Studies in Eighteenth-Century America and the Atlantic World

1 total work

Music, Women, and Pianos in Antebellum Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

by Jewel A. Smith

Published 8 February 2008

This volume documents not only the academic and music curricula offered at a distinguished seminary, but the importance of piano study from a sociological viewpoint, music making in a gendered environment, and performance opportunities available for nineteenth-century women. A comparison of the Seminary's curricula with that offered at the Moravian Nazareth Hall for men in nearby Nazareth confirms the Moravians' claim that women and men were equally intelligent; hence, women deserved a comparable education.Aimed at an audience of general readers as well as music scholars, "Music, Women, and Pianos" offers fresh insights into American upper-and middle-class gender roles, the origins of middle-class music instruction, and the importance of women's contribution to society. This book, which contains more than fifty illustrations, furnishes the historical, cultural, and educational material necessary for interdisciplinary study drawing on nineteenth-century American history, education, music education, and women's studies. Jewel A. Smith is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati.