Sara Wennerberg-Reuter : att vara kvinna och kompositör kring sekelskiftet 1800 / 1900

Sammanfattning: This essay presents an example of the musical life of a female composer active in Sweden during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through a case study on composer Sara Wennerberg-Reuter (1875-1959), the essay contributes information to her biography, which had been lacking specific details. Wennerberg-Reuter's biography has been discussed regarding traditional roles of women in music, her relationship to her own artistry and other active women composers, and finally the contemporary reception of Wennerberg-Reuter as a legitimate composer. Aesthetical theories prevalent during Wennerberg-Reuter’s life has been applied in these discussions, such as those presented by Citron, Öhrström and Hanson, combined with Citron's additional theories considering masculine/feminine elements in the musical approach. The main conclusions reached regarding the specific conditions enabling a professional status as a composer and woman in Sweden during the given time are; a) the liberal permission by the family to pursue higher education in composing, since this was in opposition to the traditions of the time. b) the access to a network of musically active women, from which a sense of being part of a female community can be created. c) the acceptance from musical institutions such as higher educations, composer's societies and media critics.