The Recognition of Female Composers
Matthew Johnson · Digital Showcase Research, Scholarship, & Creative Works (University of Lynchburg) · 2005
I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose -there has never yet been one able to do it.Should I expect to be the one?To believe that would be arrogant..." -Clara Wieck SchumannAs the world of music enters the twenty-first century with nary a title to define itself, the heads of many turn to look upon the "progress" music has made, especially in the last one hundred years.Music has shed its wear of tonality and structure in return for a new wardrobe, where nothing is sacred and nothing is familiar.The question has ultimately shifted from "What has changed?" to "What hasn't changed?"Upon exploring these changes and music's alleged "progress," an ardent student of music and history has no choice but to stumble upon the subject of women composers and their place in history.It is a subject that contains a wealth of lesser-known facts and a vast spectrum of opinion and controversy, not the least of which is the lack of recognition of women composers that has existed throughout history.Throughout this essay, I will focus on nineteenth century European female composers, the status that women have held in music over time, and the lack of recognition that women composers, particularly those from the nineteenth century, receive (or do not receive) in the United States; from this I will draw conclusions as to what is responsible for this lack of recognition.It is impossible to attribute a single cause to the widespread ignorance of female composers of the nineteenth century, just as it is impossible to attribute only one factor to the hindrance of these women's success in their lifetimes.The relative unsuccessfulness of nineteenth century women composers in their time was the result of numerous factors, including social constraints and tight chains forged by the hands of fellow musicians and composers, whose eyes could not see as far as their ears could hear.In the same way, the current widespread ignorance is the result of numerous factors, including the conditions for women composers in the nineteenth century and the attitudes of those inside and outside the music world since then.Today's lack of recognition cannot be understood without having some insight into the conditions that female composers experienced in the nineteenth century.In this project I intend first, to provide the facts surrounding the lack of recognition given to nineteenth century European female composers today; second, to shed light upon the hindrances that these women composers faced in their times, and third, to draw conclusions as to why there is still a widespread ignorance about these composers today.My conclusions will show that there are several reasons for this ignorance, including the consequences of the lack of recognition female composers received in the nineteenth century, the perceptions that have developed over time that stereotype composers as white males, and the theoretical tendencies that music itself and individual pieces of music have acquired throughout history. Present Day Recognition of Women ComposersIt is an unfortunate truth that the history of music is almost always perceived as moving "from one 'great man' to the next," but it is certainly more disturbing that music's history is almost always presented as moving "from one 'great man' to the next" (Jezic 459).With titles such as Beethoven and the Boyz, Man and Music, and The Music of Man, most reference books offer an image of a "classical" music world that is completely devoid of women.Here in the United States, the chance of running across a person, musician or not, who can name a female composer is far less likely than the chance of running across someone who can name a male composer.Names like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach are certainly common to many, but how about names like Clara Schumann, Fanny Hensel, Ethyl Smyth, or Louise Reichardt?The truth is that even many musicians are unfamiliar with these names and the name of every other female composer.Simple observation can attest to this fact, but it is also evident in the scant mention of women in reference 1