Gendered Trends in Piano Performance: A Study of Women Pianists

Abstract

This paper addresses gendered trends in piano performance. It covers the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania region between 1950 and 2019. There are numerous sources from throughout this region that are thoroughly archived (the New York Times, New York Philharmonic programs, The Etude, Clavier Companion/Piano Magazine, WNCN-FM broadcasts) that make this district an excellent candidate for case study.The second chapter explores gender representation in New York Philharmonic Subscription Season Concerts. It measures and compares the rates at which women and men pianists play different composers. The third chapter analyzes the New York Times reviews of women pianists who have performed in the New York Philharmonic Subscription Season Concerts. It focuses on how often reviewers utilize gendered language in relation to the composer being performed. Though the fourth chapter also covers repertoire and gender representation in The Etude and Clavier Companion/Piano Magazine CD/record releases, it centers primarily on the existence of gendered narratives within pedagogical resources. Similarly, the fifth chapter, explores trends in interview topics (clothing choices, sound production, children: to have or not to have?) that are specific to the woman pianist’s experience. Though limited in focus, this paper serves as a window into the impact that gendered thinking has had on the twentieth and twenty-first century woman pianist.