University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2014 FROM PIANO GIRL TO PROFESSIONAL: THE CHANGING FORM OF MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT THE NASHVILLE FEMALE ACADEMY, WARD’S SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AND THE WARD- BELMONT SCHOOL, 1816-1920 Erica J. Rumbley University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Rumbley, Erica J., "FROM PIANO GIRL TO PROFESSIONAL: THE CHANGING FORM OF MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT THE NASHVILLE FEMALE ACADEMY, WARD’S SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AND THE WARD-BELMONT SCHOOL, 1816-1920" (2014). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 24. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/24 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Erica J. Rumbley, Student Dr. Ron Pen, Major Professor Dr. David Sogin, Director of Graduate Studies FROM PIANO GIRL TO PROFESSIONAL: THE CHANGING FORM OF MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT THE NASHVILLE FEMALE ACADEMY, WARD’S SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AND THE WARD-BELMONT SCHOOL, 1816-1920 ______________________________________________ DISSERTATION _______________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Music at the University of Kentucky By Erica Rumbley Lexington, KY Director: Dr. Ron Pen, Professor of Musicology Lexington, KY ©Erica Rumbley 2014 __________________________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION FROM PIANO GIRL TO PROFESSIONAL: THE CHANGING FORM OF MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT THE NASHVILLE FEMALE ACADEMY, WARD’S SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AND THE WARD-BELMONT SCHOOL, 1816- 1920 During the nineteenth century middle and upper-class women in Nashville and the surrounding region occupied a clearly defined place within society, and their social and academic education was designed to prepare them for that place. Even as female education gradually became more progressive in the later nineteenth-century, its scope was still limited by gender roles and expectations. Parents wanted their daughters to learn proper social graces, and “ornamental” studies such as music, needlework, and painting were a large part of their education. As the nineteenth gave way to the early twentieth- century, the focus of women’s education began to shift, with more scholarly subjects added to the list of studies and more career choices open to women. Women became empowered in new ways through the women’s suffrage movement and sought to use their new freedom to pursue higher education and academic careers. Female education mirrored the changing status of women in general, and music, in particular, provides a unique perspective on the changing role of women in American society during this time. This study focuses on three schools in Nashville, Tennessee, a city which provides an excellent example of the formation and development of women’s education in female academies and seminaries, as well as being a cultural center of the South. The music programs at the Nashville Female Academy, Ward’s Seminary for Young Ladies, and the Ward-Belmont School for Girls are studied in order to demonstrate how the level of instruction changed over time, mirroring similar changes in society as a whole. Recital programs, instruction books, and biographies of faculty members all help to develop a picture of the music education students received. As changes in repertoire, faculty, and coursework from the mid-nineteenth-century into the twentieth century are discovered, connections emerge between female music education in Nashville and the status of women across America. KEYWORDS: Female Education, Music Education, Nashville, Cultural History, Gender studies FROM PIANO GIRL TO PROFESSIONAL: THE CHANGING FORM OF MUSIC INSTRUCTION AT THE NASHVILLE FEMALE ACADEMY, WARD’S SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AND THE WARD-BELMONT SCHOOL, 1816-1920 By Erica Joy Rumbley _____Dr. Ron Pen____ _____ Director of Dissertation _____Dr. David Sogin ______ Director of Graduation Studies ___ April 24, 2014________ Date Soli Deo Gloria ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although the following work was an individual project, it greatly benefited from the direction and aid of several people. First, my Thesis Chair, Dr. Ron Pen, provided great encouragement, insight and support. I would also like to thank my committee members and outside reader: Dr. Michael Baker, Dr. Lance Brunner, Dr. Diana Hallman, Dr. Ann Kingsolver, and Dr. Amy Murrel Taylor. I am also indebted to the staff of the Tennessee State Library and Archives, Dr. Mary Ann Pethel, archivist at the Harpeth Hall School, and Dr. Judy Williams, archivist at Belmont University. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Shadinger of Belmont University for allowing me to consult his research while preparing this dissertation. On a more personal level, I am forever indebted to my parents, Dan and Jan Rumbley, who were always there to encourage me when the task seemed impossible, and to my sister and brother-in-law, Erin and Rodger Doss, who also gave me much necessary support, especially during the difficult process of formatting the Table of Contents. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank Jesus Christ for giving me the gift of music and the desire and ability to further my education in this way. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements iii List of Figures vi Chapter One: Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem 6 Review of the Literature 8 Methodology and Organization 14 Delimitations and Significance 16 Chapter Two: Historical Overview of Female Education 18 The Beginning of Women’s Education in America 20 Southern Ideals of Women’s Education 29 Early Applied Study at Female Schools 31 Broadening of Female Education 38 Females in Academic and Professional Careers 43 Chapter Three: Cultural Life in Nashville 50 Early Education in Nashville 63 Musical Life in Antebellum Nashville 69 Musical Life in Post-bellum Nashville 79 Chapter Four: The Nashville Female Academy 86 Early Years at the Academy 86 The Elliott Years 95 Faculty 102 Music Curriculum at the Academy 108 Dancing 126 The Nashville Female Academy and the Civil War 131 Chapter Five: W.E. Ward’s Seminary for Young Ladies 135 Ward’s Seminary for Young Ladies 141 Musical Studies at Ward’s Seminary 145 Music Faculty at Ward’s Seminary 159 Music Curriculum at Ward’s Seminary 172 Chapter Six: Ward-Belmont 202 The Creation of Ward-Belmont 207 Musical Life at Ward-Belmont 210 Music Faculty at Ward-Belmont 223 Music Curriculum at Ward-Belmont 234 Chapter Seven: Conclusions 249 Contributions and Suggestions for Further Research 253 iv References 258 Vita 268 v List of Figures Figure 1, Senior Class Song……………………………………………………..199 vi Chapter One: Introduction August 18, 1920. On a hot, muggy day in Nashville, Tennessee, the course of American history was about to be irrevocably changed. The eyes of the nation were on the Tennessee House of Representatives, where a majority vote could make Tennessee the thirty-sixth and final state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote. Local, state, and national suffrage and anti-suffrage leaders had been fiercely campaigning for months, and each side accused the other of bribery and foul play. In a packed and breathless auditorium, the vote was cast. As the roll call was made, it slowly became evident that the majority would be in favor of granting women the vote. A margin of 49 to 47 was all it took to give women in the United States the right to vote, which brought new independence and political power and helped to alter the role of women in American society.1 Just what had transpired to bring the nation to this pivotal moment? How had Nashville, Tennessee, the self-claimed “Athens of the South” and a bastion of Southern culture, become the site of this historic vote? As with any single moment in history, women’s suffrage had not risen overnight. It had taken decades, nearly a century, of hard work, intense campaigns, and careful planning for women to gain the vote, and throughout the process they had earned many other rights and responsibilities. One of the most important was the advancement of women’s education, which had slowly been accepted as foundation for the functioning of society.