'Softly gentleman-like': Music, identity, and courtship in the diaries and music books of Anne Lister Rachel Cowgill, Lisa Timbs and Constance Halstead
Event details
Anne Lister, the lesbian diarist of Halifax (1791 to 1840), spent much of her time among polite society in York. Although she is known the world over for her words, she was also a committed musician and music-making played an important role for her in socialising and courtship.
Join Rachel Cowgill, Lisa Timbs and Constance Halstead of the University of York as they explore the music Anne Lister knew and loved from her own collections.
‘Softly Gentleman-Like: Anne Lister's music’ is one of a number of events taking place as part of a special edition of YorkTalks. Celebrating University of York’s research at its best, we invite you to explore a dynamic landscape of curated talks, live performances and hands-on activities staged in the historic Heslington Hall and its grounds on the theme Heritage Reframed.
About the speakers
Rachel Cowgill is Professor of Music and Director of the Humanities Research Centre at the University of York and a specialist in gender and performance in late Georgian British musical culture.
Constance Halstead is the Sally Wainwright PhD Scholar at the University of York’s Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, investigating the materiality and enigmatic written forms of Lister’s journal and how she drew on and developed 18th-century conventions of diary writing.
Lisa Timbs is a pianist and historical milliner. She specialises in the research and performance of music from domestic collections such as those belonging to the Austen and Lister families. In the autumn she will be joining the University of York to study for a PhD on Anne Lister and Music.
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