Changing Role of Women in Musi during the Romantic Period

Women increased recognition during the romantic era. They became music teachers, composers, conductors, singers and performers. Although they were still in the minority of music professions, the women in this era opened the doors for opportunities in the future. Some major influences were Pauline Viardot, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and Clara Schumann. They even had some of their works published. (Young: 235-237)

Women have been active participants in the musical world since antiquity, but discussions of their efforts have traditionally been neglected in favor of those of male musicians. Beginning in the romantic era, encouraged by the flourishing feminist movement, scholars began to investigate the musical activities of female musicians in greater depth. The work of female musicians of all eras and nationalities has been recovered, discovered, and examined with increasing intensity. Although much has been accomplished, much work remains to be done—women's work in music is a vast and continually evolving area of research, in which new insights and revelations are continuously arising. (Schmidt-Jones: 108-125)

Cultural changes during the romantic period helped advance the status of female musicians. The increasing prosperity of the middle class meant that more women had access to music because more families could afford instruments and music lessons for their children. In addition, the founding of music conservatories—many of which accepted female students—improved women's access to music education, and many could now embark on rigorous musical studies for the first time.

Yet amateur music making continued to flourish and was increasingly seen as an important domestic skill for women. Music (like other accomplishments such as painting, drawing, dancing, and needlework) was considered an appropriate female activity, one that could enhance a woman's femininity and improve her prospects for marriage. Middle- and upper-class women were typically regarded as “angels of the house” and were thought to have such prized “feminine” qualities as gentleness, sentimentality, and passivity. Although women were encouraged to cultivate their musical talents for the domestic sphere, they were typically discouraged from pursuing professional careers in music, because earning money and performing in public were not considered appropriate activities for well-bred women. (Beard: 135-139)

A number of women, most of whom grew up in families of professional artists or musicians, managed to forge successful performing careers in the early- and mid romantic period. Because of the long-standing female vocal tradition in art music (not to mention the need for female voices), singing was considered a more socially acceptable career for a female musician, and many women had profitable careers as opera singers or soloists. (Young: 205-209)

Women who wanted to compose serious classical works faced still greater difficulties because women were typically thought to lack the physical strength or intellectual prowess needed to compose highbrow musical works. Women also lacked access to comprehensive compositional training. Although mid 18th-century women were typically admitted to conservatories, most were performers: Few schools allowed women to study composition.

Within the conservatory male and female students received separate educations, often in separate quarters; music schools made the ...