There is no word in the Wikipedia entry for ‘ cello ’ that explains that the placement of the instrument in the hands of women has changed substantially in the last two centuries . In the articles corresponding to the first internationally known women cellists , no one talks about the position of the instrument either .
In fact , to find out which were the first cellists to play with the instrument between their legs , we ourselves had to resort to the oral recollections of some musicians and directors about to retire . And yes , for many decades of the 19th century , within a tradition that dates back to the 18th century and was only broken by some woman who could afford it , like the king ’ s daughter Henriette de France ( 1727-1752 ), who was portrayed by Nattier in 1754 with the viola da gamba between her legs . Around that time , almost every woman who dared to play the cello had to do it one way only , ‘ pudica ’, that is , placing the instrument in front of the legs , in a forced position and with a notable inclination ; or , also , with the cello in front of a leg that flexed backward , in a very uncomfortable way ; or even with the instrument simply to the side , as seen in some paintings ( you can consult Lidia Cabot Perry , 1892 , placing the instrument in front of the legs , in a forced position and with a notable inclination ; or , also , with the cello in front of a leg that flexed backward , in a very uncomfortable way )
Guilhermina Suggia ( 1885- 1950 ), the daughter of Porto and a family from Italy , was the first woman to place the cello without hesitation between her legs , as men did , and develop an international career with the instrument . Suggia studied in Paris with Pau Casals , and they lived together from 1906 to 1912 . Another prominent female musician of her time , Beatrice Harrison , born in 1892 , also adopted the ‘ masculine ’ position .
It is not , however , strange , if we remember that until recently , many women across the globe sat ‘ sideways ’ to get on behind the motorcycle of a man in the family . A lot of them still continue to do so , especially outside the big cities , even though it ’ s extremely dangerous to do so . There are also numerous images of the women of the Central European aristocracy riding sideways on the horse ’ s saddle . All of these were justified by a clearly controlling and typified concept of gender ‘ modesty ’.
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