In honor of the Clara Schumann bicentennial (she was born 200 years ago today), I am doing my best to honor the contributions of women composers all month long by finding ways to incorporate their music into my regular broadcasts. This week on “Picture Perfect,” I’ll shine a light on Doreen Carwithen.

Carwithen was a pupil of William Alwyn, with whom she studied harmony and composition at the Royal College of Music in London. Alwyn, a contemporary of William Walton, enjoyed comparative success in the concert hall. Carwithen was the first to be selected by J. Arthur Rank to enter the college’s new film music program. For Carwithen and Alwyn, it was love at first sight. Their 30-year romance culminated in the couple’s marriage in 1975.

The reason for the delay, unfortunately, was that Alwyn happened already to be married. This double life caused tremendous stress, taking a toll on both of their health and driving Alwyn, in particular, to alcoholism and ultimately a nervous breakdown. Finally, his doctor recommended that he get on with it already and live honestly.

Combined, during their heyday in the 1940s and ‘50s, Alwyn and Carwithen wrote the music for over 100 films. Alwyn, in particular, scored such high-profile projects as “The Crimson Pirate,” “A Night to Remember,” and “The Swiss Family Robinson.” Although groomed for a career in film, Carwithen was not given the same opportunities. She scored only six dramatic features. The rest were documentaries and shorts.

Her concert works, while well-received, were not met with enthusiasm or eagerness by either programmers or publishers. In 1961, she became Alwyn’s secretary and amanuensis, and following his death in 1985, devoted herself to the preservation of his legacy.

At the time of her own death, in 2003, discovered among her papers were sketches for an unfinished string quartet (her third), a symphony, and a cello concerto. One can only imagine that, as an artist, her potential remained unfulfilled.

I’ll do my best to level the playing field by dividing the hour between Alwyn and Carwithen, 50/50, on “Picture Perfect” – music for the movies – this Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.