Addressing the Problem of Criticism in Feminist Musicology (1979–2015); or, Why We Shouldn’t Raise the White Flag Yet

Surveys of feminist musicology frequently acknowledge that its twenty-first-century manifestation is markedly different from its origins. Marginalisation of feminist literature within musicology and a noticeable lack of vehemence in feminist discussions make this obvious, while the near-absence of female composers in concert halls and educational settings make it inexcusable. This paper argues that feminist criticism (a discipline emerging largely in the 1980s and 90s that drew links between feminist theory and artistic works) had a vital but destructive role in the progression of feminist musicological literature. Early criticism focused either on critically reading the works of female composers (as in Marcia Citron’s Gender and the Musical Canon) or undertaking literary analysis of existing canonic works (as in Catherine Clement’s Opera; or the Undoing of Women). Problems arose as both methods were subjected to the changing standards of gender research (particularly the reconceptualisation of gender itself) as well as opposition within the musicological community. Notably, a veneration of the influential work of Susan McClary (Feminine Endings) led scholars including Pieter van den Toorn and Leo Treitler to use weaknesses in her work to altogether dismiss feminism in musicology. Feminist musicological discourse therefore became reluctant to engage with distinctly feminist issues, negatively affecting the discipline’s primary original goal; mainstream musicological acceptance of the large amount of canonic research accomplished in the late twentieth century. Moving this discipline forward requires clarification of feminist musicology’s goals and acceptance of its nature as perpetually problematic. It is not, however, time to back down.