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Papers by Eugene Gates

Research paper thumbnail of The Woman Composer Question: Four Case Studies from the Romantic Era

Ed. D, dissertation, University of Toronto, 1992

This dissertation traces the social myth of woman's innate creative inferiority in music through ... more This dissertation traces the social myth of woman's innate creative inferiority in music through its many transformations: from its roots in Romantic philosophy, through the writings of turn-of-the-century critics, to past and present psychological theories of musical creativity. The case studies of four exceptionally gifted women composers from the Romantic era (Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, Dame Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach), which form the central part of this investigation, make clear that the dearth of eminent women composers is due not to any innate deficiency in the female mind, but to ideological and institutional constraints directly linked to the social construction of gender. Such barriers include the role that women have been expected to play in society, the prejudices they have encountered in attempting to establish themselves in the male-dominated field of composition, the critical double standard, and psychological obstacles resulting from the internalization of negative societal attitudes toward women's creative potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Emerging from the Shadows: Maude Valerie White, A Significant Figure in the History of English Song.

Kapralova Society Journal, 2020

This article examines the life and career of English composer Maude Valerie White (1855-1937).

Research paper thumbnail of TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC INTERPRETATION OF MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS

A steady decline in the quality of organ literature began around the time of J. S. Bach's death (... more A steady decline in the quality of organ literature began around the time of J. S. Bach's death (1750) , and continued into the early decades of the nineteenth century. Through the publication of his Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37 (1837) and the Six Sonatas, Op. 65 (1845), Mendelssohn brought an end to the most decadent period in the history of German organ music. It may justly be said that he founded the modern school of organ composition. Performers, teachers and critics frequently approach Mendelssohn's organ works from the perspective of the late nineteenth-century "symphonic" tradition, thus presenting a complete distortion of the composer's intentions. It is the purpose of this thesis to establish an historically accurate performance practice for Mendelssohn's important and unique

Research paper thumbnail of Dame Ethel Smyth: Pioneer of English Opera

Kapralova Society Journal , 2013

Shortlisted for the F.X. Šalda Award 2011. The award (of a private Czech foundation) is to highli... more Shortlisted for the F.X. Šalda Award 2011. The award (of a private Czech foundation) is to highlight important editorial efforts and contributions to art history and criticism.

Research paper thumbnail of Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: Sexual Aesthetics and the Music of Dame Ethel Smyth

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 1997

Research paper thumbnail of Why Have There Been No Great Women Composers? Psychological Theories Past and Present

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of The Music Criticism and Aesthetics of George Bernard Shaw

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 2001

Research paper thumbnail of The Woman Composer Question: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

Kapralova Society Journal, 2006

Through a conspiracy of silence on the part of music historians, coupled with the gender-biased w... more Through a conspiracy of silence on the part of music historians, coupled with the gender-biased writings of philosophers, music critics and music educators of the past, the age-old myth has been perpetuated that the gift of musical creativity is granted only to males. This article examines some of these writings in order to demonstrate their relationship to both the limited content of music education for women throughout most of the Romantic era--specifically, the lack of adequate instruction in theoretical subjects--and the nineteenth-century double standard in music criticism, which allowed critics to evaluate a woman's compositions in terms of the extent to which they were thought to conform to prevailing stereotypes of ideal femininity.

Research paper thumbnail of Women Composers: A Critical Review of the Psychological Literature (see pp. 6-11)

Kapralova Society Journal, 2005

This article examines critically the various theories put forward by psychologists (both past and... more This article examines critically the various theories put forward by psychologists (both past and present) in their attempts to explain the relative absence of women composers in standard music history textbooks and music reference books.

Research paper thumbnail of Where Are All the Women Composers? Reclaiming a Cultural Heritage (see pp. 8-10)

Kapralova Society Journal, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: A Life of Music within Domestic Limits

Kapralova Society Journal, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: Sexual Aesthetics and the Music of Dame Ethel Smyth

Kapralova Society Journal, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Clara.Schumann: A Composer's Wife as Composer

Kapralova Society Journal, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Mrs. H. H. A. Beach: American Symphonist

Kapralova Society Journal, 2011

Book Reviews by Eugene Gates

Research paper thumbnail of Susan Goldberg. Steinway, from Glory to Controversy: The Family, the Business, the Piano

University of Toronto Quarterly, 1996

Drafts by Eugene Gates

Research paper thumbnail of The Music Criticism and Aesthetics of George Bernard Shaw (Revised ed.)

Research paper thumbnail of Felix Mendelssohn, Virtuoso Organist

This article documents Mendelssohn's prowess as one of the most important organ virtiosi of his t... more This article documents Mendelssohn's prowess as one of the most important organ virtiosi of his time, and explores his use of the organ to further the Bach revival.

Books by Eugene Gates

Research paper thumbnail of The Women in Music Anthology

This anthology begins with two major essays that explain why we rarely see women composers includ... more This anthology begins with two major essays that explain why we rarely see women composers included in music history textbooks, or hear their music performed in major concert venues. The book then continues with chapters on the lives and legacies of nine women musicians who made a major impact in their respective fields and communities: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach, Agathe Backer Grondahl, Maude Valerie White, Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Vera Lynn and Vitezslava Kapralova. The history of early lady orchestras and their maestras is also explored.

Research paper thumbnail of The Woman Composer Question: Four Case Studies from the Romantic Era

Ed. D, dissertation, University of Toronto, 1992

This dissertation traces the social myth of woman's innate creative inferiority in music through ... more This dissertation traces the social myth of woman's innate creative inferiority in music through its many transformations: from its roots in Romantic philosophy, through the writings of turn-of-the-century critics, to past and present psychological theories of musical creativity. The case studies of four exceptionally gifted women composers from the Romantic era (Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, Dame Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach), which form the central part of this investigation, make clear that the dearth of eminent women composers is due not to any innate deficiency in the female mind, but to ideological and institutional constraints directly linked to the social construction of gender. Such barriers include the role that women have been expected to play in society, the prejudices they have encountered in attempting to establish themselves in the male-dominated field of composition, the critical double standard, and psychological obstacles resulting from the internalization of negative societal attitudes toward women's creative potential.

Research paper thumbnail of Emerging from the Shadows: Maude Valerie White, A Significant Figure in the History of English Song.

Kapralova Society Journal, 2020

This article examines the life and career of English composer Maude Valerie White (1855-1937).

Research paper thumbnail of TOWARDS AN AUTHENTIC INTERPRETATION OF MENDELSSOHN'S ORGAN WORKS

A steady decline in the quality of organ literature began around the time of J. S. Bach's death (... more A steady decline in the quality of organ literature began around the time of J. S. Bach's death (1750) , and continued into the early decades of the nineteenth century. Through the publication of his Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37 (1837) and the Six Sonatas, Op. 65 (1845), Mendelssohn brought an end to the most decadent period in the history of German organ music. It may justly be said that he founded the modern school of organ composition. Performers, teachers and critics frequently approach Mendelssohn's organ works from the perspective of the late nineteenth-century "symphonic" tradition, thus presenting a complete distortion of the composer's intentions. It is the purpose of this thesis to establish an historically accurate performance practice for Mendelssohn's important and unique

Research paper thumbnail of Dame Ethel Smyth: Pioneer of English Opera

Kapralova Society Journal , 2013

Shortlisted for the F.X. Šalda Award 2011. The award (of a private Czech foundation) is to highli... more Shortlisted for the F.X. Šalda Award 2011. The award (of a private Czech foundation) is to highlight important editorial efforts and contributions to art history and criticism.

Research paper thumbnail of Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: Sexual Aesthetics and the Music of Dame Ethel Smyth

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 1997

Research paper thumbnail of Why Have There Been No Great Women Composers? Psychological Theories Past and Present

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 1994

Research paper thumbnail of The Music Criticism and Aesthetics of George Bernard Shaw

Journal of Aesthetic Education, 2001

Research paper thumbnail of The Woman Composer Question: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

Kapralova Society Journal, 2006

Through a conspiracy of silence on the part of music historians, coupled with the gender-biased w... more Through a conspiracy of silence on the part of music historians, coupled with the gender-biased writings of philosophers, music critics and music educators of the past, the age-old myth has been perpetuated that the gift of musical creativity is granted only to males. This article examines some of these writings in order to demonstrate their relationship to both the limited content of music education for women throughout most of the Romantic era--specifically, the lack of adequate instruction in theoretical subjects--and the nineteenth-century double standard in music criticism, which allowed critics to evaluate a woman's compositions in terms of the extent to which they were thought to conform to prevailing stereotypes of ideal femininity.

Research paper thumbnail of Women Composers: A Critical Review of the Psychological Literature (see pp. 6-11)

Kapralova Society Journal, 2005

This article examines critically the various theories put forward by psychologists (both past and... more This article examines critically the various theories put forward by psychologists (both past and present) in their attempts to explain the relative absence of women composers in standard music history textbooks and music reference books.

Research paper thumbnail of Where Are All the Women Composers? Reclaiming a Cultural Heritage (see pp. 8-10)

Kapralova Society Journal, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: A Life of Music within Domestic Limits

Kapralova Society Journal, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don't: Sexual Aesthetics and the Music of Dame Ethel Smyth

Kapralova Society Journal, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Clara.Schumann: A Composer's Wife as Composer

Kapralova Society Journal, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Mrs. H. H. A. Beach: American Symphonist

Kapralova Society Journal, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Susan Goldberg. Steinway, from Glory to Controversy: The Family, the Business, the Piano

University of Toronto Quarterly, 1996

Research paper thumbnail of The Music Criticism and Aesthetics of George Bernard Shaw (Revised ed.)

Research paper thumbnail of Felix Mendelssohn, Virtuoso Organist

This article documents Mendelssohn's prowess as one of the most important organ virtiosi of his t... more This article documents Mendelssohn's prowess as one of the most important organ virtiosi of his time, and explores his use of the organ to further the Bach revival.

Research paper thumbnail of The Women in Music Anthology

This anthology begins with two major essays that explain why we rarely see women composers includ... more This anthology begins with two major essays that explain why we rarely see women composers included in music history textbooks, or hear their music performed in major concert venues. The book then continues with chapters on the lives and legacies of nine women musicians who made a major impact in their respective fields and communities: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach, Agathe Backer Grondahl, Maude Valerie White, Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Vera Lynn and Vitezslava Kapralova. The history of early lady orchestras and their maestras is also explored.