Sovereign Feminine Music and Gender in Eighteenth Century Germany
Abstract
Sovereign Feminine is a splendid book. An important contribution to eighteenth-century studies, it explores the activities of female musicians in a variety of roles–as composers and performers, and especially as participants in the cultural ideology of the time. In this way, Head offers perspectives that potentially revise our sense of Enlightenment music-making and women’s place in it.
Content
Sovereign Feminine: Music and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Germany. By Matthew Head
Sovereign Feminine: Music and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Germany. By Matthew Head. pp. xxi + 326 (University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London, 2013. 㿘.95. ISBN 978-0-520-27384-9.)
Marcia J Citron
+ Author Affiliations
Rice University
Sovereign Feminine is a splendid book. An important contribution to eighteenth-century studies, it explores the activities of female musicians in a variety of roles–as composers and performers, and especially as participants in the cultural ideology of the time. In this way, Head offers perspectives that potentially revise our sense of Enlightenment music-making and women’s place in it.
Several themes pervade the volume. Head sees the female sign as sovereign in eighteenth-century Germany, creating a feminocentric world with musical woman as an ideal, a civilizing force, and a marker of sensibility. Embodying the best in social values, she serves as a sort of ‘living muse’. Around 1780 this positive view starts to change, and in the nineteenth century the category of ‘woman composer’ and its connotation of limited agency become negative for women. This does not mean that authorship is irrelevant in the eighteenth century. Indeed, it figures prominently in several chapters (3, 4, 5), where Head demonstrates that authorship is not unitary and is subject to historical context. In addition to substantive matters, methodology itself emerges as a theme. Head recognizes that his approach is a departure from second-stage feminist work. In his formulation, second-stage research focused on real-life issues as defined by the historiography of the late twentieth century, including canonicity, professionalism, formal reception, and practical containment. In Sovereign Feminine, Head avoids these categories and argues that in eighteenth-century terms woman as an ideal was positive for women, not negative.
Although my characterization suggests a standpoint of certainty, Head is often ambivalent about the privileging of idealization over practicality, revealing his awareness of the complexities involved in the binary. This strengthens the book–it would be hard to accept a study that reverses foundational work on women without the nuanced self-questioning found in Sovereign Feminine.
http://ml.oxfordjournals.org/content/95/2/280.extract
“Sovereign Feminine: Music and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Germany” likely examines the intersection of music, gender, and society in eighteenth-century Germany, particularly focusing on the experiences and contributions of women musicians during this period. Here’s a potential outline of themes and topics that could be explored in such a book:
1. Historical Context: The book could provide an overview of the social, cultural, and political landscape of eighteenth-century Germany, highlighting the roles and expectations of women in society, particularly in relation to music and the arts.
2. Women as Musicians: The book could profile notable women musicians of the period, including composers, performers, patrons, and educators. It could examine their musical training, career trajectories, and contributions to the musical culture of the time.
3. Gender and Musical Education: The book could explore the opportunities and challenges faced by women in pursuing musical education and training during the eighteenth century. It could discuss the role of gender norms and social expectations in shaping access to musical instruction and professional development.
4. Women in Musical Patronage: The book could investigate the role of women as patrons of music, exploring their support for composers, performers, and musical institutions. It could examine the ways in which female patronage influenced musical tastes, repertoire, and performance practices.
5. Gender and Musical Representation: The book could analyze depictions of women in musical iconography, literature, and discourse during the eighteenth century. It could explore how gender norms and stereotypes were reflected and reinforced through representations of female musicians and their artistry.
6. Gender and Musical Genres: The book could examine the gendered dimensions of musical genres and styles prevalent in eighteenth-century Germany. It could investigate the ways in which women composers and performers engaged with different genres, including opera, chamber music, sacred music, and salon music.
7. Reception and Legacy: The book could assess the reception and legacy of women musicians in eighteenth-century Germany, considering how their contributions were perceived and remembered over time. It could explore the ways in which gender stereotypes and biases have influenced historical narratives and scholarly interpretations of women’s musical achievements.
Overall, “Sovereign Feminine: Music and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Germany” could provide a nuanced and comprehensive examination of the experiences and agency of women in the musical culture of the period, shedding light on their diverse roles and contributions within a patriarchal society.
