"Where have the great composers gone?"

[Richard Tarleton]

A women? Hildegard von Bingen maybe? :-)

That's who I had in mind

[The_Student]

That's who I had in mind

but were women composers working "through the eyes" of their male dominants? take felix Mendelssohn and his sister? It appears she very much sought approval from her brother with regards to her works. though she critiqued on his work as well.

but now we are getting into gender and music

[anamnesis]

but were women composers working "through the eyes" of their male dominants? take felix Mendelssohn and his sister? It appears she very much sought approval from her brother with regards to her works. though she critiqued on his work as well.

but now we are getting into gender and music

Fanny was a genuine composer on her own and as talented as her brother Felix. He encouraged her to compose and he published her work under his name. Not because he wanted to cheat but for "political reason". It was simply not opportune for an upper class lady to do something like composing. BTW, Fanny & Felix were sisters like in a fairy tale, so close that when she died he became melancholic and died shortly later.

[ahinton]

Fanny was a genuine composer on her own and as talented as her brother Felix.

Not quite that talented, methinks, but talented she undoubtedly was.

Fanny & Felix were sisters like in a fairy tale

Some fairy tale!...

so close that when she died he became melancholic and died shortly later.

...but not before composing one of his most trenchant and at times almost violent works (and violence of expression is not something that one would usually associate with Mendelssohn of all people!) which he said was written as much in anger as in sorrow for Fanny's death - I refer, of course, to the last of his six string quartets, the one in F minor, Op. 80, which has more than a little in common (including its key) wth Beethoven's Op. 95, although whereas the Beethoven ends joyously in F major the Mendelssohn closes in a desperate blaze of fury in F minor.

[anamnesis]

Not quite that talented, methinks, but talented she undoubtedly was.


Some fairy tale!...


...but not before composing one of his most trenchant and at times almost violent works (and violence of expression is not something that one would usually associate with Mendelssohn of all people!) which he said was written as much in anger as in sorrow for Fanny's death - I refer, of course, to the last of his six string quartets, the one in F minor, Op. 80, which has more than a little in common (including its key) wth Beethoven's Op. 95, although whereas the Beethoven ends joyously in F major the Mendelssohn closes in a desperate blaze of fury in F minor.

D'accord completely! Amazing work and yes, the reference of Beethoven's op. 95 was certainly intended. In his a minor quartet Felix quoted Beethoven's op 135 ("Muss es sein? Es muss sein!", same rhythm) and answered "Ist es wahr?"
Best wishes