Managing Domestic Social Gatherings

This chapter explores the roles of women as hostess and musical impresario for domestic gatherings known as “at-home” in the second half of the nineteenth century. Drawing upon the prescriptions of contemporary etiquette books and sources of advice in music journals, belletristic literature, and the daily press, it considers her varied responsibilities as “generous authority” with particular attention to the events’ musical entertainment. We first study the performers and repertoires of musical at-homes and then turn our attention to the expectations for audiences and performers at nonmusical at-homes. From selecting programs for the music-based events to overseeing guests’manners during informal music making, the hostess held absolute sway within the domestic domain. A successful (i.e., pleasurable) at-home assisted the hostess in maintaining – even advancing – her status within the social hierarchy of the time, even as proper behavior at such affairs aided the aspirational ambitions of her guests.