Jane Austen

During the time when Jane Austen was writing her novels, good pianoforte playing was regarded as an essential part of a young lady’s education. There was a demand for printed music, affordable instruments and music lessons. Music publishing became a thriving industry, producing books, journals and catalogues, methods, lessons and collections of music for harpsichord or piano by leading composers of the day. Music could be borrowed from visiting libraries and copied at leisure. Jane Austen's niece Caroline, writing in 1867, recalled that she

"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 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 – I liked to stand by her and listen to them; but the music would now be thought disgracefully easy - much that she played was from manuscript, copied out by herself – and so neatly and correctly that it was as easy to read as print. "