BBC took on Cornwall pianist Annabel Bennett pretending to be a man

Composer Annabel Bennett began writing music nine years ago and has since created more than 350 original pieces.

She struggled to get her work played to a wide audience and was constantly being rejected or ignored.

But believing her gender was holding her back, she started submitting her work under an alias – Arthur Parker – and claims she noticed an immediate change.

The BBC, which she said had been ignoring her for months, instantly started playing her music and "Arthur Parker" has now had more than 40 original pieces aired by them on both local and national radio.

The 'male musician' is still on the Radio 3 playlist and a first album under his name that was recorded at Abbey Road studios is being released later this month.

Annabel said she maintained her pretence by avoiding phone calls and submitting all work by email – and dodging questions why there was no social media profile or evidence of "Arthur" online.

And she has now spoken out in a bid to raise awareness of her situation in the hope it will inspire other female composers to break out in what she said was still very much a "man's world."

Annabel has written more than 350 original pieces

Annabel, aged 50, who lives near Padstow, said: "When I sent out my music under my own name as a woman, it got nowhere. But as soon as I sent it out as a man I got noticed.

"I spent several months submitting my work to the BBC under my own name with no success. It was the same with all the other institutions and organisations.

"In general they just did not come back.

"I sent the same stuff in as Arthur and the BBC are now playing it all the time. I think they envisioned an older man and took it from there. The emotive music was probably more appealing to them when people thought it was being played by a man.

"But it shouldn't be that way. We should be judged on our music, not on our gender."

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Annabel said BBC Introducing played her work under the name Arthur Parker for around six weeks until she "came out" to presenter Sarah Gosling in a female toilets.

She added: "People just thought they were listening to Arthur Parker on the radio.

"On Radio 3 they also have six pieces of mine on the playlist and still think I am a man.

"To be fair, on an individual level Sarah Gosling has been very fair and supportive. She did say that personally she would have played my music whether I was a man or a woman. But it was just more in general – that my emails were ignored until I pretended to be a man.

"It just seems strange that you have to do that in this day and age.

"Sarah got right behind me and was very surprised when I finally met her in the ladies cubicles at a gig, introducing myself as Arthur Parker.

"I have also got on the playlist on Classic FM Holland."

Annabel began writing music after her dad died around 2012 and was signed to a TV production company but said most jobs were "given to the men."

Annabel got work from the BBC pretending to be 'Arthur' Picture: SWNS

She added: "They promised me the world but nothing happened once I signed.

"One day I decided to try again myself. That's how Arthur Parker was eventually born.

"My dad's name was Tom Arthur Parker so it came from that.

"But I just think it should not be about how old you are, as anyone over 50 and a woman becomes invisible. It should not be about image but about the music and I just hope more female composers can be inspired and confident to come forward. There are some good ones out there.

"It is like the JK Rowling situation. My hope is this that female composers will start to be taken more seriously. It is getting better in a lot of walks of life, but with this it is definitely still a man's world."

Annabel, who owns The Ivy House restaurant in Padstow, had a unique upbringing and grew up in a house where David Bowie babysat her and her sister, where blues legend John Lee Hooker slept on the floor and where Gerry Rafferty wrote half of the classic song, Baker Street.

This was because her dad was arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tom Parker.

She added: "Dad died about eight years ago, and I'd always played the piano when I was young.

"He was an arranger, and when he died I started playing my own stuff to deal with my emotions.

"It just started coming out, and I carried on and now I've probably written about 350 pieces.

"He did warn me about the industry though – and how hard it was for a woman to break through."

Annabel has now recorded an album at Abbey Road, which will be released on Spotify and iTunes at the end of the month under her pseudonym Arthur Parker, Dying Earth.

She added: "I just think it will sell more if people think it has been done by a man. It's not how things should be and I hope that speaking out about it might go a small way to help change things."

The BBC has been contacted for comment.