Music Mysteries

The changing role of women in the early twentieth century raised concerns about “La Péril Rose” or “The Pink Peril” in French society. A 1912 article written by arts critic and composer Émile Vuillermoz described the influence of women in music and culture, starting at the Paris Conservatory:

“The Conservatoire, where they [women] already have the majority, will become their personal property and the classes that we shall call ‘mixed’ will be those where we tolerate the presence of two or three moustache-wearers…and in the director’s office … Gabriel Faure will have been chased from his armchair by Hélène Fleury or Nadia Boulanger.”

Vuillermoz’s article gained attention, but women continued to pursue their dreams in the music profession. Nadia Boulanger became the twentieth century’s preeminent music composition teacher, and her sister Lili won the prestigious Prix de Rome music composition contest. But it would take 107 years to realize Vuillermoz’s warning promise that a woman would become the Paris Conservatory Director. Émilie Delorme was selected for the post in 2019; her assignment is set to last three years. 

Our detective/violinist Sylvie Lewis encounters these traditionalist attitudes in Paris 1912, but she also learns from the strong women she meets in and outside the Conservatory. How she grows from her experiences is part of her journey in Finding Sylvie.