Joseph Campbell, in his brilliant and influential book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, forges a composite hero born of worldwide myths and legends. His brief chapter on women, “The Virgin Birth,” presents archetypes of women and their archetypical roles: the universal goddess, the virgin’s womb, and motherhood. Elsewhere in his book, women are symbolized within the hero’s adventure, awarded as the hero’s prize, and viewed as temptress and Cosmic Woman. Women are objects of worship, of mystery, of desire, and of possession.
In May 2020, the third month in California of Covid isolation, I had an epiphany: to compose one thousand new piano pieces honoring women from centuries past, up to the present day, who are without a doubt, heroines…just not according to the Joseph Campbell definition. I’m calling the project The Heroine with a Thousand Faces. These musical portraits of women who have made concrete, indelible, and courageous changes in our world will be composed according to a highly disciplined schedule: one per day, five per week, with a day for revisions and a day of rest. That equates to two hundred and forty pieces per year. The entire endeavor will take a total of four years and three months. The pieces will be published in a set of collections and will also exist as independent compositions.
I’ve already collected dozens of names. If you have any to suggest for adding to my list, or if you would like to sponsor a particular individual for being honored with a short work for piano in this projected collection, please send them my way using the contact tab. Ida B. Wells, a journalist, activist, and researcher from Mississippi, known in part for her powerful reporting on lynchings, is an ideal example of a heroine.