On Tuesday, August 11th, Professor Jeanice Brooks (University of Southampton) shared selections from her project to digitize the Austen family music books. We know that many of our participants were eager to try out some of these pieces for themselves. Fortunately, you can view The Austen Family Music Books online for free.
Furthermore, some of these pieces have transcribed into modern sheet music by Gillian Dooley. You can download both sheet music and lyrics on Austen Music Transcripts, hosted by Flinders University.
Once you've had a chance to rehearse a piece or two, why not post your recordings on our Virtual Drawing Room? Don't forget to share your performances with @AustenandCompany on Facebook!
Not a musician? You can listen to versions of these songs by viewing the Songs of Home at Jane Austen's House Museum.
Jeanice has also compiled a fantastic bibliography of both recorded music albums and free online resources that you can use to learn more about about Austen's music practices.
Further Reading:
“What Jane Heard” (Oxford University Press blog, 2016): https://blog.oup.com/2016/06/what-jane-heard/
“National Jane” (Romantic National Song blog, 2019): https://rnsn.glasgow.ac.uk/national-jane/
Brooks, Jeanice. ‘In Search of Austen’s “Missing Songs”’. The Review of English Studies 67 (2016): 914-945. https://academic.oup.com/res/article/67/282/914/2599086
Brooks, Jeanice, "Making Music," in Jane Austen: Writer in the World, ed. Kathryn Sutherland (Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2017), 36-55.
Recordings of music from the Austen family music books:
Jane Austen's Songbook. 2004. Julianne Baird (soprano) et al. Albany Records Troy 722.
Begone Dull Care: Music from Jane Austen's House. 2009. Sophie Bevan (soprano), Rogers Covey-Crump (tenor), The Windsor Box & Fir Co. Danubia Discs DD006.
Entertaining Miss Austen: Newly Discovered Music from Jane Austen's Family Collection. 2011. Amanda Pitt (soprano), John Lofthouse (baritone), David Owen Norris (piano). Dutton Epoch CDLX 7271.
Jane Austen’s Musical Treasures. 2019. Helen Neeves (soprano), Samantha Carrasco (piano), Kate Ham (harp). The Austen Trio. https://theaustentrio.wordpress.com