Effeminate vs. Feminine: Gender Discourses in Music (Margaret)

We have already discussed the notion of music as a discourse on emotion and mood in terms of French and Italian opera, but what of the notion that music is a gendered discourse? Do the characteristics of the galant and empfindsam styles have corresponding masculine or feminine traits? Head believes so, especially in the music or northern Germany in the second half of the eighteenth century.
As we read in Johnson's "Opera as Social Duty," music is often a reflection of the times in which it was conceived. The same remains true for ideas about gender roles in music as discussed in the musical criticism of the time. The critical literature about north-German music is also a social commentary on the perceived differences between men and women. For example, the fact that gender commentary regarding effeminacy focused solely on men (i.e. a lack of masculinity) as opposed to women (i.e. femininity) is evidence of the social roles given to men and women of the day. In fact, by observing the terms used in music criticism we can track the evolution of a feminine identity in the late eighteenth century by noting that it isn't until 1786 that the word "feminine" is even included in German dictionaries (Head 148). According to Head, this eventual shift in focus from the man to the woman came about in response to the changing familial roles of men and women as men were spending more time at work and the women played a larger role in maintaining a peaceful home life for her husband and children.
These gender roles have a place in musical genres of the time as well, specifically in the assumed femininity of the rondo form and contrasting masculinity of the march. These ideas spread further into a separation of masculine and feminine traits or "affections" used to describe the music itself (Head 153). Head briefly discusses the difference between eighteenth century considerations of the overall character of a piece as compared to the more modern focus on the form alone. Embedded in this shift is a masculine attempt to be rid of the more emotional, subjective interpretations of a piece of music that could be seen as feminine. This suggests that these concepts of gender in music may still exist to some degree today.

Would you agree that this is true? If so, in what ways does it surface in modern music? If not, how would you describe the place of gender in modern music overall?

Did the music of women composers fail to be recognized because of its feminine character, or did the general fear of effeminacy keep women from getting a chance to try their hand at composition? (i.e. Was the keyboard thought of as a feminine instrument because women played it, or did women play it because it was the instrument deemed by men to be most appropriate for them to play? Or neither?)

How would you apply concepts of gender to our discussion of French versus Italian opera? Do these assumptions about masculinity and femininity fit in with the arguments made in Thursday's debate?