Female students, teachers, and singers: The formation of vocal training for women in nineteenth-century Spain

Abstract

The singing profession in the nineteenth century allowed women to opt for a social reality that differed from the household model. Those who stood out for their vocal styling or those who wanted to develop their artistic sensitivity could have access to official or private singing education. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of the activity carried out by women in the process of teaching-learning of singing during the nineteenth century in Spain, despite de limitations of the time. For that purpose, the focus will be on two representative vocal training institutions: the Conservatory in the public system in Madrid and the Lyric-dramatic school in the private sphere. This research is based on the review and analysis of documentation, mostly historical, through which several aspects have been recreated: the type of vocal instruction that women had access to, their role within the education system and the professional careers of those studies. Even though there were few differences between both genders during the training period, the low presence of female singing teachers in teachers’ staff meetings, the limited opportunities to teach male singers, and relative paucity of places in which to publish their didactic methods demonstrate the long way that still lied ahead in achieving gender equality.