PATRONAGE AND POWER: WOMEN AS LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS IN AMERICAN MUSIC (1890-1940) A thesis submitted to the College of the Arts of Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Brittni R. Roach December, 2014 Thesis written by Brittni R. Roach B.M., University of Mount Union, 2012 M.A., Kent State University, 2014 Approved by Andrew Shahriari, Ph.D., Advisor Ralph Lorenz, Ph.D., Acting Director, School of Music John Crawford, Ed.D., Dean, College of the Arts TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………...iii LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………............vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………………viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Background…………………………………………………………………….………… 5 Survey of Literature……………………………………………………………………….8 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………..12 Source Materials………………………………………………………………………… 14 Projected Results of the Research………………………………………………………..14 II. PROMINENT FEMALE PATRONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE LATE 1800S AND EARLY 1900S…………………………………………………………………………………...16 History and Background of Music Patronage……………………………………………17 Stereotypes of Female Patrons…………………………………………………………...19 Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924)……...……………………………………………22 Jeanette Meyer Thurber (1850-1946)…………………………………………………….25 Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (1864-1953)………………………………………………..28 Ellen Battell Stoeckel (1851-1939)…………………………………………………...….31 Bertha Honoré Palmer (1849-1918)…………………………………………………...…32 Helen Huntington Hull (1893-1976)…...………………………………………………...34 Patrons of Individual Composers and Commissioned Works ……………………….…..35 Patrons of Music Festivals and Retreats………………………………………………….36 Patrons of Music Schools and Scholarships………………………………………….…..38 iii Patrons of Ensembles…………………………………………………………………….39 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….39 III. WOMEN’S ENSEMBLES FROM 1900-1940……………………………………………...41 American Women Instrumentalists in Relation to Standard Gender Roles……………..41 Stereotypes of Women Instrumentalists and Composers…………………………..……46 The Rise of the Women’s Orchestra…………………………….……………………….51 Notable Women’s Orchestras…………………………………………………….……...53 Other Women’s Orchestras………………………………………………………………56 African American Women’s Orchestras…………………………………………………57 Reactions Towards and Changes for Female Orchestral Instrumentalists…..…………...58 All-Girl Bands……………………………………………………………………………61 The Female Conductor…………………………………………………………………...64 Ethel Leginska (1886-1970)……………………………………………………………...65 Antonia Brico (1902-1989)…...………………………………………………………….67 Caroline B. Nichols (1864-1939)…...……………………………………………………68 Frédérique Petrides (1903-1983)…………………………………………………………69 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………. 70 IV. WOMEN’S CLUBS, POWER, AND PATRONAGE FROM 1890-1940…………………..71 Women’s Clubs from the Perspective of Feminist Musicology………………………….71 The Rise of the Matinee and Women’s Transition into the Public Music World.……….72 Women’s Clubs and the Patronage of Music…………………………………………….74 The GFWC and the NFMC………………………………………………………………77 The Beginnings of the Women’s Club Movement……………………………………….83 Adella Prentiss Hughes (1869-1950) and the Cleveland’s Fortnightly Musical Club….…85 Professional Careers Cultivated from Club Activities…………………………………...86 Ella May Smith (1890-1934) and the Women’s Music Club of Columbus………………87 Anne Shaw Faulkner Oberndorfer (1877-1948)………………………………………….89 Other Prominent Women’s Clubs………………………………………………….……..92 iv Women’s Ensemble Committees………………………………………………………...93 The San Francisco Symphony and the Women’s Committee……………………….…...94 Female Patrons and Women’s Clubs………………………………………….………….95 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………. 96 V. WOMEN’S CLUBS TODAY…………………………………………………………….….97 The General Federation of Women’s Clubs……………………………….……………..97 The Akron Woman’s City Club…………………………………………………………100 The Warren Junior Women’s League…………………………………………………...101 Other Notable Women’s Clubs in Ohio…………………………………………………102 The Ohio Federation of Music Clubs……………………………………………………102 The Tuesday Musical Association………………………………………….…………...105 Women in Music of Columbus…………………………………………………………112 The Dayton Music Club………………………………………………………………...114 The Fortnightly Musical Club of Cleveland……………………………………………116 Other Notable Music Clubs in Ohio……………………………………………..……..117 Committees of the Cleveland Orchestra………………………………………………..118 Committees of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra…………………………………...121 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...122 VI. CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………………….124 Suggestions for Future Research……………………………………………………….130 APPENDICES A. List of American Women’s Orchestras……………………………………………...135 B. List of General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Ohio………………………………138 C. List of Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Districts, Affiliated Clubs, and Officers…..142 D. List of Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Awards……………………………………150 E. List of Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Departments……………………………….153 F. List of Tuesday Musical Association Scholarship Recipients……………………….155 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………164 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Typical Caricature of High-Society Ladies at a Concert After-Party……………………..21 2. Isabella Stewart Gardner…………………………………………………………………..22 3. Courtyard at Fenway Court………………………………………………………………..24 4. ‘Music Room’ at Fenway Court………………………………………….………………..24 5. Jeanette Meyer Thurber……………………………………………………………….…...26 6. Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge………………………………………………………….……29 7. The ‘Music Shed’ at the Norfolk Music Festival…………………………………….……32 8. Bertha Honoré Palmer…………………………………………………………….……….34 9. Marian MacDowell in Front of an Artist’s Cottage at the MacDowell Colony…………...37 10. The Cleveland Ladies Orchestra…………………………………………………………..52 11. Caroline B. Nichols………………………………………………………………………..56 12. The Hormel Girls……………………………………………………………………….….63 13. Ethel Leginska………………………………………………………………………….….67 14. Antonia Brico……………………………………………………………………….……..68 15. Frédérique Petrides with her Orchestrette Classique……………………………….……..69 16. Jane Cunningham Croly……………………………………………………………….…..84 17. Adella Prentiss Hughes………………………………………………………………..…...86 18. Ella May Smith……………………………………………………………………….……89 19. What We Hear in Music…………………………………………………………….……..92 20. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs Logo………………………………………....98 21. The ‘Grey Lodge’………………………………………………………………….……..101 22. The Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Logo…………………………………..…………..103 vi 23. Advertisement for the Tuesday Musical Concert Series…………………………………106 24. The Tuesday Musical Association 125th Anniversary Logo……………………………..106 25. The Tuesday Musical Club…………………………………………………………….…107 26. The Music Settlement in Cleveland……………………………………………………...117 27. Advertisement for the Music Settlement………………………………………………....117 28. Program Schedule for BWC’s Gourmet Matinee in 2014…………………………….…..120 29. Sample Brochure Offered by BWC Members to Encourage Involvement………………121 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without my teachers at Kent State University, this thesis would not have been possible. I owe a great deal of appreciation to Dr. Andrew Shahriari of the Department of Ethnomusicology in the School of Music, College of Arts. I also wish to thank Dr. Eve McPherson of the Department of Music at Kent State University, Trumbull Campus, as well as Dr. Jennifer Johnstone of the Department of Ethnomusicology in the School of Music, College of Arts. Others who assisted me in my research and writing include: Dr. Anthony Donofrio, formerly of the Department of Music Theory in the Kent State University School of Music, College of Arts; Carol Eiber, Recording Secretary of the Blossom Women’s Committee; Lori Cohen, Community Leadership Liason for the Cleveland Orchestra; Natalie Miahky, Student Voucher Program Chair for the Tuesday Musical Association; Mary Ann Greibling, Program Chairperson for the Tuesday Musical Association; Anita Meeker, Membership Chair for the Tuesday Musical Association; Dorothy Lepp, Tuesday Musical Association; and Barbara Dieterich, Akron Area Chair for the Blossom Women’s Committee. Special thanks are extended to all the Kent State University Performing Arts Library workers who assisted me in finding research materials. A final message of thanks is reserved for my wonderful family and friends. Without the love, support, and encouragement of my parents, James and Stephanie Roach, as well as the assistance of my aunts, uncles, and friends, this project would never have been completed. Words do not express how grateful I am for everyone’s guidance and encouragement. Thank you all! viii 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In past scholarly studies of art music, the focus has been on the composers, sound and performance of music itself, not on the many different individuals, such as patrons, volunteers, administrators, or the local performers themselves, who were involved in the creation and dissemination process of the music. The emphasis tends to be on the genius of select composers or on the remarkable skill of certain performers, seeking to understand these famous individuals and their talent through historical research or theoretical analysis. Few studies seek to understand the other people involved in turning these works of art from a dream into a reality. This study focuses on such “other” people who were essential in the development of art music in America, focusing primarily on women patrons and other important female contributors who dedicated their time in administering and volunteering for various arts organizations, as well as local performers