The Incredible Lightness of Fortepiano: Gender and Musical Meaning in the Works of Chopin

Abstract

Language is the primary means of describing our experiences with music and, therefore, it plays a major role in the construction of meaning in music. It is used spontaneously in order to relay a musical experience, but it may also be used by some people with the premeditated intent of coercing others into what is seen as the correct interpretation of that music. In the latter case, the subtle effect of power contributes to a sense of duality between what one would rather express and what one has been coerced into expressing. Chopin's music has been particularly susceptible to a number of endeavors that seek to cleanse him and his music of qualities that are associated with smallness, femininity, and a lack of power. In my view, authors who talk, think, or write about smallness negatively, and performers who perform in a style that marginalizes that which could be considered "miniaturesque," and who both uphold their interpretations as "better," are involved in a form of politics - a gendered sensory politics. A desire for "mammoth" proportions, in relation to experiences with music, which was manifested throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, had a considerable effect on the evaluation of Frédéric Chopin's style of playing the piano. 1 This preference for largeness in all its forms, whether it be in the fortissimo, the heroic, or another sense, appears to stem from a conscious or unconscious linking of the concept with attributes of masculinity and a tacit acceptance that the qualities customarily linked with that gender are superior to more feminine attributes. The element of power as experienced through intense sensory saturation appears to be a factor influencing this preference. The desire for largeness in the musical sphere has led to a certain extent to the marginalisation of smallness and whatever is associated with it, particularly concepts such as femininity, lightness and a lack of power.