Female Cadences: Music, Gender, and Sexuality

What musical codes represent masculinity and femininity in early 17th-century opera? In what ways does sound contribute to the social organization of sexuality? How has a dualistic distinction between the masculine and feminine manifested in traditional music theory? How is the frequent depiction of female madness in opera explained? What strategies have women creators employed to transgress the conventions of a primarily male medium?

A little over thirty years after its publication and controversial reception, this foundational classic of feminist musicology acquires renewed relevance, inspiring us with its virtuosic conjugation of musical theory and cultural theory, and motivating us in the search for new epistemologies that consider the body, sexuality, emotions, and the construction of identities as fundamental elements of music history.

This Spanish edition joins those already available in several languages, such as English, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and French.