Throughout history, there are times when research of the ideal women and their affect on a society or specific topic is sometimes vastly overlooked. In this paper, drawing upon biographical analysis of female composers such as Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, I will argue that women composers during the Romantic period were overshadowed by their male counterpoints and became unappreciated because of their gender causing them to feel inferior to male composers. When you hear the name Mendelssohn, the first name that most likely comes to mind is the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn, but his sister, Fanny, was also a composer. Her career was stunted by the domestic roles placed on women during this time period. Fanny and Felix were four years apart,…show more content… In the eyes of society, her father and her brother, Fanny’s role was supposed to be a domestic one, just as all other women were expected to do. Felix was allowed to pursue his path of music, while Fanny would be expected to become a domestic figure. In an environment where someone’s work is scrutinized constantly, encouragement is needed. There has always been this idea that women should be domestic and take care of the family. Their role was to take care of the home and the children. Fanny never described herself as a professional composer or musician; she had to be content with the house, family. Careers in music were considered inappropriate for a woman of her wealth or class. Despite the lack support from her brother and father, her husband encouraged her to continue. She was afraid that after being married she would have to quit music, but the day after their wedding he sat her down at the piano with a sheet of manuscript paper. Something like that could have been the difference between someone giving up and continuing to pursue his or her
