ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 is deliberately biographical. It contains separate sections with the aim of demonstrating different artistic achievements of America’s great master of the violin, Maud Powell: firstly, Powell introduced violin recitals to the most remote communities of her country in an almost missionary way and brought attention to a great deal of American music; secondly, she was one of the first to champion music composed by women and African American composers; thirdly, she wrote several transcriptions and was the first virtuosa to compose the cadenza for the Brahms violin concerto; lastly, Powell was one of the first instrumentalists to recognise the importance of recorded music as a shared cultural experience and record for the prestigious Red Seal label. Specific attention is given to small number of recordings in order to highlight her changing performing style, shed new light on some aspects of her performances, and demonstrate in terms of gender that recordings played a significant role in the lack of her posthumous memory.
