Since the strong emergence of gay, lesbian, and feminist choruses in the 1970s, there has been a parallel surge of new music written for these groups. These new works were necessitated by a dearth of choral literature that mirrored the social and political underpinnings of these community musical groups. After a generation of commissioning new music, gay and lesbian choruses are now one of the largest contributors of new choral commissions in the United States.

This new music has had a strong impact upon gay, lesbian, and feminist choruses and their audiences. Taken in total, these new compositions run the gamut of gay and lesbian choral expression. These works may be serious, militant, political, or campy. They may reflect the highest artistic sophistication or be simplistic and amateurish. What unifies them is their intended performers and listeners: lesbian, feminist, and gay choruses—which were generally formed outside of the choral mainstream—and their supporters. Certainly, the music often touches upon themes—mostly social, seldom musical—that have rarely, if ever, been the subject of choral compositions in the past.

For this study, I chose four commissioned choral works—two men's, one women's, and one mixed—which were created for gay, lesbian, or feminist choruses. The dissertation will first document the processes by which these new works came to fruition. The focus will then turn to the effect that this music has had on its singers, composers, conductors, and audiences. In the final analysis, the dissertation will explore shared communicative features of these compositions and how they might be classified as a unique genre.