Review: Forgotten Heroines
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2012
Susan Fleet has a new project that is of great interest to those who love music of all kinds.  In her research, instigated by visiting a lady in a nursing home - one Edna White - stirred her interest when she discovered Edna White had been an important and highly regarded trumpet player in the years before women musicians were considered `acceptable'.  Not only did she perform playing the cornet at Carnegie Hall, but she returned some years later to again perform in the same great hall, this time on the trumpet.  But that is only a sidebar in the multifaceted life and career of this great lady.  She was born in 1892, endured the prejudice against women instrumentalists, formed her own Edna White Brass Quartet and became part of the famous Phil Spitalny All Girl Orchestra. Her life was full of colorful events mirroring the wild change in women's rights both in voting and in the field of the performing arts.  She died in 1992 - after her interviews with Susan Fleet.But getting to know Edna opened the gate to Susan Fleet to learn about other talented yet forgotten women instrumentalists.  Maud Powell (1867 - 1919) was a gifted violinist who despite prejudices at home traveled to Europe to study her instrument.  Returning to the US she found difficulties finding work until she made  an appearance playing the Bruch Violin Concerto.  This event opened doors for her and she was able to present the American premiers of two of the most beloved violin concertos in the repertoire - the Dvorak concerto and the Sibelius concerto!  In her brief life of 52 years she did more for the cause of promoting women as superb classical musicians than just about any one else!  Her life, like Edna Whit's is presented in all of the fascinating aspects that Susan Fleet could gather.This book is Volume I - and there are further volumes promised.  These books will add to the important history of the women's rights movement as well as to the history of famous musicians of the past.  Grady Harp, February 12