Did you know?

Did you know that musical instruments such as the violin and flute were considered inappropriate for women in the 18th and early 19th centuries? Women from Ljubljana’s upper social circles therefore expressed themselves artistically through singing and playing keyboard instruments, in line with contemporary social norms. From domestic and salon settings, they gradually moved onto public stages.

By the 1820s, young female pianists were already performing regularly at the academies and concerts of the Philharmonic Society, held in the House of the Teutonic Order (today’s Križanke) and in the Redoute Hall, and occasionally during musical interludes at the Estates Theatre. Most were dilettantes, a number of them performed virtuosic pieces, matching the pace of contemporary European trends. In addition, Ljubljana occasionally hosted professional women performers on the violin, physharmonica, glass harmonica, and guitar.

How society and the local press responded to these women musicians is explored in the article by Dr Maruša Zupančič (https://doi.org/10.3986/dmd21.1.03).