Sophie Drinker

Sophie Drinker Lewis ( born Sophie Lewis Hutchinson, born August 24, 1888 in Haverford, Pennsylvania, † September 6, 1967 in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania) is an American founder of the musicological women 's and gender studies.

Life

Sophie Drinker was born on 24 August 1888 as Sophie Lewis Hutchinson in Haverford in Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania). Her family had a high social status, which dated back to the 17th century. Ruth A. Solie ( 1997), the family still was not overly wealthy. However, Sophie Hutchinson was very posh educated; Nanny and house staff took over the daily duties. Even as a child she had piano lessons and developed a general interest in music. Sophie Hutchinson was accepted at Bryn Mawr College, after they had successfully completed their school career at St. Timothy 's School, an exclusive private school in Maryland. However, they decided against a college visit, which seemed to her, of course at this time.

In 1911 she married the lawyer Henry ( called Harry) Sandwith Drinker junior and moved to Merion, Pennsylvania with him. Henry Drinker practiced his profession willingly and successfully; every free minute but was the music, a hobby that one almost as much priority for him had as his actual profession. In addition to the active music-making, he devoted himself to the translation of the German texts of vocal works of great composers into English. Among them is beside schubert between songs and Haydn's Creation, especially a variety of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, among others, the Christmas Oratorio, the St. John Passion and the St. Matthew Passion.

From the outset the marriage and family life of the Drinkers was characterized by making music together. The couple played piano duets, Henry Drinker gave all five children daily music lessons, and the whole family sat down together regularly to sing together. Henry and Sophie Drinker as often as possible attended musical events such as concerts, operas or music festivals and have been for 25 years, subscribers to the concerts of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The couple Drinker went neither to church nor to parties or similar social events. You did not read popular literature, saw no such films and waived on radio, although one would be able to afford - they did everything in order to have more time for their music. So it is to explain that Sophie Drinker had a few girlfriends and friends, but the more intellectual acquaintances with whom she was in frequent contact ( letter ).

Henry Drinker became involved in the musical public not only as a translator and editor of business texts, but also by the organization of concerts and his active participation in the planning of various musical schools and universities. 1928 built the Drinkers a new house, which contained a large music room. Here they held regularly Sing evenings, sometimes they put the premises and the American Musicological Society for its meetings available.

The Singing parties at home Drinker developed into a tradition that lasted over 30 years. They first included a small group of about 20 people, which, however, gradually extended until gathered about 150 invited singers regularly. At times, it was accompanied by a string ensemble of 8-10 players, at other times they were content with a piano accompaniment, which was alternately carried out by three members of the choir. Often, well-known musicians from the Curtis Institute or by the Philadelphia Orchestra were invited. This declared themselves - often without pay - willing to participate in the exercise evenings. Over the years have participated, according to estimates of the Drinker family up to 3000 contributors. The samples were usually headed by Henry Drinker, the music selection was for him and his wife. Since the cost and effort has been borne solely by them, the remaining participants had no say. Performances were not organized and were not intended; Henry and Sophie Drinker allowed only in exceptional cases, listeners or solo performances.

The Sing evenings corresponded Sophie Drinkers setting for amateur music, like the woman in music is evident in her book:

" " We have become accustomed to bring music in conjunction with virtuosity, and we are in serious danger of forgetting that music influences on our thoughts and feelings, and that its promotion, so their existence is an art only entitled if it is used to fertilize the spiritual lives of men and women and to enrich. The most effective means to achieve this goal is to see how music awakens in our throat and under our fingers to life. " "

About this Sing evenings out Sophie Drinker was still in the women's choir " Montgomery Singers " is active, the samples were transferred to a short time also in the domestic music room. In their search for sheet music for the choir Sophie Drinker was attentive to the fact that there was little quality and content quality music for female choirs, and that no women were to be found among composers in general. This led her to extensive research on women and their place in music history. Their results are presented in the book Music and Women: The Story of Women is in Their Relation to Music, which was released in 1948. Although this is not a professional academic essay in this work, it is for music research - especially in the field of gender research in music - of great importance and can be seen as an important contribution to the lack of equality for women in to put the music in the public consciousness. In particular, the new edition of 1995, with an afterword by Ruth A. Solie, have contributed to this; for the German -speaking world, the translation of Karl and Irene Geiringer from the year 1955 a great value.

The argument structure of the book is now outdated and open to criticism from a musicological point of view as from the perspective of the current gender research. Its special position gets it but the fact that it deals with a subject that at the time hardly - was explored - and still not enough. Sophie Drinker in 1949, awarded the doctorate for her studies from Smith College, Northampton / Massachusetts.

For a woman in her social position, it was very unusual, so actively work on this thing. It would have complied with the conditions then more to look for one or two proteges and to promote financial and moral support. Today is sometimes criticized that Sophie Drinker dealt with the circumstances of the past, instead of supporting musicians of her time. Ruth A. Solie (1995 ), however, sees precisely in the particular performance Drinkers that they could not be easily confined to the promotion of a single fate, but has tried to make the music world on the topic of attention and to encourage women to regain lost.

Throughout her life, Sophie Drinker published further writings, including the book Brahms and His Women's Choruses (1952 ) and of Articles What Price Women's Chorus? . the Music Journal 1954 Here she developed criteria that would meet their view, the compositions for women's choirs: the utilization of the full range of the female voice, the representativeness of the composition for each musical period in which they arose, highlighting the nature of adult text content by melody and harmony as well as the uniqueness of the overall result in the sense that a similar result can not be achieved by any other means than a female choir.

1965 Sophie Drinker wrote her memoirs, but they were meant for their family and are therefore remained unpublished.

On September 6, 1967, she died of cancer. Despite her illness, she had not abated in their search for a new book ( on the impact of colonial rights to women). However, this work could not be stopped by it.

Work

In her major work Music and Women: The Story of Women in Their Relation to Music Sophie Drinker looks at the ratio of women to the music throughout history. They will remain as general as the title suggests. Aspects that Sophie Drinker were particularly important and are illustrated by her in the book again and again, are the human need for artistic development, the combination of music and religion, and - in connection with it - the prominent role of women as life bringer in religion. From that female role directs Sophie Drinker from a natural aptitude of the woman to the creation of new musical works.

From today's perspective, it is critical to consider that the reasoning Drinkers based on the fecundity of women. In their time, but were both laid down many of the thoughts and the intention behind this book is extraordinary. The real question underlying the book, in which form of society musicians can achieve the same status as a musician is, and remains, to this day currently.

Discount

Documents and Materials Sophie Drinkers estate located in the Sophia Smith Collection at the University of Massachusetts ( Sophie Hutchinson Drinker Papers ), and in the Schlesinger Library ( Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts). Some materials can be found in Special Collections in the Van Pelt Library of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Sophie Drinker Institute in Bremen

In 2002 founded Freia Hoffmann, Professor of Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg and today Director of the Institute, together with Eva Rieger Sophie Drinker Institute of musicological women 's and gender studies. The institute was named after Sophie Drinker, since it has been how they have made the task of thoroughly exploring the role of women in music ( history ) and to collect materials in this respect, evaluate, and make it accessible to the public. End, one of the Institute's work is on the development of various relevant databases.

As a musicologist researchers stand next to a library that includes a large collection of articles, an extensive music collection, and a media library. Last but not least with regard to the promotion of young scientists takes place a cooperation with the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.

At the opening of the Institute in 2002 held the musicologist Ruth A. Solie, a professor at Smith College (Massachusetts), a lecture on Sophie Drinker. This lecture was not only the prelude to the institute's research, but also to a musically - academic lecture series that has established itself in the premises of the Institute. The largest current research project of Sophie Drinker Institute deals with the lexical acquisition premium European instrumentalists of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Works

• Music and women: the story of women in Their relation to music. New York 1948.
• Brahms and his women's choruses. Merion in 1952.
• What ' s Price Women's Choruses, in: Musical Journal 12 /1, (1954 ), p.19 & 42f.
• The woman in the music. A sociological study. Zurich: . Atlantis 1955 ( German translation: Karl and Irene Geiringer ).
• Hannah Penn and the proprietorship of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: Priv. print. under the auspices of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1958.
• With Henry S. Drinker: Accademia dei dilettanti di musica: 1930-1960.
• Eugenie Andrus Leonard, Miriam Young Holden: The American Woman in colonial and Revolutionary times, 1565-1800: a syllabus with bibliography. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press 1962.