Songs for the salon

We generally speak of “the musical salon” as if it were a coherent space like the theatre stage or the concert hall. But the term covers a whole constellation of places and artistic practices, from the salons of the petite bourgeoisie, where people played for their own entertainment, to those of the aristocracy, which operated on set days as an “open house”, with a regular roster of important guests and prestigious musicians. Women ruled in that world: they entertained, were able to make themselves heard, and they were responsible for inviting and paying for the services of well-known musicians. It is not surprising, therefore, that the musical genres that prevailed in the salons featured among those in which women composers were most active. The selection of mélodies presented here testifies to their success