Description
The British Catholic musician Marianne Davies (1743/4; bur. 1819) successfully navigated the perilous journey from child prodigy flautist to pioneering adult virtuosa of the glass harmonica, an instrument on which she became renowned. The means by which Marianne established and sustained a career that involved lengthy international touring has, however, received scant attention.An understudied letter-book held at the Dorset History Centre, UK, contains a startling collection of recommendation letters exchanged between eminent 18th century figures aimed to secure performance opportunities for Davies on the continent. The correspondence spans from 1767 to 1773, and demonstrates a geographical web of interaction that reached across Britain, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and Italy.
The letters reveal the skilful cultivation of a striking network of contacts, featuring eminent figures in the realms of nobility, science, diplomacy and the arts, a network that included Empress Maria Theresa, Johann Adolf Hasse, Laura Bassi Verati, Johann Christian Bach and Giuseppe Baretti. Carrying references to Marianne’s character both on a personal and professional level, her reputation, musicianship and the beguiling effect of the harmonica that she popularized, the letters provide rich primary source material that enables a vivid reconstruction of her entire career. Furthermore, the album may well provide a unique example documenting how female performers of the 18th century were promoted and described.
This paper focuses on how the letter-book can be analysed to reconstruct the rich tapestry of networks that supported Marianne Davies's career. Three key areas will be examined: the professional spheres of correspondents, different networking types and the emergence and interraction of correspondence pathways.
| Period | 2 Jun 2021 → 5 Jun 2021 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Musical Networking in the 'Long 19th Century': Croatian Musicological Society |
| Event type | Conference |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- recommendation
- network
- virtuosa
- correspondence
- pathways