Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Germany, Female Composers, Classical Music, Anna Magdalena Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann
Department
Music
Major
Music (Applied Voice)
Abstract
German classical music is known for its prolific composers who changed Western music as we know it, such as J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann. However, music history does not place as great an emphasis on their sisters and wives who were also incredibly gifted musicians. The goal of this study is to create a paper that elaborates on their lives and music while emphasizing their struggles when it comes to gender limitations.
For my research, I chose to focus on Anna Magdalena Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann. I compiled a biography of each woman, with particular emphasis on their music and the struggles they dealt with as a female in that period.
I found that each of these women were equally, if not more, gifted than their male counterparts and had great potential to be one of the finest composers and musicians that Western classical music had ever known. The limitations placed on them by European society at that time sadly stifled them, however, they still found ways to create and perform the music they loved.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Gary W. Cobb
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
24-3-2023 2:00 PM
End Date
24-3-2023 4:00 PM
Included in
Unheard Melodies: The Songs and Sorrows of German Female Composers, 1700-1900
Waves Cafeteria
German classical music is known for its prolific composers who changed Western music as we know it, such as J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann. However, music history does not place as great an emphasis on their sisters and wives who were also incredibly gifted musicians. The goal of this study is to create a paper that elaborates on their lives and music while emphasizing their struggles when it comes to gender limitations.
For my research, I chose to focus on Anna Magdalena Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann. I compiled a biography of each woman, with particular emphasis on their music and the struggles they dealt with as a female in that period.
I found that each of these women were equally, if not more, gifted than their male counterparts and had great potential to be one of the finest composers and musicians that Western classical music had ever known. The limitations placed on them by European society at that time sadly stifled them, however, they still found ways to create and perform the music they loved.