Choral Ethics Guest Blog: Regarding Women in Classical Music History

Choral Ethics has a Guest Blogger today. Benjamin Amenta is a keyboardist and composer based in the South Suburbs of Chicago. He is Dean of the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

By Benjamin Amenta

As part of my own observance for women’s history month this year, I would like to share the idea of focusing on the idea of retrograde affirmative action.  Noteworthy in a larger sense, the concept of “ethics” is most concerned with maximizing joys because once everyone, male, female, and others are treated properly and fairly, we are able to unlock everyone’s God-given potential.  Classical music has been part of an unjust patriarchy.  Rather than focusing on what all the ‘men’ have done, our conversations need to celebrate women while giving them their due credit.

In music theory, looking back at the past, what is “functional,” needs to be thought of more concisely and less gender referencing.  In sonata-allegro form, the idea of second themes as feminine, later dominated in the recapitulation needs to be thought of in different terms.  Perhaps, we should think of first and second themes as non-binary.  Role-reversal is another possibility; for example, that the male is tempered.  Third, that sonata-allegro form thought more of as developing from operatic drama portrayals.  In terms of development sections, we could think in terms of things instead of gender.

At the beginning of classical music was the Patroness of Music, St. Cecilia.  Thinking about St. Cecilia, those involved in Christianity need to ask ourselves whether the natural hymns-singer would approve of our behaviors.  Both in terms of feminism and as a society, making singing hymns a way of life, both in churches and in our homes, and not relegated only to ‘holiday cheer.’

The first great composer in our Western canon, we have another saint, St. Hildegard von Bingen.  With her a prime role model and an example, let’s apply the high philosophies we have, particularly St. von Bingen’s mysticism and wonderment.  Let’s believe her to be ahead of her time, and let’s have her inspire us to resurrect the wonderment to reflect on creation and existence.  Why not designate her as the “Mother of Classical Composers”?

Throughout history, women played instruments and often inspired male composers.  The Spanish queen Maria Barbara, for whom D. Scarlatti wrote many of his 555 harpsichord sonatas, is a prime example.  Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel may have been more talented than her brother Felix.  He took credit for her compositions so they would be performed, not to take credit away from his sister. Let’s do some forensic research and re-catalogue both Fanny’s and Felix’s compositions.  Better yet, Mozart’s sister Nannerl, a considerably talented pianist, may need increased credit in this regard, as well.  In terms of reorganizing the canon, let us consider Amy Beach as an important part of the Western music canon, considering her a Romantic alongside her contemporary Brahms.  Her symphonies have additional aesthetics compared to Brahms, in some ways are more intense, and she has unique contributions in music conversations and philosophies.

A Women in Music History project could be used to discover past women musicians and composers.  This idea for a forensic research project is needed.  In observing the past, many things were not just.  Assuming things ultimately are just, then wrongs would need to be corrected.  Such projects are good for our souls, both feeling ethically sound for our sisters in our human family, and to contribute better musically.  Other groups of people may need to have such a project notably in addition to women.  Let us maximize what an entire half of our species contributes.  We should not discount what all humans have to offer.