Women’s Agency in Schubert’s Vienna

It is one of the fundamental questions of cultural history and one of the still remaining desiderata of research to ask about the scope for action of women in history. This also applies to the period of Schubert’s life, which was characterized by the already strongly gendered term "Biedermeier". The milieu of Schubert’s creative environment was strongly influenced by women such as the Fröhlich sisters, Irene Kiesewetter, Fanny von Arnstein, Caroline Pichler, and several others. While some of these women have already been researched, the connections between female participation in musical culture and women’s agency have rarely been examined from an overarching and interdisciplinary perspective. This insight was the starting point for making "Women's Agency in Schubert's Vienna" the focus of the Schubert Research Center's annual program. Exploring the concept of women's agency in Viennese musical culture around 1800 forms the basis of this volume. The authors approach the topic from various angles: from collecting to composing, from salon practices to singing or playing in both public and domestic settings, with special attention to the challenges of private and semi-private contexts. Also everyday practices are examined to determine the extent of women’s involvement in Viennese music life at the beginning of the nineteenth century.