voix des femmes

for clarinet quartet

Duration: 12’

I. Strength (for Jennifer)
II. Meditation (for Melissa)
III. Dance (for Donna)
IV. Adventure (for Laura)

Traditionally, many Classical and Romantic musical works feature two main themes: the primary theme and the secondary theme. In many outdated writings on music, there is a sexist conflation of secondary themes with femininity because they are typically lyrical, sweet, docile, and—in many a male scholar’s words— “submissive to the tonal power of the masculine theme.” This line of literature has progressed to the point where scholars refer to the primary theme as the “masculine theme” and the secondary theme as the “feminine theme.”

Not only does this terminology assign gender labels where they are not relevant, it posits that there is only one way to represent femininity. This piece is full of “feminine themes,” that is, melodies written to represent the many ways women may present themselves. Each movement represents each of the four women in the commissioning quartet. None of the themes in this piece attempt to “inflict tonal dominance” over other themes. All the melodies throughout the piece are given ample space to exist and speak freely without traditional tonal conflict.

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This work was commissioned by the Voix des Femmes Clarinet Quartet for the International Clarinet Association’s 50th Annual ClarinetFest in Denver, CO in July 2023.