ATTENTION GRABBING HEADLINE
Discover the music that Jane Austen played and loved.
The Jane Austen Playlist, founded in 2019, is a historical music project featuring the music of the Austen family in digitized notations, companion recordings, and dramatically narrated performances.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that an accomplished woman in possession of a musical skill must be in want of an instrument. This was no less true for Jane than it was for her varied and colorful characters. In addition to Jane’s passion for writing, she also loved music. Accomplishment in music by young ladies in Jane’s time is discussed in the Netherfield drawing room, displayed in the Cole’s music room, and delighted in at Sir John Middleton’s gatherings. All of Jane’s writing, including her letters, give expression to the role music played in her life.
Containing over 600 songs and pieces for various instruments, this collection of 18 manuscripts comprises printed and handwritten works curated over time by the female members of the Austen family, several in Jane Austen’s own hand.
“Aunt Jane began her day with music—for which I conclude she had a natural taste; as she thus kept it up—tho’ she had no one to teach; was never induced (as I have heard) to play in company; and none of her family cared much for it. I suppose, that she might not trouble them, she chose her practising time before breakfast—when she could have the room to herself—She practised regularly every morning—She played very pretty tunes, I thought—and I liked to stand by her and listen to them…Much that she played from was manuscript, copied out by herself—and so neatly and correctly, that it was as easy to read as print—”
Caroline Knight, 1867
Performances
LOVE AND MUSIC
experience a delightful glimpse into Austen’s six published novels with music from her family’s music collection in a dramatized performance set in Regency England​
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
experience Austen’s beloved novel through a musical retelling drawn from songs and pieces in her family’s music collection
Get a sneak peak of Love and Music
Past Performances
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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE | World Premiere | JASNA AGM in Denver, Colorado | November 2, 2023
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JANE AUSTEN’S MUSIC | Jane Austen Society Hampshire Branch Event with Gillian Dooley in Chawton, Hampshire | August 5, 2023
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LOVE AND MUSIC | Lakewood Cultural Center in Lakewood, Colorado | February 25, 2023
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World Premiere | The Trust Performing Arts Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania | February 14, 2022
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York College of Pennsylvania in York, Pennsylvania | February 11, 2022
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REIMAGINE RESIDENCY | Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire | January 28, 2023