Music final

The Struggles and the accomplishment of women in music

A look at how women over came adversity though music in our society over the years.

Table of contents

Overview Classical era Isabella Leonarda Early 1900’s (1940) Ella Fitzgerald Mid 1900’s (1960) Joan Baez Late 1900’s (1990) Foxy Present Maxine Vauzelle Why women were treated differently over the years Society today Conclusion

overview

In this presentation we will exploring women and the adversity they have overcome though music. We will be starting in the classical era and discover many interesting women along the way. We will realize what the women of the 1940’s, 1960’s and 1990’s went though and over came . Then we will explore the present to see where women are today.

Classical era

The classical era was the one of the more terrible eras for women in terms of them being looked at as equals to men. There were many talented women composers and musicians that were not able to be on stage due to their gender. They were suppressed in the ways of how they were able to express themselves, dress, education and their role as a woman. Though they were able to play music they were never able to experience the stage, but kept continuing on with their passion paving the way for the many female composers and musician in the future.

Isabella leonarda

Isabella Leonarda ( September 6, 1620 – February 25, 1704) was an Italian composer from Novara.[1] At the age of sixteen Isabella entered the Collegio di S Orsola, an Ursuline convent, where she taught music. She acceded to the position of mother superior in 1686, and by 1696 she was Madre vicaria.

Leonarda wrote over 200 works, all of which are preserved in the Biblioteca del Liceo Musicale in Bologna.

The first of Leonarda's works to be published were contained in a collection edited by the late Maestro Di Capella of the Novara Cathedral, Gasparo Casati (1610-1641) and was published in 1642. She went on to publish twenty collections of her music in her lifetime.

In this Era…

Women in classical music have long been on the frontiers on the struggles for equality. This era was hard for women, they had to suppress their talents and watch the men succeed, but I feel that this gave them more of a drive, and they continued on composing and playing music. Like Isabella Leonarda did, she kept composing and teaching music to other women even though she knew she would never play on stage. She kept playing because it was her passion as it was the passion of the other women who lived in this time.

Early 1900’s (1940)

The 1940's were dominated by World War II. Women were needed to replace men who had gone off to war, and so the first great exodus of women from the home to the workplace began. Women were able to join the entertainment world, in bands or in solo acts, the names of the groups or solo acts usually ended with –ell or –ette meaning “little”. Women had to break stereo types and aim high to succeed in the industry.

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia,[6] she loved listening to jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and The Boswell Sisters. She idolized the lead singer Connee Boswell. She was homeless for a while after she ran away from home because of an abusive step father. She made her singing debut at 17 on November 21, 1934 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She pulled in a weekly audience at the Apollo and won the opportunity to compete in one of the earliest of its famous "Amateur Nights". She married a few times, all of them ending in divorce. She had the most amazing voice, she had an amazing career for an African American woman of this era. Though she had many struggles in life she lived her passion, which was singing. At the age of 79 visually impaired by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993. In 1996 she died of the disease in Beverly Hills, California. Her song cry me a river gives an insight on her life and the heart ache she has endured. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XggjVo3j-o

In this era…

The period of 1940 was a time of much political, social, and economic change for women in the United States. Despite the many advances that women made for themselves during these years, they were still not treated equal to men. Women in this era started to be perceived as sexual icons. They usually sang at night clubs in tight dresses and laid across pianos adding a sultry air to the night life.

Mid 1900’s (1960)

Civil rights is the largest lasting legacy of the sixties. The Civil Rights Act of 1965 gave more people the right to vote and took down the obstacles which prevented many women from participating in democracy and exercising their full rights as citizens. The 1960’s has left America with many positive changes. It is because of the sixties that people today believe that one person can make a difference, that one person can change the world. Women had the right to choose their own path in the public( careers, music, running for political office, etc.) . Women in the era started to be more rebellious and venturing out in society and music largely due to the fact that the civil rights movement gave them a voice.

Joan baez

Joan Baez (born January 9, 1941)[7] is an American folk singer, songwriter and activist. As a young girl a friend of Joan's father gave her a ukulele. She learned four chords, which enabled her to play rhythm and blues songs which was also the music she was listening to at the time. Her parents, however, were fearful that the music would lead her into a life of drug addiction. When she was 8, at her aunt's behest, Baez attended a concert by folk musician Pete Seeger, and found herself strongly attracted to his music. She soon began practicing the songs of his repertoire and performing them publicly. Baez began her career performing in coffeehouses in the Boston-Cambridge area, and rose to fame as an unbilled performer at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. She sang folk songs that talked about the struggles of women and people in the era they lived in. The early years of Joan Baez's career saw the civil-rights movement in the U.S. become a prominent issue and the first heard Martin Luther King, Jr. speak about nonviolence, civil rights and social change which brought tears to her eyes. Since then she has actively spoke out against violence in our society. The song “We shall over come”( the civil-rights anthem), that played at King's 1963 March o Washington for Jobs and Freedom permanently linked her to the song. She sang this song so beautifully, it gave me chills. You can hear the passion in her voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkNsEH1GD7Q

in this era….

In this era the civil rights movement was at it’s peak. Existing and aspiring females in this era of the industry, that a genuine passion for music are who made the difference. These women started to step out of the box and experience and experiment things in the music industry for themselves. Though women were still view as the inferior gender, they were starting to be respected for their talents and views.

Late 1900’s (1990)

This is the era woman became more in touch with their promiscuous side. Their attire became much more scantly clad, especially in the music industry. Woman rappers and rap were at it’s peak. It was more socially excepted for those women to openly talk about sex, money and drugs. Women in this era were able to speak more openly and knew there were no repercussions for what they said. They were able to do what ever the men did at this point with no one thinking twice.

foxy

Inga D. Marchand (Foxy Brown) was born September 6, 1978.[8] She is an American rapper of Trinidadian descent known for his solo projects and numerous collaborations and a brief stint as a part of hip-hop. A developed songwriter finds the controversial rapper confessing her soul. She stated rapping when she was 16 years old. Brown's in-your-face sexuality and revealing outfits added to her popularity. Her music career had to take a back seat to her criminal career, after repeatedly violating the terms of her probation in various altercations she was sentenced to a year in jail. Her lyrics mainly consist of violence, sex and drugs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4wB7yne0gA&feature=related

in this era…

In this era women were sex symbols. In the rap scene it was about violence, gangs, drugs and sex. The women in the R&B scene also started to become more sexual, in the way they dressed and what they sang about. There were also women like Atlantis Morsette, who did not dress sleazy but her lyrics are very crude. In this era women struggled with their now found independence and tried to be like the guys. Singing or rapping about sex money and drugs. I feel that they saw what was making the men famous and tried to go down the same path, but in doing so they lost sight of their femininity.

present

In this present day and age women have made a remarkable transition. The majority of women have found their role at the working place and in life. Nearly every job is possible for a woman. More even: Women are scoring much better, leaving their male contemporaries far behind. Yet many women still like to see men in charge, looking for a strong shoulder to lean against. At an average they are well equipped to take the lead as heads of their families and in many fields of the society in general, but they also still see the importance of being a mother and a wife more so than in the 80’s and 90’s. I feel in this present day and age men and women have found a good balance in give and take and feel that society has opened it’s eyes to so much more.

Maxine vauzelle

Maxine Vauzelle born in Melbourne, Australia. [5] She is 19 years old and an amazing blues, soul singer and acoustic guitar player. She is a struggling singer songwriter that lives in an attic. When she is not performing she is designing he own clothing line called two hearts. Growing up she performed in musical theatre. She is striving to get signed by a label, her goal is to share her music with the world. Maxine has a voice like have not heard before. It is so full of honesty, heart and soul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZYyseNNEX4

In this era…

In this era to me it looks like women are finding their place in the music industry. Femininity is coming back and women aren’t dressing as sleazy. I feel they have become more comfortable with who they are. I feel women in this era want to be looked at being beautiful not just as a sexual object. They have seen that over the years they have come along way; through a lot of doors opening and learning by trail and error. I feel that the women of today have learned from the women of the past; their accomplishment, mistakes and the voice that was given to them by those women. They are using it to their advantage and the music industry has blossomed into a variety of different women expressing themselves though different areas of music.

Why women were Treated differently over the years

Viewed as inferior to men

Lack of rightsConfused with where they fit into society.

Society today

In the eyes of the world, women in the music industry have went from being inferior, to sex symbols and in this present day they still hold the idolism of sexiness but they are now respected more than ever before. Today they are not told what they have to wear, they can embrace their own individuality. Female artist can branch out to different areas of music, such as country, hip-hop, R&B, metal, hardcore, punk rock, rock, ect. Today music is more diverse due to the fact that women are treated more as equals.

Conclusion

Over the years women have come a long way; not only in the world, but also in the music industry. They have over came many obstacles and struggles and they are still making that up hill climb, but is to be expected because life is always throwing curves. Women have found an independence that has given them strength to be proud of who they are. The worlds view on women has changed for the better and women have prospered by leaps and bounds in all aspects of life. They no longer have their choices made for them; they have the right to choose. Which I am extremely thankful for.

Works cited

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/isabella-leonarda-p44292/biography

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-legacy-of-the-1960s-in-america-a187369

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade40.html http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade60.html http://www.unsigned.com/maxinevauzelle http://

www.notablebiographies.com/Fi-Gi/Fitzgerald-Ella.html

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Baez-Joan.html

http://artistwiki.com/foxy-brown/biography http://beyondjane.com/family/the-role-of-women-in-

our-modern-society/