{"id":1351,"date":"2022-04-25T18:57:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T23:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/?p=1351"},"modified":"2022-04-25T18:57:21","modified_gmt":"2022-04-25T23:57:21","slug":"what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-female-composer-evidence-from-germaine-tailleferres-piano-concerto-no-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/2022\/04\/25\/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-female-composer-evidence-from-germaine-tailleferres-piano-concerto-no-1\/","title":{"rendered":"What does it mean to be a “female” composer?-Evidence from Germaine Tailleferre’s Piano Concerto No. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germaine Tailleferre is an interesting subject of study, which has contributed to the fact that she has been well-studied by many musicologists and scholars. The sources about Tailleferre are numerous, from entire books, to dissertations; many have attempted to draw conclusions from her compositions, her social (ie. romantic) life, and her membership in Les Six.\u00a0<\/em>As a woman myself, I find it very engaging to learn about her transgressive role in the twentieth century music scene. Her contributions to Neoclassicism, education, and piano solo works are surmountable, as well as a testament to her ability to transcend gender lines. However, because so many scholars have explored extensive facets of Tailleferre’s compositional and personal life, I struggle to come up with a new angle or juxtaposition that could provide a compelling and original argument.<\/p>\n

Many scholars have chosen to discuss her gender as a point of contention for critical reception, and it clearly played a role. Critic Deems Taylor stated “One thing is certain, after beholding Mle Tailleferre last night and remembering the portraits of the rest of the Six, whatever the talents of the others, she is decidedly the best looking,” after the American premiere of her first Piano Concerto in 1925.1<\/sup><\/a> Despite the celebrity and success of her composition, her looks were the only thing Taylor deemed of note.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Germaine
An infamous portrait of Germaine Tailleferre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her position as the only female member of <\/span>Les Six\u00a0<\/em>was also a subject of scholarship. Heel highlights that unlike other members of the group, Tailleferre was known primarily as a member of the group, not for her other accomplishments after the celebrity of Les Six<\/em> faded.2<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/span> Germaine Tailleferre met several members of the group at the Conservatoire, where she was considered a successful student, but the nature of the relationship and closeness of the group is commonly debated.3<\/sup><\/a> As a result of her inclusion in the group, critics regularly compared her work and success to the other members of <\/span>Les Six<\/em>. Cocteau, considered the “self-elected” spokesperson for the group, regarded Stravinskian Neoclassism as the standard for <\/span>Les Six<\/em>‘s compositional success, and Tailleferre followed this aesthetic, especially in her Piano Concerto No. 1, which notably featured Bachian influences like perpetual mobile and was commissioned by the Princesse du Polignac.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n