Listening to music within the home was something that was deeply cherished
among Victorians of all social classes. In a world that was limited to objects
such as music boxes to reproduce sounds in the home, live music was especially appealing. Many forms of outside entertainment were sought after, but attending these events could prove inconvenient
given New England's challenging weather and limited transportation options. Naturally, it made
sense to bring the entertainment into one's home, thereby giving rise to the presence of a “music room” within many upper-class Victorian
houses. At the Gibson House, the music room is the
most lavish room and was a place where the Gibson family regularly entertained
guests and friends.
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| Mason & Hamlin Symmetrigrand Piano, 1908 Gibson House Museum (2006.08) |
The piano became an especially fashionable
musical instrument to
possess, either an upright or a baby grand, depending
on the wealth of the family. Since at the time many popular songs were made available in sheet music form, amateur
musicians could play to their guests and family. There is quite an extensive
collection of sheet music at the Gibson House Museum, collected over the years by the family. Along with individual pieces, there are bound albums containing a number of
miscellaneous works, such as polka
music and waltzes. The majority of the
music is from the late nineteenth
through the early twentieth centuries (1879–1934),
and was largely published in Boston. (The name Oliver Ditson & Co. appears often,
indicating it was, perhaps, the family’s company of choice when purchasing new music.) The Gibson family’s
music collection contains many pieces by well-known classical composers, including
works like
Fugue in G Minor (The Little) by J. S. Bach and Danse Polonaise by Xaver Schwarwenka, which
you can listen to here and here.
