Ethel Smyth, composer and outspoken suffragist, was born in 1858. Her middle-class English family opposed her ambition to study music in Germany, thinking the goal of becoming a professional musician unladylike. Smyth’s father eventually allowed her to study composition in Leipzig, but only after she waged a campaign of protest that included a hunger strike and self-imposed isolation. Among her seventy-two compositions are six operas, and works for orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensembles. Afflicted with deafness later in life, a malady that afflicted both Beethoven and Smetana, she died in 1944.
Cécile Chaminade was born in 1857 to a non-musical Parisian family. Although her talent was evident from an early age, her father would not allow her formal study at the Paris Conservatory. Instead she studied piano and composition privately, and went on to become a very popular composer of short piano works and songs. In 1913 she became the first woman composer to be admitted to the Legion of Honor. A prolific composer, her 400 compositions include a choral symphony, a comic opera, a ballet, orchestral music, and art songs. Chaminade died in 1944, the same year as Ethel Smyth and the American composer Amy Beach.
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After musical studies at Oxford, she honed her compositional skills by writing music for BBC and Channel 4 television films. Her 1997 Academy award for the film Emma made her the first woman composer to win the Best Original Score category. Further recognition from the Academy came with nominations for The Cider House Rules (1999), and Chocolat (2001). With more than 100 scores for film, stage, and television to her credit, Rachel Portman has established a significant musical presence in the film
In the book The Underground Railroad, we learn of a woman named Ethel Wells a Christian educator who shows some signs of being a lesbian. In Ethel’s time (the 1800’s) it was considered disgusting when you love someone who is not of the opposite sex. If one woman was found with another woman in sexual relations you were either stoned, put into an asylum, or punished by death (Wikipedia). Ethel shows her first sign of being a lesbian when she was little. Ethel would play with her friend Jasmine and they would play husband and wife kissing and quarreling as she saw her mother and father do. Once Ethel turned eight her father banned Ethel from playing with Jasmin saying, “so as not to pervert the natural state of relations between the races”(263).
With the rise of woman suffragists in the mid-nineteenth century came the subsequent rise of anti-suffragists. Surprisingly, however, many of those who opposed woman suffrage were women themselves. In fact, in a letter written to the editor of the New York Times in 1873, one woman maintained, "for every one woman who desires the vote, there are ten [at least] who do not wish to do so" (qtd. in Bjornlund 80). But with so much opposition, why was it that the anti-suffragists lost this battle? It all came down to their tactics. While anti-suffragists were genteel and dignified in their approach, a method consistent with the nature of women (Marshall 352), suffragists were more radical and militant. Though diametrically opposed in their strategies, it was essentially the extremist approach of the suffragettes that ultimately resulted in the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Nearly a century’s worth of compositions has earned Aaron Copland extensive recognition as the foremost American composer of his time. Ironically, Copland was raised the son of Russian Jewish immigrants and inhabitant of a colorless city environment, yet would become known for producing the music of “rugged-souled Americans” (Mellers 4). Unbounded by historical musical constraints such as those present in the culture of France, where Copland studied for many years, Copland found himself free to explore and experiment in pursuit of a unique, undoubtedly American sound.
Lucretia Coffin was born on January 3, 1793 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Lucretia was a women’s rights activist and was opposed to slavery. Lucretia grew up to be a women’s rights activist, religious reformer, and abolitionist. She was strongly opposed to slavery and was devoted to her work as an abolitionist. As she became older, word spread that she could speak in such a way that could convince her audience to join her anti-slavery boycott; however, there were people that were against the idea of ending slavery and would continually challenge her beliefs.
Let me begin by offering a tidbit of biographical information about Florence Price. Florence Beatrice Smith Price was born April 9, 1888 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was the third child born to Dr. James H. Smith, a dentist, and Florence Irene Gull, a schoolteacher. Previous to studying composition and organ at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Florence received her first musical training from her mother at age four. After much musical education, she was soon found teaching in the music departments at Shorter College in Arkansas (1906-1910), and Clark University in Georgia (1910-1912). In 1912, she married Thomas J. Price and together they had three children. Florence successfully established herself as a concert pianist, church organist, composer, and teacher, which soon became her claim to fame. A prominent composer of the Harlem Renaissance, Florence Price published her first composition at age eleven, and at age sixteen began receiving modest fees for her publications. Among her most famous compositions is the Symphony in E Minor, which received its world premiere at a performance by the Chicago Symphony in 1933. Florence died on June 3, 1953 of a stroke in Chicago, Illinois. It wasn’t until after her death in 1953, that she became well known for her miraculous musical talent.
Florence Beatrice Smith Price was born April 9, 1887 in Little Rock, Arkansas to James and Florence Smith. Her father was a dentist and her mother had numerous careers working as a piano teacher, school teacher, and businesswoman. She had two siblings who both knew how to play the piano. Florence as well as her siblings, received music lessons from her mother who published some of her musical works. Price gave her first piano performance at the very young age of four. However, she did not write her first published composition until the age eleven; the other com positions were published while in high school. She graduated as valedictorian at the age of 14 from Capitol High School in 1903. She followed the footsteps of her mother and went on study at The New England Conservatory of Music, where she was only allowed to attend because she could pass as a Mexican. Despite racial issues Smith was able to forge all the right friendships with other African American composers who led her to the best of the best mentors. She was mentored by George Whitefield Chadwick and Fredrick Converse. There she earned and received her degree as an organist and a piano teacher in 1906.
From the very beginning, Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck, a well respected German music teacher, intended for her to become a famous musician (Harding, 9). At a young age, he recognized that Clara had the gift of music. According to Bertita Harding, who wrote a biography of Clara Schumann, Wieck took cues from Mozart, in hopes to turning his daughter into a well known child prodigy. He began to rigorously train and cultivate Clara’s natural talent at the age of five and turned it into something extraordinary (Harding, 12)....
Over several decades, Canadian women have greatly exceeded and made several advancement in earning women’s equality. Agnes MacPhail was a strong determined woman. At a young age, Macphail disliked housework and preferred helping her father with the farm livestock. She had longed for a life outside the farm work and hoped to attend school. However, Agnes’ family was in dire need for help to support the farm. She took action and never lost hope as she pleaded for two years for her parent's approval to go to school. With persistence and hope she gained their permission to start an education. Several women have shown phenomenal strength and conquered challenges to achieve equality. Women lived in a male-dominated society; however after 1914, Canadian
In her teens Clara fell in love Robert Schumann, which was one of her fathers students, and later on became one of the most prominent composers of the 19th century. Schumann was 9 years older than Clara and had been living in her house as a piano student. In
Amy Beach was a very famous and influential composer and pianist from New Hampshire, United States. She fought long and hard to get to where she got in her lifetime. Back in the late 1800’s, it was hard for women to get noticed because they believe that their role in society was to stay at home and take care of the family. Amy Beach defeated all the odds of a female gender role in her lifetime. She became a role model for young girls wanting to become a composer or becoming anything they wanted to be, as long as they fought for it. She has made an enormous impact on music in America. The following paper will discuss Beach’s life, her struggles, her musical training, how her music was shaped by the society she lived in and famous compositions
Therefore, to endure the pains and sufferings the slaves had to use music. As illustrated above, the advent of music had far reaching results as it encouraged and gave them hope to continue working. The early music composers are the evidence of existence of early music which in turn has shaped today’s music like the blues and pop lyrics. In this case, the culture of the past has been rescued from getting lost.
The brilliant composer Clara Schumann was born as Clara Josephine Wieck on 13 September 1819. Even before her birth, her destiny was to become a famous musician. Her father, Friedrich Wieck, was a piano teacher and music dealer, while her mother, Marianne Wieck, was a soprano and a concert pianist and her family was very musically gifted. Her father, Friedrich, wanted to prove to the world that his teaching methods could produce a famous pianist, so he decided, before Clara’s birth, that she would become that pianist. Clara’s father’s wish came true, as his daughter ended up becoming a child prodigy and one of the most famous female composers of her time.
The Abolitionist Movement transformed the role of women in American History. Prior to the abolitionist movement, women were viewed as invisible icons in society. A typical woman would only be responsible for motherhood duties, cleaning, and preparing food. While many women agreed with this, others did not. The desire to be heard and treated equally was something numerous women shared. Astonishing women like, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Grimke sisters became prominent leaders in the abolitionist movement and made a pathway in history by initiating speeches, participating in female politics and supporting their personal opinions of women’s rights through religious doctrines.
There are many distinguished military figures, but how many are female? Perhaps there are quite a few, but one young woman is especially interesting. Her name is Joan d’Arc and she lived in the 15th Century. Many people may have heard about her or her name may sound vaguely familiar. As history relates, Joan d’Arc is one young lady worth getting to know. Her life was short, having been murdered at age nineteen, yet she made a large impact on history and people.
Around 1851 a new fashion trend for women emerged that became a tantamount with the women’s right movement, but it didn’t stick around too long. It was discontinued due to people only taking notice of the trend and not the reasoning behind the trend. Anna Howard Shaw, a leader of the women's suffrage movement, would have a lot to say about this issue. Shaw makes many claims that make it clear that man needs to examine tragedies that have occurred and that the fault is solely theirs. Shaw would indicate that the trend diminishing was because of men. That being the case, I disagree with Shaw and encourage the idea of us all being human and the blame of these occurrences are no single gender or races fault but of historical, religious, and biological elements that force those ideas.