Maud Powell, Marie Hall and Alma Moodie: A gendered re-evaluation of three violinists
Music as a reflection of a wider culture provides a fruitful area in which to investigate the complex relationship between gender, sexuality and culture. Bearing in mind that many accounts of the changes in Western violin playing concentrate almost entirely upon male virtuosi this thesis investigates the extent to which gender and the corresponding socially constructed identity influenced how pioneer female violinists are seen in the history of the violin. In particular, this thesis investigates the lives and careers of the American Maud Powell, Australianborn Alma Moodie and Briton Marie Hall in order to establish their role in promoting then-contemporary music, as well as considering their contribution to the history of early recordings and in the case of Maud Powell, her significance in the development of the solo recital. At the dawn of the twentieth century these women captivated the public with their artistry. Moreover, they inspired, collaborated and premiered important then-contemporary violin works. Powell’s and Hall’s progressive outlook also embraced the new technology of recording, recognising its importance for the popularisation of art music. However they were assigned, at best, second place by historians. Therefore this research, by a modification of the traditional, patriarchal estimations of their legacy, aims for a more profound assessment of their merits as players and a re-evaluation of their place in the history of the violin.
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