The Female Violinist as Mechanical Object in Nineteenth-Century France
Nineteenth-century French critics often compared child violinists to mechanical objects, toys, and dolls. Although some adult performers were criticized for playing in a “mechanical” style, only child performers—especially girls—were compared to specific mechanical toys, automata, and music-playing devices. By emphasizing a musician’s similarities to technological objects that could only imitate humans, critics asserted a performer’s lack of originality and inspiration. Although a few scholars have explored the interactions between virtuoso performance and broader nineteenth-century cultural trends, I further demonstrate the ways in which the gendered discourse surrounding technology influenced the reception of virtuoso performers.
Critics often discussed male child violinists’ potential to grow into true artists, even when they played in a mechanical style. For young boys, the mechanical style was a foundational step toward true artistry. The potential for young female violinists, however, was often limited according to their critics. Many girls were seen as cold mechanical entities throughout their performing careers.
When a female performer did possess elements of artistic insight beyond the mechanical, critics ascribed masculine qualities to her artistic abilities. Indeed, mid-nineteenth-century French ideas about artistic genius were strongly gendered. Figures such as George Sand only possessed genius because of her masculine attributes, and many writings and satirical cartoons from the period demonstrate the alleged masculine qualities of genius.
I argue that, by comparing female musicians to automata, critics drew on deeply-ingrained cultural associations between femininity and artificiality to demonstrate female performers’ alleged lack of creative capabilities. Examining concert reviews through the lens of contemporary philosophical discourse, and alongside examples of literary fiction, I demonstrate that critics both reflected and perpetuated broader cultural narratives aligning the female with the artificial.
Nineteenth-century French critics often compared child violinists to mechanical objects, toys, and dolls. Although some adult performers were criticized for playing in a “mechanical” style, only child performers—especially girls—were compared to specific mechanical toys, automata, and music-playing devices. By emphasizing a musician’s similarities to technological objects that could only imitate humans, critics asserted a performer’s lack of originality and inspiration. Although a few scholars have explored the interactions between virtuoso performance and broader nineteenth-century cultural trends, I further demonstrate the ways in which the gendered discourse surrounding technology influenced the reception of virtuoso performers.
Critics often discussed male child violinists’ potential to grow into true artists, even when they played in a mechanical style. For young boys, the mechanical style was a foundational step toward true artistry. The potential for young female violinists, however, was often limited according to their critics. Many girls were seen as cold mechanical entities throughout their performing careers.
When a female performer did possess elements of artistic insight beyond the mechanical, critics ascribed masculine qualities to her artistic abilities. Indeed, mid-nineteenth-century French ideas about artistic genius were strongly gendered. Figures such as George Sand only possessed genius because of her masculine attributes, and many writings and satirical cartoons from the period demonstrate the alleged masculine qualities of genius.
I argue that, by comparing female musicians to automata, critics drew on deeply-ingrained cultural associations between femininity and artificiality to demonstrate female performers’ alleged lack of creative capabilities. Examining concert reviews through the lens of contemporary philosophical discourse, and alongside examples of literary fiction, I demonstrate that critics both reflected and perpetuated broader cultural narratives aligning the female with the artificial.
