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(Reblogged from karajanmywaywardson)
Nevertheless, on the whole, I like Lohengrin better than I do Tannhauser, in which Wagner goes through the whole gamut of abominations.
Clara Schumann in a letter to Johannes Brahms about her experiences with Wagner’s operas in Vienna (via notesfromthesouth)
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(Reblogged from leadingtone)
I cannot give a single concert at which I do not play in an agony of terror because my memory threatens to fail me. This fear torments me for days beforehand.
This is Grazyna Bacewicz, a female composer (mostly violin) from Poland.
“Aria of the Shepherd” from La liberazione di Ruggiero- Francesca Caccini
Francesca Caccini (1587-1641) bridged the professional musician and composer together. She was successful in both areas: as a musician she sang, played guitar, harp, and keyboard; as a composer she is known to be the most prolific women composer of her time. While she seemed to be rather popular and was a tutor for high societal figures such as Queen Maria of Medici and Grand Duke Ferdinando, Francesca’s father Giulio Caccini (also a composer) managed a lot of her employment decisions. However it was through these types of positions that she obtained both an independent salary and dowry.
La liberazione di Ruggiero was Francesca’s only surviving opera and probably the first opera to be published by a woman. It is a ballet/comedy that explores the dynamics of power in a relationship, as one androgynous woman and an evil sorceress both bid for a knight’s, Ruggiero, affections.[1]
Robert and Clara Schumann
Suite No. 3 in A minor- Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729) was a French harpsichordist and composer. Jacquet is our second example of a woman composer achieving success because of her father, as she comes from a family of musicians. Like Mozart would be, her talents were showed off to the courts, and at age five she was performing on the harpsichord for the court of Louis XIV. These concerts gained her favorable attention though, as Madame de Montespan, the chief mistress of Louis XIV, hired Jacquet into her service for three years.
In Paris Jacquet became well known for teaching and performing, and it was this fame that also allowed for her to publish. Jacquet was well known for her trio sonatas, harpsichord pieces, secular Cantatas, and also her sacred works. She was the first French woman to compose an opera. Lastly, her music was so beautiful and influential that Titon du Tillet inscribed under a picture with Jacquet’s biography, “I contended for the prize with the great musicians.”[1]
Not just Clara Schumann but don’t forget Lili Boulanger!
This is absolutely amazing!
Lili Boulanger: ‘Faust et Hélène’ (I)
Fanny Mendelssohn
Piano Trio in D Minor, II. Andante, Op. 11
