About Me

Interview by Rayven Ferrell featuring Maud Powell

Interviewer: Hello, we are here today with the wonderful lady musician Maud Powell. I am here to ask you some questions that all of us been dying to know. So let’s get this started.

Maud Powell: Let’s get this show on the road.

Question: What events in your early life made you interested in the arts?

Answer: My mother Minnie Bengelstraeter Paul Powell was a pianist and composer whose gender precluded her career. After watching her rehearse and make music, it made me get more and more into it. She had such a strong passion for it. I wanted to experience this and which I did when I first started to play the violin.
I also knew how there was very few women in the music industry. About 90 % of musicians were men. I wanted to change that you know? Men weren’t the only ones who were good I music, women were jut as good. So I felt that they should be able to show their passion just as much.

Question: What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist?

Answer: I had a lot of mentors back then. I worked with plenty of people such as Henry Schradieck (in Liepzang), Charles Dancla (in Paris), Joseph Joachim (in Berlin), and another big one was William Lewis (in Chicago), he is “whom I owe the most to,” (maudpowell.org). He had been giving me lessons since I was 9. He taught me a lot. I mean they all taught me a lot but he taught me the most.
Another big person in my life was Theodore Thomas, a big time conductor at the time. He is the one who started off my career by putting me in gigs, solos and with orchestras. He started my tours, he did a lot. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have probably been so popular at a young age. I owe lots of thanks to him to.

Question: What was the world like in your particular art field when you entered it?

Answer: It was pretty strict and tight. All musicians were mostly men and germen. There were only 5 professional orchestras, no established concert circuits, and only a few professional managers. So you can say that it was very prejudice/ stereotyped. Because of this classical music was very rare. It was one of them ‘take what you can get’ things because there were so little musicians.
Before 1904, you could only hear classical music live or never. And with there only being a few orchestras you could only hear them periodically. So there were lots of people who didn’t even know what this genre of music was. That was kind of upsetting to people who did know what it was because we knew what people were missing. Also we couldn’t listen to it either.

Question: How did the major cultural, economic and political situations of the time impact your work?

Answer: When I first started to play the violin train costs were very expensive. So my parents would send me on the train by myself for a 45 mile drive because they could not afford to come. Also, I lived in the movement called the women’s suffrage movement. This gave women a very thin strand of rights. This defiantly set me back. I was limited of what I could do because I was a woman.
But that’s also what pushed me. In a way it made me strive harder for my goal ya know? It was like I know “girl violinists were looked upon with suspicion,” (MaudPowell.org) but it doesn’t have to be that way. I can change that. Because our passions and skills are just as strong and well as anyone else’s.

Question: So what's your secret in being such a wonderful artist? And what do you feel was one of your greatest accomplishments?

Answer: One of my major accomplishments I’ll say was in November in 1904 when I first went to record in the studio with Victor, the owner. “I am never as frightened as I am when I stand in front of the horn to play. There’s a ghastly feeling that you are playing for all the world, and an awful sense of what is done is done.”(Maudpowell.org). It was so huge because classical music had now became big. It was no longer hear it live or nothing. You could hear it whenever you wanted to. And I was very excited to be apart of that.
My most important method is “I don’t play to them as an artist to the public, but as one human being to another,” (Maudpowell.org). This is a very important method to me because I feel that “No one can love a symphony who does not love the first song,” (Maudpowell.org).So I try to build the connection through the music with the people. Like the one I feel.

Question: What were the key opportunities you had that led to the turning point in your life and art?

Answer: Earlier when you asked me about my mentors I mentioned how one of them was Theodore Thomas. He was apart of my turning point of my career. Ha it's a funny story how we met. See one day I got so fed up of getting turned down because of my gender. So I decided that I would walk into the all-male New York Philharmonic in Steinway Hall and demanded a hearing from him, Theodore I mean. And it worked, I most defiantly got his attention because he kept going on and on about how he was deeply impressed. Ever since then ive had been performing nonstop.
Another great opportunity I had was being chosen by Theodore to represent America’s achievement in violin performance at the 1893 exposition. That was pretty nice. I also got to present a paper to the women’s Musical Congress to encourage young women to take violin seriously. This was called “Women and the Violin”, this also took place at the 1893 Exposition. Overall the turning point in my life was meeting Theodore Thompson.

Question: What personal choices did you make to become successful?

Answer: Leaving my home, with my family. I traveled a lot around the world. I used to go to North America, South America, Europe, just everywhere for training and performing. At times I was very sad with being away from my family for so long. But I also was happy to be traveling around doing what I do best which was playing and writing music.
I solved this problem by creating my own quartet involving my aunts and my mother (1894-1898).It was fun while it lasted. We had lots of bonding time with each other. We also all had music as a passion. But in the end I realized I was better off as a soloist.

Questions: What hardships and Roadbacks did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?

Answer: Being a woman, trying to become a musician was a big hardship. Lots of people didn’t believe in me. So in order to get people attention I would have to work 10 times harder. That was the only way I could become successful. I had to stand out.
It was a good thing now that I look back on it. It made me put 110% of my effort into my music. It gave me a push/ drive I needed. I was the only female in an all-male orchestra. And it was all because of that push.

Questions: What kinds of limitations did you un into as a person and an artist?

Answer: Some limitations I had as a normal person was not having a right to vote, work, education, fair wages, etc. During my time women were expected to sit at home and be “housewives”. They were to take care of the household while the men went out to work so they could take care of their families financially. This was a major problem for me because I needed money to pursue my dreams such as paying for lessons, insruments, etc.
Again I was limited for a lot of things because of my gender. It lightened up as the years went on though. I became an honoree in the long run. Something that was least expected for women of our time. So I was proud to achieve such a big accomplishment and to be a role model for young ladies.

Question: What are some personal stories that led to you being an artist today?

Answer: I think I shared the most important stories that got me to where I am today already. But what I will say is that women were often “put down” back then. That’s what stopped most women in doing what they wanted to do. There was a lot of talent by women that was not even show.
Don’t ever let someone push you away from your goal. You are the strive for yourself because if you don’t believe in yourself who will? Let things like that make you stronger. That’s what I did and look where im at now. Im exactly where I want to be.

Interviewer: Well thank you very much for coming and answering my questions.

Maud Powell: No problem. Bye, nice meeting you have a nice day.

Interviewer: Same to you.




Bibliography:

1) www.Maudpowell.org

2) www.legacy98.org

3) www.encyclopedia.com

4) www.mvdaily.com

5) www.naxos.com

Maud Powell

I chose this picture because I feel that it symbolizes me as a composer and a muscian. It tell all of my stories in one. Very creative!

"A composer." Hsart. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Maud Powell

In 1893, I was chosen by THeodore THomas to represent American musicians in the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago . I was the only female soloists, which gave me lots of sparks and highlights of my career.
"Chicago Bird's eye." Mappery. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Maud Powell

This is an award given to hard-working musicians in the honor of my name!
( "Maud Powell." The Maud Powell Society Award. Web. 8 Apr 2010.

Maud Powell

This is Theodore Thomas, a big conducter in my time. Theodore was a big person in my life. He is the one who started off my career and was responsible for many of the highlights in my career. I owe lots of thanks to him.

"Theodore Thomas." Any clip. Web. 8 Apr 2010.

Maud Powell

Me, my cellist May Mukle, and my pianist Anne Mukle Ford. This was the first trio I created and the first trio I had been in.

( www.maudpowell.org )
"Maud Powell with her trio." Maud Powell. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Maud Powell

This is me autographing my first records. One of my major accomplishments was making my records and having them across the world. I felt more ' known'. Like everyone could see/ hear my passion and story.

( http://www.maudpowell.org )

"Maud Powell autographing some of her published records." Maud Powell. Web. 8 Apr 2010.