Films/DVD Asylum

RE: "The absoluteness of the barriers to a gifted woman seeking a musical career in Beethoven's Vienna." Hmm...

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In Reply to: RE: "The absoluteness of the barriers to a gifted woman seeking a musical career in Beethoven's Vienna." Hmm... posted by clarkjohnsen on May 22, 2007 at 10:13:34

"Wonder who sang all those soprano roles... not to mention mezzo, contralto... guys from the Vienna Boys Choir?"
Actually, castratos were still pretty common.

And how did Clara Schumann ever get to be so famous there?
1. Her father was well known musician 2. Her Husband was buds with the greatest of the time.

"Surprisingly, Beethoven's music seemed secondary in the film." "Surprisingly"? You gotta be kidding."
I'm not kidding. "Immortal Beloved" told a story but also had much more focus on LVB's musical.

Clara Schumann was a child when Beethoven was near the end of his life. Much changed in the following 30 years. Just look at the changes in favor of women in our lifetimes. And she was, as they say, the exception that proves the rule. Care to name a few other successful 19th Century female composers. How about painters? I sure there there was no shortage of female virtuosos since music was an almost universal subject for the educated in 19th Century Austria. To pursue a creative career was almost impossible.

You're splitting hairs, Clark. Slow day?

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