In Case You Missed It: Jane Austen’s Musical Life

A new series, presented by Jane Austen & Co., entitled Music and the Regency continued Thursday, March 6th, 2025, with a lecture by Gillian Dooley, an Honorary Associate Professor of English at Flinders University in South Australia and the author of She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music which was published by Manchester University Press in 2024.

The Austen family was full of “musical” women. Caroline Austen, the daughter of James Austen, shared her Aunt Jane’s literary and musical talents. She often wrote to her aunt, sharing her work and seeking feedback. Caroline was only twelve years old when Jane Austen passed away, but most of what historians know about Jane Austen’s love of music comes from Caroline’s recollections, as well as the memoir she wrote about her aunt, and letters that she shared with others later.

The Austen Family Music Books, most of which were handwritten by female members of the Austen family, have been digitized and are available to be viewed on the University of Southampton’s website.

Queen Marie Antoinette, Georgiana Cavendish, and Miss Mellish are three female composers whose work is included in the Austen Family Music Collection.

Throughout the evening, various performances were shared with the audience including a piano recital on a square-shaped spinet, a vocal performance of "The Yellow Hair'd Laddie", and an excerpt from “Romance du Concerto en fa” by Jean-Baptiste Krumpholtz which is played upon a double action pedal harp.

Did you miss watching this program? Check it out on the Jane Austen Summer Program YouTube Channel.

And be sure to join us next time as we explore Women and Musical Education in the Regency Era on Thursday, March 20th, 2025 @ 7 p.m. (EST). Visit the Jane Austen & Co. website to learn more about the upcoming speakers who will be taking part in this lecture series.