Gender and the Musical Canon

by Marcia J. Citron

Why is music composed by women so marginal to the standard 'classical' repertoire? In attempting to answer this fundamental question, this book examines the practices and attitudes that have led to the exclusion of women composers from the received 'canon' of performed musical works. Focusing on the tradition since 1800, Marcia J. Citron makes substantial use of feminist and interdisciplinary theory. After introducing the notion of canon and its role in cultural discourse, she explores important elements of canon creativity, professionalism, music as gendered discourse, and reception. A final chapter provides a critique of many of these ideas with respect to the canon of the university music history curriculum. Professor Citron shows how an understanding of canon formation illuminates some of the basic issues that affect the discipline as a whole.

Genres: Music, Feminism, History, Womens, Nonfiction

319 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 1993

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic of feminist musicology discusses how and why canons are formed, what functions they serve, and how all of this has excluded women from the standard canon of western art music. Citron shows that canons are not neutral entities based solely on quality or merit. Instead, they reflect various social values and practices, including the perception of creativity, professionalism and the representation of gender in music. Citron examines not only the ways women were excluded from music education and professional activities, but also how their socialization of women in a patriarchal society affected their view of themselves as composers and musicians.
I very much enjoyed this book. It illuminates the issues around who and what gets included in a canon and delves into how that reflects cultural values and agendas in a way that really resonated with me. Citron's discussion of canon formation and function was very eye-opening to read in a time when musical canons are being re-evaluated on the basis of race as well as gender. My one caveat is that Citron takes a very binary approach to gender, but that is likely due to her writing this in the early 1990s and to writing primarily about pre-war Europe.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gender and the Musical Canon (Paperback)
by Marcia J. Citron

Extensive endnotes & bibliography.