compositorissa

Compositorissa is a term encountered in some discussions of gender and language in the music world. It is not a standard or widely accepted label in musicology, but when used, it typically denotes a female composer or a person who identifies as a woman and writes original music.

Etymology and usage: The word appears to be a neologism formed from the root “composit-” (from Italian compositore) with the feminine-oriented suffix “-issa,” reflecting a pattern in some languages to gender terms. However, the standard Italian feminine form is “compositrice.” As such, “compositorissa” is nonstandard and is mostly found in informal or advocacy contexts.

Context: The term appears in feminist and linguistic critiques or in social media to foreground gender in creative professions. It is not used in formal musicology or biography as a technical term. To refer to a female composer in formal Italian, one would normally use “compositrice”; in other languages, “compositora” or simply “female composer.”

History: There have been numerous women who composed music across centuries, though the label “compositorissa” is not used in historical records. Notable female composers include Hildegard von Bingen, Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Florence Price, and Kaija Saariaho.

See also: composer, compositrice, women in music, gender and language in music.