componiste

Componiste is a Dutch noun meaning a woman who composes music. It is the feminine counterpart of componist, the term used for a male composer. In Dutch-language writing, componiste denotes gender and can be used in biographical notes, program notes, and discussions of musical authorship. Some writers prefer gender-neutral phrasing, but componiste remains common when the gender of the composer is relevant or specified.

Historically, female composers faced barriers related to education, patronage, and publication. Despite these obstacles, many women contributed to classical and contemporary music. Notable examples include Hildegard von Bingen (medieval), Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann (Romantic era), Lili Boulanger and Germaine Tailleferre (early 20th century), Amy Beach and Ethel Smyth (late 19th–early 20th century), and Kaija Saariaho and Sofia Gubaidulina (contemporary).

Today, composers of any background may be described as componistes when the gender is female. In the Dutch-speaking world, the term helps recognize the work of women who compose across genres such as concert music, film scores, and game music. There is ongoing scholarly and musical effort to recover, perform, and publish works by female composers and to integrate their contributions into broader music histories.

See also: composer, female composer, list of female composers.