ABSTRACT
Gender' and 'age' are flexible, culturally contingent aspects of lived experience; they do not exist in a vacuum, and so cannot be separated from other dominant forces. It explores the relationship between musical creativity, gender and age, through focused case studies from various chronological and cultural perspectives. The older woman is defined by her age and her gender, and frequently described in pathological terms: a menopausal site of decay, ridicule, pity and striving for eternal youth. The chapter shows 'Performing Identity in Early European Musical Culture' each author deals with the central themes against further questions of patronage, agency and class. It presents 'Gendered Musical Communities' each author tackles the role of institutions in fostering and sustaining creative identities at various stages of the life cycle or career. 'Contemporary Creative Practices and Identities' contains two main strands, both of which have strong ties to the case studies discussed by Fuller.
