Smithsonian Associates: Women Who Shaped the Musical World, Lecture 3 – Superb Salonnières

Throughout the history of Western music, men have claimed most of the spotlight and accolades as performers, composers, teachers, impresarios, patrons, and instrument makers. Less attention has been paid to the scores of brilliant creative women who played these roles—along with many others—and who were relegated to the less brightly lit corners of the musical word.

Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin places them center stage as she examines their talent, grit, intellect, and drive, without which many of the most celebrated musical figures might have been significantly less successful, and the musical repertoire far less rich. She brings these women and their often-untold stories to life, showcasing them with live piano performances and historical and contemporary media clips.

British-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music, film scores, and the fine arts.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Mendelssohn’s great aunt Sara Levy ran her weekly salon in Berlin to perform the works of J. S. Bach publicly, commissioned new ones from his sons, and built an incalculably valuable library of Bach family manuscripts. The Italian-born Princess Cristina Beljiojoso used her glamorous Parisian salon to raise money for her country’s political exiles by dreaming up extravagant musical events for adoring pianist friends, who included Liszt and Chopin. The powerful connections, commissions, and sponsorships of avant-garde American heiress Winnaretta Singer, aka Princesse Edmond de Polignac, aided in the creation of major works by Fauré, Stravinsky, Poulenc, and others. Franklin drops by the grand houses where great intellects and artists rubbed shoulders—and glorious music was heard.