdinandé, née Garcia] | 1821 | 1910 | Composer | Trop de femmes | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1867 | Perrière-Pilté | Anaïs | 1836 | 1878 | Composer-Librettist | La Dryade | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1867 | Perrière-Pilté | Anaïs | 1836 | 1878 | Composer-Librettist | Les vacances de l'amour | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1868 | Thys | [Sébault, Pauline-Marie-Elisabeth] | 1836 | 1909 | Composer-Librettist | Le cabaret du pot cassé | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1868 | Viardot | Pauline [Michelle Ferdinandé, née Garcia] | 1821 | 1910 | Composer | L'ogre | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1868 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | La pénitente | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1869 | Puget | Loïsa [Louise-Françoise] | 1810 | 1819 | Composer | La veilleuse, ou les nuits de milady | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1869 | Grandval | Marie [Félicie Clémence] | 1830 | 1907 | Composer | Piccolino | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1869 | Viardot | Pauline [Michelle Ferdinandé, née Garcia] | 1821 | 1910 | Composer | Le dernier sorcier | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1870 | Tarbé des Salons | Mme | 1840 | 1875 | Composer | Les Roussalkas | Letzter & Adelson (2000) |
| 1876 | Krásnohorská | Eliška | 1847 | 1926 | Librettist | The Kiss (Hubička) [Music by Smetana] | |
| 1878 | Krásnohorská | Eliška | 1847 | 1926 | Librettist | The Secret (Tajemství) [Music by Smetana] | |
| 1881 | Krásnohorská | Eliška | 1847 | 1926 | Librettist | Blaník [Music by Fibicha] | |
| 1882 | Krásnohorská | Eliška | 1847 | 1926 | Librettist | The Devil's Wall (Čertova stěna) [Music by Smetana] | |
| 1882 | Červinková-Riegrová | Marie | 1854 | 1898 | Librettist | Dimitrij [Music by Antonín Dvořák] | |
| 1889 | Červinková-Riegrová | Marie | 1854 | 1898 | Librettist | The Jacobin (Jakobín) [Music by Antonín Dvořák] | |
| 1896 | Schulzová | Anežka | 1868 | 1905 | Librettist | Hedy [Music by Fibicha] | |
| 1897 | Schulzová | Anežka | 1868 | 1905 | Librettist | Šárka [Music by Fibicha] | |
| 1900 | Krásnohorská | Eliška | 1847 | 1926 | Librettist | Viola [Music by Smetana, score unfinished] | |
| 1900 | Schulzová | Anežka | 1868 | 1905 | Librettist | Pád Arkuna [Music by Fibicha] |