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The Ladies Musical Club of SeattleAmerican Women’s Music Organizations in the Early Twentieth CenturyDuring the early 1900s, women's music clubs proliferated across the United States. In the Pacific Northwest, women established the Seattle Ladies Musical Club in 1891.
The music profession—characterized by its organizations, composers, and performers—was a male-dominated field around the turn of the century. Late nineteenth century American women challenged their confinement to the home as they pursued greater public roles in politics, suffrage, social reform, and education. However, women were still excluded from the musical establishment, so they began to form their own music associations within thousands of communities across the nation. The Ladies Musical Club of Seattle (LMC)—formed in 1891 by twenty-four musically trained women—was one of these all-female music clubs that catered to female performers and composers. This club (and its counterparts) first consisted of middle-class white women—women who suppressed their youthful musical backgrounds to focus their time and energy on marriage, children, and social work. An early club goal centered on expanding the talent, skills, and knowledge of these musically inclined women. LMC MembershipBesides married women who sought to revive their musical pasts, LMC membership also consisted of unmarried students, experienced artists who wanted to further their careers, and single women who were music teachers. Over the years, membership grew; potential members auditioned through invitation only. Members were expected to perform regularly, either alone or in groups. Female Composers and PerformersThe LMC and other women’s music clubs assisted the professional development of female composers and performers. The LMC provided regular hearings for its musicians; members showcased their work beyond the scope of club meetings, bringing their music to other clubwomen and conventions. In 1913, the LMC began awarding music scholarships to girls. The club also supported women’s orchestras, the creative arts, and professional female musicians at its annual concert series. American Patriotism and Homogenizing Musical TastesWomen’s music clubs nurtured a goal of bringing music to the greater public, thereby ensuring all members of society, not just the wealthy, complete access to the pleasures of classical music. World War I ushered in a turning point in the priorities of musical clubwomen; their civic mission to link classical music, patriotism, and a unified democracy took a greater precedence over advancing women’s musical skills and careers. The LMC reached out to immigrant populations—funding settlement music schools and educating foreigners in music—in the strong hope that music could instill national loyalty, good citizenship, and democratic values. LMC members played both Western classics and contemporary music, yet they rejected popular music, such as jazz, for corrupting the youth. Clubwomen strove to influence youth behavior through music education. They donated music material to public schools, sponsored school competitions, and helped institutionalize school music programs. Advancing Women’s Rights?The mere existence of women’s music clubs challenged the male musical establishment, strengthened women’s public roles, and provided a crucial network of support, exposure, and acclaim to female musicians. LMC member Mary Carr Moore became the first American woman to compose and conduct a grand opera with her critically acclaimed, Narcissa. Nevertheless, the movement for women’s rights was frequently in conflict with women’s music clubs. Many women’s rights advocates discouraged the arts, while many musical clubwomen rejected the permissive behavior of post-WWI women. Women’s music clubs did not enact sweeping change within the male musical establishment. Yet overall, women’s music clubs built the foundations of music institutions and shaped American musical tastes. Women’s organizations helped found the music conservatories Julliard and the Cornish School in Seattle. As for the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle, it is Seattle’s oldest music organization still in existence today. Blair, Karen J. “The Seattle Ladies Musical Club, 1890-1930.” Women in Pacific Northwest History. Revised Edition. Ed. Karen J. Blair. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988.
The copyright of the article The Ladies Musical Club of Seattle in Women's History is owned by Alanna Muniz. Permission to republish The Ladies Musical Club of Seattle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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