Fadettes of Boston
| Fadettes of Boston | |
|---|---|
| All-women orchestra | |
 The Gartland March, by Victor G. Boehnlein, 1907 "Featured from Coast to Coast with Tremendous Success by the Famous FADETTES WOMAN'S ORCHESTRA" | |
| Former name | Fadettes Ladies' Orchestra |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Disbanded | 1920 |
The Fadettes of Boston (1888 – c. 1920) was an all-women orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, and directed by Caroline B. Nichols. Originally the Boston Fadette Lady Orchestra, it was named after the titular character of George Sand's novel La Petite Fadette and challenged gender norms of the time. Due to a contract with vaudeville manager B.F. Keith signed in 1898, the orchestra performed an estimated 6,000 concerts between 1890 and 1920.
Early history
[edit]
In 1888, Caroline B. Nichols, along with five of her friends, established the Fadette Ladies' Orchestra.[1] The group incorporated in 1895 as "the Fadettes of Boston",[2] named after Fanchon Fadette, the titular character of George Sand's novel La Petite Fadette.[3] The name was chosen for the orchestra as, like the character herself, they strived to bring happiness to listeners.[4] The original group of 6 expanded to 20 by 1898,[5] with players including violinists, violists, and drummers.[6] Nichols was in charge of the orchestra for 30 years, having musically and professionally trained over 600 women.[7]
In 1898, vaudeville manager B.F. Keith booked them into his theatres across the United States. According to Nichols, between 1890 and 1920 the Fadettes gave over 6,000 concerts, half of them as headliners in first-class vaudeville theatres.[5] At a concert in Pittsburgh in 1902, for instance, the Fadettes played marches, waltzes, songs and arias by Frederick Field Bullard, Daniel Auber, Karl Michael Ziehrer, George M. Rosey, and Victor G. Boehnlein, among others.[8][9] The group also performed at the Los Angeles Orpheum.[10]
Performance style
[edit]The Fadettes of Boston originally resembled the club model ensemble, which included women of a select community and did not normally tour due to a large number of the women having families of their own.[11] At the time, many orchestral instruments were considered unbefitting of women, thus the band was challenging gender norms. The performers "wore shimmery gowns."[12] Among the musicians were Annie Andros Hawley,[13] Mildred Rogers,[9] and violinist Lillian Thain.[14]
Media
[edit]-
Portrait of Carrie Nichols, conductor, ca.1897 -
Portrait of Ethel Atwood, orchestra founder, business manager and musician, ca.1893 -
Entrance to Keith's Theatre, Boston, with poster for the Fadettes, 1906 -
Newspaper spread about the Fadettes, Pittsburgh Press, 1909 -
Detail of promotional brochure, 1910 -
![Label of a Berliner Gramophone record; "Morning Serenade", played by the original quartet and recorded in Aug 10, 1897[15]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Morning_Serenade%2C_Berliner.png/120px-Morning_Serenade%2C_Berliner.png)
Label of a Berliner Gramophone record; "Morning Serenade", played by the original quartet and recorded in Aug 10, 1897[15]
![Label of a Berliner Gramophone record; "Morning Serenade", played by the original quartet and recorded in Aug 10, 1897[15]](/wiki/File:Morning_Serenade,_Berliner.png?lang=en)
Variant names
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Edwards 2015, p. 19.
- ^ "The Fadettes Womans Orchestra of Boston brochure" (PDF). University of Iowa Libraries. c. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016.
- ^ Macera, Rosaria (1996). The Unfinished Symphony (PDF).
- ^ Edwards 2015, p. 20.
- ^ a b Tick, Judith (1973). "Women as Professional Musicians in the United States, 1870-1900". Anuario Interamericano de Investigacion Musical. 9: 95–133.
- ^ Frances E. Willard (1897), Occupations for women: A book of practical suggestions, for the material advancement, the mental and physical development, and the moral and spiritual uplift of women, New York: The Success Company, OCLC 2665928, OL 24361133M
- ^ Mary Brown Hinely (April 1984). "The Uphill Climb of Women in American Music: Performers and Teachers". Music Educators Journal. 70 (8): 31–35.
- ^ Boehnlein. Victor G. The Gartland March. n.d. Boston, MA: Walter Jacobs, 1907. Print.
- ^ a b "Fadettes win approbation: women's orchestra delights admirers of good music at exposition". The Pittsburgh Press. September 20, 1902.
- ^ Singer, Stan (February 1992). "Vaudeville in Los Angeles, 1910-1926: Theaters, Management, and the Orpheum". Pacific Historical Review. 61 (1): 103–113.
- ^ Edwards 2015, pp. 13–14, 17.
- ^ Macleod, Beth Abelson (1993). "'Whence Comes the Lady Tympanist?' Gender and Instrumental Musicians in America, 1853-1990". Journal of Social History. 27 (2): 291–308. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Sketches of representative women of New England, Boston: New England Historical Pub. Co., 1904, OCLC 123500907, OL 7194233M
- ^ "The Final Curtain". Billboard. Vol. 55, no. 36. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 4, 1943. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Berliner matrix 830. Morning serenade / Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ WorldCat. Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette. Morning Serenade, recorded on Aug. 10, 1897.
- ^ Fadette Ladies' Orchestra, no.25 Winter Street. Boston Almanac, 1894
- ^ "Fadette Ladies' Orchestra ... Mrs. Carrie B. Nichols as leader and Miss Ethel Atwood business manager." cf. Public Opinion v.14, no.1, Oct. 8, 1892
Citations
[edit]- Edwards, Anna (2015). "Gender and the Symphonic Conductor". University of Washington.
Further reading
[edit]
- "Fadettes took name from a Sands novel." The Pittsburgh Press - Jun 16, 1907
- Blanche Naylor, The Anthology of the Fadettes. Boston, 1937.
External links
[edit]- Johns Hopkins University, Levy Sheet Music Collection. Marie Louka (composer). The Fadettes; March & Two-Step. Philadelphia: World Publishing Co., 1904. "Dedicated to Mrs. Caroline B. Nichols, Director of the Fadettes of Boston, The Famous Ladies' Orchestra."
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