“Without music, life would be a blank to me.”
― Jane Austen, Emma
Inquiring readers: This information came from a JASNA Zoom discussion from a “Music and Jane Austen” Roundtable where presenters from the 2021 AGM in Chicago talked about their “Jane Austen and the Arts” presentations. Listeners were encouraged to ask questions. When someone asked about Jane Austen’s music preferences, we were referred to the Internet Archive, where the family’s music books were digitised by the Library Digitisation Unit of the University of Southampton (created November 18, 2015).
Screenshot of the Austen family music books on The Internet Archive
Description of the music books from The Internet Archive:
This collection consists of eighteen printed and manuscript music books owned by members of the Austen family, including the writer Jane Austen, in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Many are binder’s volumes, compiled from separate manuscript or printed sheet music items bound together for an individual user. Others are personal manuscript albums made wholly or principally by a single copyist. Although some volumes were compiled as early as the 1750s, the majority date from Jane Austen’s lifetime (1775-1817). Austen made or used several of the books, and she was probably familiar with music collected by other family members. Find the rest of the description on The Internet Archive. Click here.“
“I shall be most happy to play to you both,” said Miss Crawford; “at least as long as you can like to listen: probably much longer, for I dearly love music myself, and where the natural taste is equal the player must always be best off, for she is gratified in more ways than one.”
― Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
Other music posts on this blog:
Jane Austen's World 
What a wonderful collection.
denise
Yes, what a treasure trove to share online! I love the Internet Archive and have supported it by visiting the site and donating funds.
I agree. I have mentioned before that I’m intrigued with the music of the era. What a marvelous collection this is and so cool that we can see these Austen family primary sources for ourselves via the internet. Thanks for sharing them!
Kevin, you are welcome. I am listening to some of the music in these Austen music books and will write a post later about some of the more obscure (today) composers that Austen loved.