Alma Mahler

Me in front of the opera house where we talked about Alma Mahler!

Alma Mahler was an Austrian female composer. She wrote a number of songs for both voice and piano throughout her career, but due to her gender (and possibly her reputation), most of them have never been recognized in a professional setting. She unfortunately is remembered mostly for the men that she had relationships with. She was a target of slut shaming throughout her lifetime, and even by historians after her death. She was a very free lover and did not buy into the idea of monogamy. However, she was still married 3 times to 3 different men. Her first husband, Gustav Mahler, was also a composer, but he never supported her composing (double standard much?). She inspired much of his music, and although their relationship was rocky, they had a deep love for each other. Her next two marriages were also to men that frequented artistic circles, placing her right in the middle of Vienna's artistic culture.

Being a female composer, Alma Mahler is very unique for her time. It is very rare to have pieces composed by women and her compositions are beautiful. Her influence even extended past her own art into the art of others. She was a muse and inspiration to many artists of her time. Alma's story also makes us think about the idea of how women are remembered in history versus men. We talked about the idea of reversibility, which is the idea that if you are talking about a woman in a certain way, you should feel comfortable talking about a man in the same way as well. Many of the male artists we study have questionable actions and morals, but you don't typically see them being called out for it. Alma Mahler makes us consider the way in which we perceive women differently than men. Her experience and life is a commentary on the struggles of female artists and women in general.

I'm getting a little bit tired of having to say that the women we talk about aren't commemorated well! Alma Mahler is not a well known composer, and there is not really any commemoration for her. It is only recently that her works have started to come into the light and she is being remembered for something other than her relationships with men and her sexual tendencies. In a broader picture, all musical women in Vienna have struggled. It was only 10 years ago that women were finally allowed to be members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra! I hope that as Alma Mahler's compositions begin to get the recognition they deserve, her personal life and the men she was with can fade into the background and not be the most interesting thing about her - because it isn't! Alma Mahler deserves to be seen for the talented musician that she was, and take her place next to the most well known artists of that time.