Austen Family Music Books
The Austen Family Music Books, a collection of 18 volumes of music, plus some loose sheets, belonging to Jane Austen and her extended family, were digitised in 2015 by the University of Southampton and are freely available on Internet Archive. Some of the music is printed, but much of it is manuscript copied by various members of the Austen family. There are approximately 158 pieces of music identified as copied in Jane Austen's own handwriting. (See notes below for searching tips.)
Two more volumes of Austen Family music books ('Rice 1' and 'Rice 2') not included in the digitisation project are held by the Blackie House Library and Museum in Edinburgh.
Cataloguing project
The University of Southampton Library created extensive album-level catalogue records for the music. However, to facilitate more detailed and specific searching, I undertook the separate cataloguing of each playable piece of music in the Austen Family Music Collections. Between December 2017 and August 2021 I created 526 separate catalogue entries, collecting as much information as I could about each piece of music. In particular, I was interested in dating the music as accurately as possible, and of course identifying the composers and lyricists, and if possible locating published versions from which the manuscript items were copied. Any further information or corrections will be welcome - please email me if there's something you think should be changed.
The catalogue records are on the University of Southampton Library Catalogue but they are also incorporated into the UK academic library catalogue JISC/COPAC, and in WorldCat. A search on "Austen Family Music Books" should find 551 records, and all but about 25 of them are the separate records I've created since December 2017.
To find individual items, a search on "Austen music" plus keywords from title or composer should be sufficient.
A small selection of items from the collection has been transcribed using Finale music notation software and is available at Flinders Academic Commons. The programs of concerts presented since 2008 are also available.
A complete list of the contents of the Austen music books is included as an appendix in Samantha Carrasco's PhD thesis The Austen Family Music Books and Hampshire Musical Culture 1770-1820 (University of Southampton, 2013), pp. 271-367.
Owners of volumes
As far as can be established, the principal owners or users of the various books are as follows:
Jane Austen
Juvenile Songs and Lessons for young beginners who don't know enough to practise - a collection of keyboard pieces written in Austen's handwriting, copied c.1790-1810. (CHWJA/19/02)
Songs and duetts - a collection of mainly vocal music dating from c.1790-1805. (CHWJA/19/03)
Bound collection of music beginning with a printed sonata by Clementi and containing a large number of manuscripts mainly in Jane Austen's hand, with other items by Elizabeth Austen nee Bridges and Fanny Knight. Copied c.1795-1810. (Jenkyns 03)
Songs: A musical miscellany - scrapbook style book of manuscript and print. Printed items were published from c.1780-c.1805, with most datable items appearing in print in the 1790s (CHWJA/19/07)
Single sheet containing incomplete songs (CHWJA/19/11) - MS also attributed by some to Eliza de Feuillide (or to both Eliza and Jane).
Single sheet containing incomplete songs and 'Savage Dance' (CHWJA/19/12) - MS also attributed by some to Eliza de Feuillide
Album of printed keyboard music by Pleyel and others (CHWJA/19/04)
Album of printed keyboard music by Sterkel, Schobert and others (CHWJA/19/05)
Songs - bound volume of printed vocal music including Canzonets by Jackson, 2 sets of Scots songs and Colin and Lucy by Giordani, c.1770-1783 (CHWJA/19/08)
Ann Cawley nee Cooper (Austen's school teacher and distant relation by marriage)
Eliza de Feuillide/Hancock (cousin and sister-in-law - 'Mrs Henry Austen' 1797-1813)
French Songs - Album of printed harp music dating from c1784-1789. (Knight 02)
Volume of printed French harp, keyboard and vocal music, published c.1785-1790 (Jenkyns 04)
Elizabeth Austen nee Bridges (sister-in-law - married to Edward Austen)
Cembalo - Album of printed keyboard music published c.1767-1795 (CHWJA/19/06)
Miscellany of vocal music copied c.1790-1799 (Jenkyns 02)
Single sheet containing two French songs by Stephen Storace (CHWJA/19/10)
Songs, duetts and glees (Rice 1) - not included in digitisation and catalogue project, and held by Blackie House Library and Museum, Edinburgh. Includes four songs in Jane Austen's handwriting. Information is available at Voewood Rare Books.
Eleanor Austen nee Jackson (sister-in-law - 'Mrs Henry Austen' from 1820)
Songs - manuscript book of songs published c.1795-1810 (Jenkyns 05)
Printed keyboard and harp music c.1800-1820 (Jenkyns 06)
Lizzy Knight (niece - second daughter of Elizabeth and Edward)
[Collection of songs, vocal duets and trios and pianoforte compositions] (Rice 2) - not included in digitisation and catalogue project, and held by Blackie House Library and Museum, Edinburgh. Information is available at Voewood Rare Books.
Cassandra and Louisa Knight (nieces - daughters of Elizabeth and Edward)
Manuscript dances arranged for keyboard, copied c.1823-1824 (not individually catalogued) (CHWJA/19/9)
Uncertain
Volume of printed keyboard and harp music c.1780-1815 (inscribed Cass. Eliz. Austen, JA's sister ) (Jenkyns 07)
Bound copy of Nicolai's six sonatas for piano forte or harpsichord, c.1790 (Inscribed Austen 1797) (Knight 01)
Notes on searching
A search on the University of Southampton Library Catalogue using the phrase ‘Austen Family Music Books’ combined with title keywords or names should bring up the required item with associated information and a link to the facsimile online. The current catalogue interface (as at September 2022) prompts for a password, offering an alternative option to ‘continue as guest’ to access only the library holdings. The latter alternative should be chosen. On the left of the screen, select 'Show all' under 'Search Result Display', and University of Southampton Library under 'Held by Library'. If a keyword search is not successful, try Advanced Search.
The links to catalogue searches for each volume were correct when inserted. However, they tend to be unstable and can sometimes return unexpected results. A search on the title and the catalogue code should produce a reasonably accurate result for each volume. Please contact me if you would like help with searching.
Transcripts
A selection of items have been transcribed using Finale music notation software and are available as PDFs at the Flinders Academic Commons.