The Blow Hitler Dealt to Women's Presence in Music

Until the onset of World War II, women in Germany and Austria had gradually overcome barriers and were slowly making their way into official and chamber orchestras. However, the rise of the Nazis in Germany, combined with patriarchal and misogynistic mindsets, slowed this process. The negative effects of this period still weigh heavily on women's presence in the field of music. A new research work contains clarifications and new points on this matter. Germany and Austria have a strong and longstanding tradition of orchestral music. Nevertheless, the question remains as to why the share of women in the high-level music orchestras of these two countries is minimal, especially considering that the number of female musicians is not small and their work quality in many areas is comparable to that of men. While from the late 19th century the presence of women in official symphonic orchestras gradually increased, by the mid-20th century, the strong presence of patriarchal thought and the rise of fascist and misogynistic ideologies, which saw the central role of women as being focused on and serving the family, all contributed to women being largely pushed out of the limited positions they had gained in orchestral music. In this context, Germany only saw its first female musician in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982. Even now, the share of women in this most famous orchestra in Germany does not exceed 14 percent. The situation is even worse in Austria. The first presence of women in the country's top orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, occurred in 1997 and was under external pressure, while one-third of the male orchestra members opposed this presence, and one even resigned. The share of women in the Vienna Orchestra still does not exceed the meager figure of 8 percent. Overall, the share of women in most of the top orchestras in both countries is still below 32 percent, with the highest proportions mainly found in smaller and less significant orchestras. This effort to eliminate or limit women's presence in orchestral music has also manifested in the notion that women are only suited to play certain musical instruments, such that if women are present in orchestras, they are often flutists or harpists and rarely seen behind jazz and trombone or tuba. Research on the limited role of women in the musical sphere of Germany and Austria has been extensive, but the latest work in this field (The Long Path of Female Musicians to Professional Orchestras) conducted by Christian Arns, a musicology professor at the University of Bochum in Germany, examines the status of women's presence in orchestral music in Germany and Austria from 1807 to 2018. This research is particularly notable for comparing the presence of women in orchestras across nearly 70 countries and providing figures and charts in this regard, as well as proposing suggestions for overcoming this unprecedented situation. Arns' findings indicate that currently, professional music orchestras, especially in Scandinavian countries, East Asia, and Australia, are exemplary in terms of women's presence, although Germany and Austria have been pioneers in employing women in music orchestras compared to other countries—a trend that was even completed during World War I with the increased presence of women in military orchestras, but reversed in the mid-20th century due to the rise of misogynistic ideologies. However, it is noteworthy that this relatively significant presence is largely limited to harp playing, and for example, women are not allowed or able to participate in orchestras as violinists or cellists. In this regard, Arns presents a critique from a newspaper in 1913 stating: 'We have a large number of female violinists and cellists who play professionally and are skilled, but their path to advancement for participation in orchestras and as soloists is not open. They certainly transfer part of their knowledge and talent by teaching others, but this is not a field where their personal artistry can be displayed. An orchestra is a place for the affirmation and flourishing of these talents.' With the rise of the Nazis in Germany in 1933, the barriers to women's presence took on a more political and ideological dimension. In January 1940, Peter Raabe, head of the Reich Music Office in Germany, explained the position of this office in a speech titled 'Women in the Field of Music,' which was based on a statement released in October 1939. 'Women are better off training male musicians.' Although Raabe himself is believed by Arns to have been involved in drafting the statement, he adopts a somewhat different tone and phrasing in his speech. He does not hide his belief that the management and leadership of music orchestras should not be entrusted to women: 'Fundamentally, one cannot deny women's ability to lead and manage music orchestras, but it is neither desirable nor necessary for a woman to lead an orchestra in which men play.' He speaks of the 'danger' that 'with a woman leading an orchestra, men do not feel comfortable and find it difficult to obey the orders and gestures of a woman.' Raabe later even criticizes doubts about women's ability to play string instruments, but he agrees with the opposition to women's presence in orchestras. His emphasis is that 'without a doubt, it is correct that men should have priority for playing in orchestras, because men must be able to establish families with their work, and it is much more appropriate for a female musician, if she is a mother, to devote herself to raising musician children than to come on stage and play.' Thus, although the Reich Music Office's directive permits women's presence in harp playing, in 1940, only 72 harpists were working in orchestras across Germany, and even then only as auxiliary personnel, with this presence only applicable in one of the five major orchestras in Berlin, and in Vienna, only one woman played the harp in one of the five major orchestras. The number of female violinists and cellists also does not exceed twenty, with only five of them present in the main orchestras of some German cities. Overall, the negative and misogynistic stance towards the presence of half of the community in the musical life in Germany and Austria, although it existed before the rise of the Nazis, intensified with their ascent. So much so that the departure of male musicians to the front and the decrease in applicants for vacant positions in orchestras did not help strengthen women's presence in orchestras. In 1940, there was a need for 4,500 new musicians for official and military orchestras, but the number of male applicants did not exceed 1,660, and the government still refrained from opening the field for women. The combination of patriarchal thoughts with Nazi misogynistic ideology effectively ensured that even after World War II, women were not given much space in orchestral music, and the ratio of women's presence to men's in orchestras, even in harp orchestras, became somewhat more negative compared to before World War II. The figures and statistics provided by Arns in this regard are astonishing. 'The increased presence of women in music education is not enough.' Financial constraints and limitations have also worked against women, as the argument is often heard that this or that orchestra cannot stop working due to a female musician's pregnancy or maternity leave, nor can they afford to hire a new musician temporarily and align them with the level and quality of other members. Iranian society before the revolution was also somewhat traditional, struggling with women's presence in various social fields, including music, but certainly, the situation was different from the pre-Hitler regime, and women had paved their way in both playing and singing. However, the obstacles that the government has created for women's presence in music, particularly in singing, since the revolution are hardly comparable to any contemporary experience in the world. Although the quiet but persistent resistance of Iranian women and their continued work in all areas of music have somewhat nullified these obstacles, the issue may not be entirely resolved, as the patriarchal and misogynistic injections that have been infused into the veins and spirit of society over the past 40 years may still wish to continue restrictions even after these limitations are lifted in one form or another, just as the societies of Germany and Austria, according to Arns' research, were not easily comfortable with women's presence in the fields of music in the years following World War II and the end of the Hitler regime, even at the same pace as before the Nazis came to power. Although the number of female music students in Germany and Austria has now surpassed that of men, Arns emphasizes that we should not settle for this spontaneous trend in enhancing the social and professional status of female musicians and must actively engage with various plans and ideas to strengthen it (just as the broader presence of women in Iranian universities compared to men has not significantly changed the occupational structure of society or improved women's working presence in society). Arns offers various solutions, including investing and emphasizing that women should be encouraged from childhood to play all musical instruments so that the stereotypical notion of gendered musical instruments is increasingly eliminated, ending men's monopoly on playing specific instruments, or requiring orchestras to employ more female trainees and subsequently integrate their qualities into official performances, assigning leadership of orchestras to women when similar qualities are present or even when women perform better at this task, and ...