Limitations Of Women In Music Essay

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The Limitations of Women in Music The nineteenth century was not an optimal time to be a woman, in general and especially in music. In this time period music and the culture around it were thriving. Men such as Beethoven and Handel had their works widely recognized and celebrated. However, women had an arduous time making careers or being recognized in the industry. The patriarchal society at the time expected women to become “accomplished” in order to find a suitor and run a household rather than have independence. Nineteenth century gender roles and the idea of the “accomplished” woman hindered women 's musical careers because it formed inequalities between genders and set expectations that portrayed women as secondary to men. The “accomplished” woman is a patriarchal view of what a woman will be after acquiring certain teachings. Examples of the knowledge gained by an “accomplished” woman include domestic skills, such as running a household, cooking, nursing, a basic knowledge of literacy numerology, dancing, singing, …show more content…
For instance, after she married her husband, Dr. Henry Beach found it “...inappropriate for a woman of her social standing, so he restricted her public performances to one solo recital each year and occasional orchestral and chamber concerts, with the proceeds donated to charity.”(Burkholder, 755). Dr. Beach’s actions reflected society’s belief that whatever the husband said was the final verdict and were expected to do as told. Beach’s husband made her donate the money to charity because if she took any compensation for her performances she would be seen as a professional and society would see her as a “working class woman”. She also did not work under her own name while her husband was alive. After her husband 's death she primarily defied expected gender expectations by continuing her professional career after her husband’s

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