Emily Dickinson's Music Book and the Musical Life of an American Poet
eBook - PDF

Emily Dickinson's Music Book and the Musical Life of an American Poet

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Emily Dickinson's Music Book and the Musical Life of an American Poet

About this book

After years of studying piano as a young woman in her family home in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson curated her music book, a common practice at the time. Now part of the Dickinson Collection in the Houghton Library of Harvard University, this bound volume of 107 pieces of published sheet music includes the poet's favorite instrumental piano music and vocal music, ranging from theme and variation sets to vernacular music, which was also enjoyed by the family's servants.

Offering a fresh historical perspective on a poetic voice that has become canonical in American literature, this original study brings this artifact to life, documenting Dickinson's early years of musical study through the time her music was bound in the early 1850s, which tellingly coincided with the writing of her first poems. Using Dickinson's letters and poems alongside newspapers and other archival sources, George Boziwick explores the various composers, music sellers, and publishers behind this music and Dickinson's attendance at performances, presenting new insights into the multiple layers of meaning that music held for her.

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Yes, you can access Emily Dickinson's Music Book and the Musical Life of an American Poet by George Boziwick in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Literary Criticism in Poetry. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Prelude
  9. Chapter 1: Childhood
  10. Chapter 2: School Days
  11. Chapter 3: The Avid Music Collector
  12. Chapter 4: The Age of the Virtuosi
  13. Chapter 5: Home Music-Making
  14. Chapter 6: Edward Dickinson
  15. Chapter 7: Music-Making and the Dickinson Family Correspondence
  16. Chapter 8: The American Political Struggle
  17. Chapter 9: Fiddle Tunes, Minstrel Music, and Musical Borrowing
  18. Chapter 10: The Poetry Takes Hold
  19. Chapter 11: Hymns and Ballads: More Musical Borrowings
  20. Chapter 12: The White Dress
  21. Postlude: ā€œMusicians Wrestle Everywhereā€
  22. Appendix A: Contents Listing of Emily Dickinson’s Bound Volume of Sheet Music
  23. Notes
  24. Index
  25. Back Cover