Kristina Marie Guiguet. The Ideal World of Mrs. Widder's Soirée Musicale: Social Identity and Musical Life in Nineteenth-Century Ontario. Mercury Series, Cultural Studies Paper 77. Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2004. xvi, 154 pp. ISBN 0-660-19344-2 (paperback)

Abstract

Kristina Marie Guiguet. The Ideal World of Mrs. Widder's Musicale: Social Identity and Musical Life in Nineteenth-Century Ontario. Mercury Series, Cultural Studies Paper 77. Gatineau, QC: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2004. xvi, 154 pp. ISBN 0-660-19344-2 (paperback). The phrase Soiree likely evokes for many readers associations of rigid social conventions, dilettantish amateurism, and outmoded customs. But in its heyday during mid- to late-nineteenth century, Musicale was widespread and well loved feature of social and musical life throughout English-speaking world. It provided an opportunity for professionals to display their prowess, hoping perhaps to gain new pupils thereby, and it afforded amateurs chance to entertain their friends in socially approved setting. Despite ubiquity of this phenomenon, there exists almost no scholarship on it. This book, an engaging and well written interdisciplinary study that concentrates on single such event that took place in Toronto, thus fills an important need and represents pioneering attempt at understanding various social, musical, economic, political, and cultural ramifications of Musicale. The book is an edited version of author' s MA thesis in history, which in 2003 won Carleton University's Medal for Outstanding Graduate Work at master's level. The author is professional singer by training, with credits ranging from classical recitals to original Canadian cast recording of Phantom of Opera. She is also tireless historical researcher. Drawing on scholarship in Canadian history, musicology, women's history, cultural studies, and local history of Toronto, Guiguet has pieced together comprehensive account of many shades of significance folded into Musicale that took place on March 12th, 1844 at Lyndhurst, residence of Frederick and Elizabeth Jane Widder (the house was on Front Street and later became mother house of Loretto Abbey; site is currently occupied by offices of Globe and Mail). The program of this event was first brought to notice by Michael J. Rudman in an article on James Dodsley Humphreys, professional musician who took part in, and may have organized, Widders' event.3 According to Guiguet, this event was the earliest-known domestic Musicale in what is now Ontario (p. xiii). She first defines Musicale as a posh, private party at which formal concert, complete with printed programs, was performed (p. xiv). By end of book, more detailed description emerges: it was a concentrated of music making which placed spotlight on each of its constituent features: amateur performance by ladies, amateur performance by gentlemen, professional performance by male musicians, combination of unlike musical genres, and domestic venue for formal concert. Each feature existed elsewhere in musical life of period, but juxtaposed in same program, they created Musicale as form (p. 116). Drawing on Christopher Small's concept of musicking,4 Guiguet observes near start of her book that Music itself is pure abstraction, but every time it is heard, words of its songs, visual aspect of its performance, and imaginative worlds of those who participate in making and hearing it, imbue sound of music itself with layers of social (p. 14). Elaborating upon this idea, Guiguet provides here minute analysis not just of program of musical selections heard in this Musicale, but also of performers and their inter-relationships, of musical and social aspirations of Elizabeth Jane Widder, and of business goals of Frederick Widder and how these may have been furthered by Musicale. Guiguet manages to extract world of meaning from this particular grain of sand, and in doing so she throws light not just on Widders and their social circles, but also on Musicale phenomenon itself. …