{"id":1295,"date":"2022-04-18T16:16:18","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T21:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/?p=1295"},"modified":"2022-04-18T16:16:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T21:16:18","slug":"gender-and-sexuality-the-intersection-of-life-and-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/2022\/04\/18\/gender-and-sexuality-the-intersection-of-life-and-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender and Sexuality: The Intersection of Life and Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

The argument that Moore made about Poulenc is much more convincing than Dorf\u2019s argument on the Princesse de Polignac. While gender and sexulity both played an important role in patronage and composition, Moore\u2019s stance on how it impacted Poulenc\u2019s life was much more thorough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Francis Poulenc (Seattle Chamber Music Society)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Poulenc\u2019s sexuality was an \u201copen secret\u201d of sorts. He confided in his close friends and created works in the camp aesthetic to prevent harmful circumstances or the threat of being outed. Moore also states that Poulenc\u2019s compositions often defied any specific categorization which, Moore argues, unintentionally draws attention to what Poulenc is trying to hide. This argument to prove that Poulenc\u2019s sexuality is apparent in his compositions is very convincing and makes it seem inescapable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moore\u2019s interpretation of Poulenc\u2019s sexuality and how it intersects with his music also stays relatively objective throughout. One aspect that keeps it objective is his score analysis. It provides us with primary evidence behind Moore\u2019s argument and allows the reader to be guided through the music and the explanation behind Poulenc\u2019s decisions simultaneously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With all of this being said about Moore, I have to say that Dorf\u2019s argument regarding the Princesse de Polignac isn\u2019t one to reprimand, it\u2019s just not as thorough. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Princesse de Polignac (Royal Splendor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What was most convincing in Moore\u2019s article (the score analysis) is absent from Dorf\u2019s. However, Dorf does dive deeply into the piece <\/span>Socrate<\/span><\/i> which allows for a deeper understanding of one song versus a shallower understanding of multiple. Dorf also uses anecdotal and historical evidence to suggest the Princesse\u2019s sexuality played a large role in her patronage. Things such as the Greek language being inherently sapphic and the fact that the piece was written for four sopranos. But my main gripe with this argument is that it only focuses on one piece. This could lead the reader to believe that this piece\u2019s correlation to the Princesse\u2019s sexuality is merely circumstantial and doesn\u2019t carry over to her other commissions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both authors make compelling claims, but Moore\u2019s thoroughness in examining multiple facets of Poulenc\u2019s life and music makes his argument about Poulenc\u2019s queerness much more justified and persuasive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources referenced<\/span><\/p>\n

Moore, Christopher. \u201cCamp in Francis Poulenc\u2019s Early Ballets.\u201d <\/span>The Musical Quarterly<\/span><\/i>, vol. 95, no. 2\/3, 2012, pp. 299\u2013342, http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/41811629. Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dorf, Samuel.<\/span> Queer Sexualities in French and Francophone Literature and Film<\/span><\/i>, BRILL, 2007.<\/span> ProQuest Ebook Central<\/span><\/i>, https:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/stolaf-ebooks\/detail.action?docID=556497.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The argument that Moore made about Poulenc is much more convincing than Dorf\u2019s argument on the Princesse de Polignac. While gender and sexulity both played an important role in patronage and composition, Moore\u2019s stance on how it impacted Poulenc\u2019s life was much more thorough.\u00a0 Poulenc\u2019s sexuality was an \u201copen secret\u201d of sorts. He confided in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4388,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1295"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1300,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions\/1300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}