Jakuc lectures on women composers

Monica Jakuc fights stereotypes of women composers

A large crowd gathered in Warner to learn more about the forgotten half of music literature on Sunday. Monica Jakuc, pianist, held a joint lecture and recital to address a rarely asked question: "Within the composers of the classical repertoire, where are the women?"

Concentrating on female composers for the keyboard, Jakuc explained how multiple social restrictions have successfully kept women out of the repertoire. For instance, how women were rarely given the type of education needed to pursue a career in music. Only those from musical families were sometimes given this chance, and some of their names have come down to us, such as Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. However, even if the woman had both the talent and training, she was still expected to marry, have children and let taking care of her family take priority above all else. This, of course, left little time for anything that might resemble a professional career.

Women strong enough to overcome these setbacks would often try to practice and compose in whatever spare time they had within the home. As times changed and the 20th century appeared, they also often would wait until the children had grown up and left the home. One example of this was Ruth Crawford, mother of four children, who resumed her career as a pianist and composer only after her children had grown up. Jakuc stated how, in an interview, Crawford's daughter explained how her mother felt that "women within a motherhood period have to exorcise [their urge for a career]." According to her daughter, Crawford's entire life was literally her family, as she dedicated herself to them and was completely caught up in what they did. However, was she happy? Letters by Crawford have been published thinking wistfully of her lost career, often including the phrase "maybe I can resume my career when..."

Even women who were able to write and compose would be forced to limit themselves further. The only instruments usually found within the home were the keyboard, voice and perhaps an occasional string quartet. Therefore women had to limit themselves to these mediums. Any works on a larger scale, such as symphonies or masses, became out of the question, since no women could hope to become employed at an opera house or with an orchestra.

Because of all these factors, stereotypes of women musicians were born and became strengthened as time went on. Many thought that the music of women was inferior, and that women composers were only dilettantes, not serious musicians. Although in a weakened form, these stereotypes still exist today.

Trying to remedy this injustice, modern feminist musicologists such as Jakuc are trying to reclaim their lost heritage through research and performance. Slowly, they hope, female composers will take an irrevocable place in concert programming.

Jakuc's "search for [her] musical foremothers" has led her to Oberlin, where she lectured and played the works of such composers as Clara Schumann, Fanny Hensel, Ruth Crawford, Joan Tower and Amy Beach. All the works were beautiful, and, as piano faculty Peter Takacs remarked at the end, were "of high musical quality." One can only hope that, unlike previous generations, the next generation of musicians will not allow such works to be forgotten. Perhaps one day, Jakuc stated when interviewed about her goal, the music of "women [will be] included in programs as much as any other music."