Pride and Pianism: Why 18th-Century Women Were Expected to Learn the Piano

Reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice as a pianist, there was always one part that caught my eye.

In it, Mr. Darcy is conversing with Elizabeth before he is forced to respond to his aunt, Lady Catherine. He begins to describe to her how his sister Georgiana was especially dedicated to practicing the piano, to which Lady Catherine replies: 

“I often tell young ladies, that no excellence in music is to be acquired without constant practice. I have told Miss Bennet several times, that she will never play really well, unless she practises more…”

Reading this, I always assumed Lady Catherine’s harsh remarks towards Elizabeth (Miss Bennett) were simply critiques of her musical capabilities. It would be some years later–listening to Hilary Hahn’s recording of Mozart’s Violin Sonatas–that I discovered there was something more to the scene than just that. 

In the last two tracks of her album, Hahn describes how, in the 18th century, the piano was typically assigned to women while the violin was assigned to men. This was partly due to how each instrument was played: because it would’ve been immodest at the time for a woman to raise her arms holding the violin, she was given the piano, where she could sit demurely, fully concentrated on the music. 

But beyond aesthetics, it was also important for a woman to master the instrument because it implied she could dedicate herself to learning a craft. It also implied that her family was rich and cultured enough to afford lessons from a respected piano teacher. These two things were desirable, as they increased the woman’s chances of attracting a suitor. 

With this in mind, you can likely now see the bold social statement Austen was making in having her protagonist, Elizabeth, a less-than-ideal pianist.

Just one way knowing your music history can inform your understanding of literary classics.