{"id":40845,"date":"2017-01-31T16:35:17","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T15:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=40845"},"modified":"2017-01-31T22:34:50","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T21:34:50","slug":"then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=40845","title":{"rendered":"Then and Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Historically, a female playing the cello, or even the flute for that matter was considered down right rude… That may seem strange but when a woman has to literally straddle a musical instrument\u00a0in a time when women were expected to do some delicate needle point or possibly sing to their family, the idea of getting passionate with a musical\u00a0instrument strapped between their thighs or even a long pole sticking in their mouth and at this point in history, would be considered quite frankly suggestive, provocative and immoral.<\/p>\n

The well to do lady of the day may well be a piano virtuoso, able to perform for their families and guests, but God forbid it be a flute, double\u00a0bass, trumpet, cello, drums…do we need to go on? When playing the contrabass, a gentle woman would need to make large bodily movements, which was not only unladylike, but also impossible in a corset.<\/p>\n

The piano was perceived as a feminine instrument, suited to the female body and posture, and therefore suitable for the female body and character. Playing the piano was a very important skill for women of a certain social standing in the 19th<\/sup> century, and examples of this can be seen in classical literature, such as William Makepeace Thackeray\u2019s Vanity Fair<\/em>, Jane Eyre<\/em> by Charlotte Bront\u00eb, Jane Austen\u2019s Pride and Prejudice<\/em>, Persuasion<\/em> and Emma<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Jane Austen herself was a skilled musician, and she transferred this skill to her characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her to apply. I am confident that she would have performed delightfully. How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?”<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr. Darcy spoke with affectionate praise of his sister’s proficiency.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI am very glad to hear such a good account of her,\u201d said Lady Catherine\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

(Pride and Prejudice, 1813)<\/p>\n

Today, we find such stories amusing, but had things not changed, we wouldn\u2019t be able to enjoy the beautiful music of female musicians such as \u00a0Maya Beiser<\/a>\u00a0and Linnea Olsson<\/a>! \"MayaBeiser6_byioulex\"<\/a>Maya has been called a \u201ccello rock star\u201d, which shows how far we are from these outdated views of female cello players. She has dedicated her work to reinventing solo cello performance in the mainstream classical arena. Maya has performed on some of the most renowned stages in the world, such as the Lincoln Center<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Carnegie Hall<\/a>\u00a0in New York, London\u2019s South Bank Centre<\/a>, Sydney Opera House<\/a>, and many more. She is now coming back to London to perform in Kings Place <\/a>as a part of their Cello Unwrapped <\/a>series in February.<\/p>\n

She will perform on 10th<\/sup> February and will perform pieces from David Lang and Michael Gordon;\u00a0Julia Wolfe<\/a>\u2019s new piece Emunah will have its UK premiere. Maya\u2019s work is focused at breaking boundaries, exploring the unknown ends to which her instrument can take her, and the ways she can bring her other interests into her music \u2013 art, theatre, film, fashion\u2026 Below are two of Maya\u2019s films