Snippets of Georgian Pop Music by Lady Georgianna

Jane Austen is known to have played classical music on the pianoforte and attended classical concerts. However, there existed a more light-hearted, teasing, popular style of music in the Georgian times that you may not be aware of: the music of the pleasure gardens of London, which reminds one of various scenes in Fanny Burney’s Evelina with its rogues and harlots.

Image from http://www.lady-g.co.uk/.

The newest issue of Jane Austen’s Regency World (52) writes about an 18th-century girl band called Lady Georgianna (purposefully with two n’s to differentiate themselves from Lady Georgiana Cavendish, a famous 18th-century socialite). The band consists of three members who dress up in elaborate, 18th-century costumes to perform pop music of the Georgian times:

• Allegra (Abigail Seabrook) – Mezzo Soprano
• Isabella Wrighten (Hetti Price) – Cello
• Signora Storace (Micaela Smitz) – Harpsichord

To get a feel of the humorous, light-hearted music performed by this fun-loving group of musicians, click http://www.lady-g.co.uk/media/audio. The group will be performing at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath this September, so some of you may get the opportunity to hear them live.