Music the Brontë Sisters May Have Known
Music in the Brontë Sisters’ World
Music and musical appreciation were, in the time of the Brontë sisters, considered to be part of the general set of “feminine accomplishments”. As the daughters of an Anglican clergyman, Charlotte, Anne and Emily Brontë would have been familiar with the church music of the time. This playlist features King’s College Choir, Cambridge, and other choirs performing music that Charlotte and her sisters may have known, as well as more recent pieces in similar style. (This is a long playlist, so do not feel obligated to listen to the whole thing; it is, however, perfect to play in the background while you read.)
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If you found this selection of music that may have influenced the Brontë sisters to be helpful in understanding or imagining the world in which they lived and wrote, you may enjoy some of our other Introduction to Literature (E1) videos.
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When will you read Charlotte Brontë’s writing in Excellence in Literature?
E1.4 Honors text: Villette, or another work by Charlotte Brontë
E4.8 Focus text: Wuthering Heights
E4.8 Context reading: “No Coward Soul Is Mine”
E4.8 Honors text: Jane Eyre (if you did not read it earlier)
