Rebecca Clarke achieved what she called “my one little whiff of success” in 1919 when her viola Sonata tied for first place in a competition sponsored by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Clarke lived much of her life in the US, although she was born and educated in Great Britain. Striking for its passion and power, her music spans a range of 20th-century styles including Impressionism, post-Romantic, and neo-Classical. Although she wrote nearly 100 works (including songs, choral works, chamber pieces and music for solo piano), only 20 pieces were published in her lifetime, and by the time of her death in 1979, at age 93, all of these were long out of print.
The goal of the Rebecca Clarke Society, Inc. is to honor the life and work of composer and violist Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) by promoting interest in her and her music. We encourage and support performances, recordings and publications, and scholarship concerning Clarke and her music. Founded in 2000, we are a recognized non-profit organization.
