Transcript Women, Music, Culture Chapter 6

Romantic Era Performer/Composers:
Walking the Public/Private Line
© 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Romanticism
 “Romanticism was a nineteenth-century
intellectual, literary, and artistic movement that
was an ideal venue for musicians to explore. Visual
artists, writers, philosophers, and musicians
espoused and expressed the Romantic ideals of
freedom, equality, and fraternity in their work. It
was an era in which individual freedom was
stressed, evident both in artistic works and in the
breakdown of the patronage system. Emotional
thinking overpowered the emphasis on
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 rationalism prevalent in the Classical era, and the
artist was often emotionally linked to the artistic
work. A fascination with nature in both beautiful
and destructive forms permeated musical works,
particularly as the composer showcased the
Romantic ideal of people struggling against the
environment. Nationalism was evident in musical
works as well, as folk and regional musical
characteristics were infused into art music scores.

Musically the form-driven balance and poise
of the classical era gave way to less strict formal
structure. Extra-musical stories and programs
often accompanied a musical work, sometimes
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 denoting music from this era to a lower status in
the eyes of musicians who valued the formal
construction of the Classical style. On the other
hand, the emotional connection between
composer and music, and its subsequent
transmission to the audience has made Romantic-
era music extremely popular among consumers of
art music.”
© 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Social Class and Musical Expectations
 In the Romantic era, wealthy families still generated
well-educated and well-known musicians
 With the rise of the middle class, however, women’s
music education was often a preparation for roles in
the home
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 Remaining in the home was considered a privilege for
women. It was also the acceptable place for women to
perform
 Accomplished women musicians were often
discouraged from publishing their works; publication
was considered inappropriately “public”
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The Salon and the Stage
 The public stage was an important venue during this era,
but it was highly discouraged for women
 The salon was a place of musical sharing and arts
promotion that included women
 Women such as Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel had significant
roles as performers and arts promoters in salon settings
 Hensel was widely known as a musician, despite the semi-
private nature of the salon
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Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel:
(1805-1847)
According to many secondary
sources, Hensel was
subservient to her famous
musical brother, and happily
promoted his career rather
than her own. In truth, she
was a prolific composer who
longed to publish her works.
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Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
(1805-1847)
 Elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn
 Grew up in a culturally sophisticated home
 Exposed to the leading artistic and intellectual figures
of the day
 Received an excellent education – same as Felix
 Because of her sex and cultural environment,
Fanny was not encouraged to become a
professional musician
 Still, she composed extensively throughout her life
– over 400 compositions
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 Composed almost exclusively lieder and piano works
 Many of her works were performed at her Sunday
musical gatherings, known as Sonntagsmusiken
 Large charity concert (1838) – only time Hensel
performed in public
 Hensel’s first three published compositions (three
lieder) appeared under her brother’s name in his
Opus 8 publication (1827)
 Three more followed in 1830 in his Opus 9
 Two years later one more piece by Hensel was
published
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 No other works were published until the last year
of her life, when she decided to begin publishing
her own works
 “Schwanenlied” – 1st song in Opus I (1846), Sechs
Lieder für eine Stimme mit Begleitung des
Pianoforte (Six Songs for One Voice with Piano
Accompaniment)
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 Primary source materials such as Hensel’s diary
indicate that she agonized over whether or not to
publish
 Letters from Hensel’s father provide evidence that he
strongly discouraged her from performing in public
and from publishing
 Despite the restrictions, Hensel wrote over 400 works
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 With the encouragement of her mother and her
husband, Hensel eventually sought publication
 She died at age 41, within a year of her decision to
publish
 Felix Mendelssohn published some of his sister’s work
after her death, including her Opus 11 Piano Trio
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Much of Hensel’s work remains
unpublished, and she still
stands in the historical shadow
of her brother
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Gender Boundaries:
Chamber versus Large-Scale Works
 Chamber Music: music for performance by a small
group, usually with one performer per part; originally
for small audiences
 Chamber music fit well with societal expectations for
women
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 Large-scale works: genres that require large numbers
of performers; also refers to genres that are of
significant length
 Large-scale works were performed in public spaces, and
required significant knowledge of music theory, often
inaccessible to women unless they were members of
musical families
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Gender Boundaries:
Absolute and Programmatic Music
 Absolute Music: music that does not seek to suggest a
story or scene, but is concerned with formal
construction. Often associated with the “male sphere”
 Hensel’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 11 fits this category
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 Program music: instrumental work that tells a story
or suggests a non-musical idea.
 Hensel’s Das Jahr “The Year” is a programmatic set of
piano works that musically depicts the months of the
year
 Hensel’s brother was initially condemned for publishing
the “feminine” piano character pieces Songs without
Words
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Clara Wieck Schumann
(1819-1896)
Virtuoso Performer
Composer
Subject of Conflicting Narratives
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 Clara the child prodigy
 Separated from her mother and controlled by her

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
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father
The Young woman who eloped with Robert Schumann
The married woman who lived with her husband’s
mental illness, suicide attempt, and early death
The widowed mother who traveled the world and
raised seven children on her own
The woman who fell in love with composer Johannes
Brahms
WHAT is true and WHAT is fiction?
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Clara Wieck
(1819-1896)
 German composer and pianist
 Oldest child of Friedrich and Marianne Wieck
 Began to study piano at age 5 with father
 Made 1st public appearance in the Leipzig
Gewandhaus, October 20, 1828 – 9 yrs old
 Gave 1st complete recital there on Nov. 8, 1830
 1831-32 – 18-month international tour – 12 yrs
old
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 Also studied singing, violin, instrumentation,
score reading, counterpoint, and composition
 By 1835 – 16 yrs old, was acclaimed throughout
Europe as a child prodigy
 Admirers included Goethe, Mendelssohn, Chopin,
Paganini, and Robert Schumann
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Married Life
 Presented obstacles to Clara’s playing and
composing
 Robert could not be disturbed while
composing
 Clara’s time additionally occupied
w/household cares and maternal duties: she
had 8 children in 10 years
 Also managed running the household
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After Robert’s Death
 Clara and Brahms formed very close friendship
 Clara continues to perform extensively, but no
longer composes
 Made first concert tour of England shortly after
Robert’s death; returned 16 times
 1864 – made highly successful tour to Russia
 Became especially well known as interpreter of
works by both Robert and Brahms
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 1873 – became principal teacher at the Hoch
Conservatory in Frankfurt
 In addition to performing and teaching,
worked on a complete edition of Robert’s
music (published 1881-93)
 Made her last public performance in 1891,
shortly before the death of her son
Ferdinand
 Continued to teach, play privately, travel,
and receive friends until her death
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Reputation as Pianist and Teacher
 Recognized as one of the greatest performers of the 19th
century
 First in Germany to perform many works of Chopin,
Schumann, and Brahms
 Highly influential as a teacher and interpreter of
Schumann and Brahms
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Compositions
 As a child prodigy, was renowned for her compositions
as much as her virtuoso career
 Her creative work was praised by the “new romantic”
composers: Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, and Robert
Schumann
 Received Robert’s encouragement and support
 Published two of her works as supplements to
Neue Zeitschrift für Music – music journal he
edited
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 Until her marriage – only composed works for
performance at her own concerts
 Between 1828-1840, almost all of her 182 concerts
included at least one of her pieces
 Composed Piano Concerto, Op. 7, age 15
 Composed extensively during 14 yrs of marriage
 Composed orchestral and chamber works and
numerous art songs
 At Robert’s request, arranged some of Robert’s
most famous works
 Robert and Clara borrowed freely from each other
– had a tremendous collaboration
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 Worked on piano transcriptions of many of Robert’s
songs
 Did not receive the recognition for her compositions
that she deserved
 19th century Germany was not supportive of women
composers
• 1839 – Clara writes in her diary:
 “I once thought that I possessed creative
talent, but I have given up this idea; a woman
must not desire to compose—not one has
been able to do it, and why should I expect
to? It would be arrogance, although, indeed,
my father led me to into it in earlier days.”
© 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Schumann the Composer
Clara was also a composer, and has
at times been more recognized for
her compositions than for her
performance career. This is in spite
of her own tendency to negate her
role as a composer. Musicology has
traditionally honored composers
rather than performers, often to
the detriment of women who
achieved great notoriety as
performers.
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“Variations on a Theme by
Robert Schumann,” Op. 20
 Composed after a lapse of 7 years
 Birthday gift for Robert
 Written in June 1853; published Nov. 1854
 Based on Robert’s Bunte Blätter, Op. 99, no. 4
(a 24-measure piece in ABA form, composed in 1841)
 Robert’s melody appears in each of the 7
variations, with only slight modifications
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 Clara Schumann’s narrative has been subject to
significant alteration over time
 She was long cast as a performer who gave up her art
during her marriage, making her fit a socially expected
role
 In truth, she performed throughout her marriage, even
throughout the ten-year period during which eight
children were born to the family
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 By the end of her career, Clara Schumann had
performed 38 extensive foreign tours and enumerable
times in Germany
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 Hensel and Schumann rose to prominence in a world
that strongly suppressed public musical roles for
women
 Today, the “sister of Felix Mendelssohn” and the “wife
of Robert Schumann” are returning to the position of
renown that they once held in their own lifetimes
© 2011 Taylor & Francis.