The Domestic Pianist: The Impact of the Parlor Piano on Middle Class Domestic Life in Nineteenth Century America

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, the United States experienced dramatic growth in the middle class. These Americans had more disposable income which, when paired with new mass manufacturing, meant that commercialism was on the rise. Possessions had meaning and few carried as much meaning as the piano. In the middle class American home of the nineteenth century, the piano was central to family dynamics, interior design, and gender roles. The purpose of this paper is to uncover how the piano entered middle class homes and then simultaneously influenced and absorbed period societal expectations. In the past, historians have published extensive research on the piano’s physical evolution, from the simple clavichord to the modern concert grand, as well as its manufacturing history. However, little work has been done on the instrument’s social history. This paper looks at the piano as not merely an object, but as the centerpiece for family bonding, a symbol of wealth and sophistication, and a cornerstone in the lives of ordinary women. Through the examination of nineteenth century home journals, advice books, company catalogs, and advertisements, this piece illustrates the overwhelming influence that pianos had on peoples’ lives, impacting their interests, decisions, social image, and how they saw one another.