By William Osborne
[Sent to various lists
December 31, 1999.]
On June 8, 2000 the Vienna
Philharmonic, which forbids membership to women, will perform a concert at the
Vatican.
For those who might not
know, the Philharmonic is comprised of 149 men and one woman harpist. Three years ago, in response to
international protest, the orchestra agreed to allow women membership, but it
has since reneged on the agreement.
The Vienna Philharmonic's
relationship to the Vatican is long and interesting. I can't outline the history here, but some of you might remember
that the Austro-Hungarian Empire considered itself to be the "Holy Roman
Empire." That is why the
"Kings" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire referred to themselves as
"Emperors"--they were "Holy Roman Emperors." Vienna tenaciously hangs on to its 19th
century identity, so curious aspects of this "Holy Roman" mentality
exist there to this day. Briefly
stated, that is why the Vienna Philharmonic--which refers to itself as the
"cultural ambassador of Austria"--maintains a relationship to the
Vatican. (This is actually the second
concert they have done for the Pope; the other was about 15 years ago.)
Given the Catholic Church's
overt sexism, I think it would be very useful if Italian women musicians
organized a protest for this concert on June 11, 2000. To have Priests and Swiss Guards in St.
Peter's square protecting an all-male orchestra from women protesters would be
a great image for the international media--and right there in that high Papal
bastion of gender and moral understanding...
I remember a cartoon that
appeared in one of the Viennese papers during the 1997 protest. A priest had a comforting arm around the
Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic and was saying, "Ah my son, they're
trying to enter our ranks as well."
It would be a great cartoon to include in the protest flyers.
Rome is a wonderful city to
visit. Maybe like-minded women from the
Americas, and nearby countries like Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria
would join. I think it is an idea worth
consideration and could really help women in music.
Do you have any suggestions
for people in Italy who might be interested in this idea?
William Osborne