Cécile Chaminade as a symbol for American women, 1890-1920

French composer Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944) was one of the most well-known musical figures in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This dissertation examines Chaminade’s American popularity to explain why she and her music were at the center of women’s music making, placing her public persona within the period constructions of the “True” and “New” woman.

Central to Chaminade’s popularity in the United States was her music. Of her over four hundred compositions, at least 186 were performed in the United States. The majority of performances were by women musicians for female audiences in private and public spaces, including women’s music clubs. The most frequently heard pieces, primarily songs and piano solos, drew on a range of programmatic topics and had explicitly feminine titles that made it clear that these pieces were not only for, but also about women. The composer’s position as the leading female composer of her day is further demonstrated through the association of her music with female characters in popular fiction. Chaminade enthusiasts founded over two hundred Chaminade music clubs across the country. While her music’s overwhelming connection to women lead to her extreme popularity, it also led to a backlash of gendered criticism. However, the lasting image of Chaminade working only within the private sphere and having a minimal effect on wider musical culture does not reflect the central place she and her music held for countless American female musicians.