ABSTRACT
Many of the most celebrated performers of interwar France were women. Performance, at least superficially, might appear to be the most level playing ground for musiciennes. As discussed in chapter 2, however, gender affected a whole complex matrix of performance decisions, including which instruments women chose to perform, what repertoire they programmed, how they presented and marketed themselves, and the reception which they received. As also discussed in chapter 2, into the interwar period female instrumental concert artists continued to concentrate upon the disciplines which were considered most appropriate for women to play, including especially the piano, harp, and violin.1 Female French concert pianists included, for example, Marguerite Long, Yvonne Lefébure, Monique Haas, and Marcelle Meyer; prominent violinists included Ginette Neveu, Claire Delbos, Yvonne Astruc, Jane Evrard, and Hélène Jourdan-Morhange; whilst Lily Laskine and Henriette Renié excelled at the harp. Women also embraced the innovative new invention of the Ondes Martenot.2 In particular, Ginette Martenot – younger sister of the instrument’s inventor – became a leading exponent.3 As also noted in chapter 2, female singers had been able to obtain star status in France since the seventeenth century (assisted in the earlier period by the French distaste for the Italian castrato custom). This tradition of leading female singers continued throughout the interwar period, with famous examples including Jane Bathori, Marcelle Gérar, Suzanne Peignot, Claire Croiza, Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi, and Ninon Vallin. Beyond solo performance, women performers also played an important role in the interwar Early Music Revival. This chapter will consider the contributions of solo women concert artists to both classical and contemporary concert life and to the continuing Early Music Revival. As noted in the preface, female solo performers of international calibre were too numerous in interwar France for them all to be considered in detail. Rather, discussion is focussed upon three case studies: Marguerite Long, Ginette Neveu, and Wanda Landowska.4
