"Like Beauty Spots on the Face of a Man" (Doug)

In this reading, music of the 18th century was critically analyzed to have many “characteristics,” which represented masculinity or effeminacy of that work. It is not unreasonable to view a march as “courageous, bold, and rousing” because of if the social functions it was used for and the characteristics these societal cues evoke (p. 15 par. 2). On the contrary, a minuet can be seen as very effeminate because it “is charming and agreeable” (among many other effeminate features) (p. 152 par. 1), which could be seen as uncharacteristic of masculinity. These characteristics of music of this time are interesting to view because their subconscious inclusion suggests many implications of a composer’s style and the interpretations of a particular work. In addition to these implications, more can be drawn outside of the work’s musical significance such as gender roles within society of that time. Likewise, I feel there are gender roles within modern music, which function in a similar way when comparing it to music of the 18th century. To exemplify this, consider your favorite Disney movies. Look at the leading characters of each sex and contemplate the music they each sing. Does each song sung have any implications to a specific gender when looking at that work’s style, meter, tempo, form, underlying feelings, or lyrics? How do the gender assignments to each piece affect the way it is heard by the audience and how do these gender roles affect the way the audience views the character as a whole? Are these gender roles significant to the integrity of the movie, or are they simply coincidental?


As stated in my opening statement, I believe there are still gender roles being assigned within modern music. What other musical examples can you think of where you see these roles being implied in today’s society?

While this analysis of 18th century music is intriguing, it is only someone’s interpretation. Do you agree with this notion of music having gender representation?

While gender roles in music of the 18th century imply a lot about the society of that time, it can also be view that the gender roles in society imply a lot of things about music in the 18th century. How would you look at minuets and marches through the lens of the 21st century? Can you see marches being effeminate and minuets being masculine in a way that was perhaps not perceived through a scope of the 18th century?