Posted by Caroline on July 20, 1997 at 09:47:40:
In reply to Men Making Music? posted by Kelley on July 20, 1997 at 01:30:48
] I've been wondering about this for some time. Did Regency men ever receive music lessons or was that simply a "female" activity? Most of the composers, if not all, at the time were male. However, we never read of Darcy, Knightley, Wentworth, etc. pulling out the sheet music for some rousing entertainment. Frank Churchill sings, but that seems to be about it. Any clues?
Yes, they did. The Duke of Wellington was an ardent violin player in his youth. He took after his father, a musical genius, who frittered away a large part of the family fortune by maintaining an orchestra to play his own compositions in benefit concerts. The Prince Regent was also very musical, as was his father before him. I get the feeling that the men tended towards strings, women piano and harp, but I cannot justify that.
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