Edge Rewrite
restyle Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

Jump to content

Fadettes of Boston

Add links
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fadettes of Boston
All-women orchestra
A black-and-white photograph of an all-female orchestra, whose members are dressed in black dresses
The Fadettes, c. 1897
Former nameFadettes Ladies' Orchestra
FoundedOctober 1, 1888 (1888-10-01)
Disbanded1927 (1927)
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, US
Concert hall
Keith's Theatre
Music director
Caroline B. Nichols

The Fadettes of Boston was an all-women orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded by Caroline B. Nichols and Ethel Atwood, it was formed on October 1, 1888, as the Fadette Ladies' Orchestra, named after the titular character of George Sand's novel La Petite Fadette. The Fadettes, among other female-only orchestras, challenged gender norms of the 19th and 20th centuries, as many orchestral instruments were deemed inappropriate for women to play.

The ensemble originally comprised a small group of women from a given community who rarely went on tour, but as the Fadettes grew in size and popularity, they played for paying audiences and toured across the United States and Canada. Between 1890 and 1920, the Fadettes performed at an estimated 6,000 concerts, largely due to a contract with vaudeville manager B.F. Keith signed in 1898. In 1897, Atwood attempted to sell the right to use the orchestra's name to the plaintiff, but the name was deemed non-transferrable, and the court determined that Atwood, not the members, owned the group's name.

The orchestra's success led to the incorporation of some of the Fadettes into the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Keith's Theatre, and women horn players especially became more prevalent. The orchestra also gave away over $500,000 to more than 600 female musicians from 1888 to 1920. After the orchestra stopped touring in 1918, Nichols's interest in the use of music in silent films led them to accompany movies that screened in New York and Boston theaters, including the Roxy Theatre. After an infrequent concert schedule in the early 1920s, the Fadettes of Boston disbanded in 1927.

Background and history

[edit]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, women faced discrimination in the music industry;[1] according to Anna Macleod, women were allowed to play music, but their choice of instruments was severely limited.[2] Instruments such as pianos, guitars, and harps were tolerated due to their delicate sound equivalent to the soprano voice.[2] Additionally, these types of instruments, as noted by Maureen Buja of Interlude, did not interfere with the graceful image that women were expected to portray,[3] and Macleod states that the instruments did not ruin their "natural and graceful" postures.[4] Other late 19th-century writers attributed the characteristics of music, such as being the "interpreter and language of the emotions", to women.[4] On the other hand, according to classical music critic John Sullivan Dwight, string instruments such as violins, violas, and cellos were seen as inappropriate for women to play.[5] Additionally, Prussian composer Gustave Kerker, writing for the Musical Standard, discouraged women from playing wind and brass instruments,[6] and women were told that they were not strong or skilled enough for larger instruments such as tubas and drums.[7]

This discrimination led to the rise of all-women orchestras,[3] originally known as lady orchestras, with some of the earliest known examples being the Vienna Ladies Orchestra in 1867,[1] alongside others in New York City and Boston that were formed in the early 1870s.[3] American musicologist Judith Tick, as well as Christine Ammer in Unsung: A History of Women in American Music (2001), note that the popularity of lady orchestras stemmed from their exploitation of gender discrimination by playing instruments that were typically reserved for men.[8][9][10] One of the more notable women's ensembles was the Fadette Ladies' Orchestra,[a] established on October 1, 1888, by conductor and violinist Caroline B. Nichols[b] and musician Ethel Atwood,[15][16][17] making Nichols one of the first female orchestra conductors in the United States.[18] Nichols was previously a founder of and violinist for the Marion Osgood Ladies Orchestra, which she left after deeming the orchestra's rules too restrictive.[19][20][21]

The group was incorporated in 1895 as the Fadettes of Boston, named after Fanchon Fadette, the titular character of George Sand's novel La Petite Fadette. The name was chosen for the orchestra, as, like the character herself, they strived to bring happiness to their audience.[22][23] Originally a sextet, the number of members rose to 20 by 1898,[6] the same year B.F. Keith booked the group into his theatres.[18] The orchestra toured across the United States and Canada,[1][15] and included violinists, violists, and drummers,[24] as well as musicians such as Annie Andros Hawley,[25] Mildred Rogers,[26] and violinist Lillian Thain.[27] Nichols was in charge of the orchestra for 30 years, having musically and professionally trained over 600 women.[28]

Court case

[edit]

A landmark Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts case arose in 1897 (Messer v. The Fadettes, 168 Mass. 140, 46 N.E. 407)[29] concerning the legality of the orchestra's name at the time, the "Fadette Ladies Orchestra". Atwood attempted to sell the right to use the orchestra's name to the plaintiff, Messer, who brought a bill to enjoin Atwood from using a similar name,[13] "The Fadettes".[30] Additionally, the orchestra's name was deemed non-transferable as it was for personal trade.[29] The court determined that Atwood, not the members, owned the group's name,[31] and that the musicians Atwood employed could not "be put in control of any other person", citing the Thirteenth Amendment in their rationale.[32] American jurisprudence has cited the Messer v. The Fadettes case regarding the protection of musical group names against unauthorized use and unfair competition.[13][29][31]

Keith's Theatre

[edit]
A newspaper spread featuring black-and-white photographs of women
Newspaper spread about the Fadettes performing in vaudeville, Pittsburgh Press, 1909

According to Nichols, the Fadettes gave over 6,000 concerts between 1890 and 1920,[18] with half of them as headliners in first-class vaudeville theatres.[3][18] 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, and George M. Rosey, among others.[26] The group also performed at the Los Angeles Orpheum,[33] and at Keith's Theatre, members of the Fadettes replaced Boston Symphony Orchestra members during performances.[15][34] The Fadettes of Boston stopped touring in 1918;[20] around that year, their music accompanied films that played in Boston and New York theatres,[35] including the Roxy Theatre.[18] This change was due to Nichols's growing curiosity about musical accompaniment for silent films.[35] From 1888 to 1920, the Fadettes donated over $500,000 ($17.9 million in 2025) to over 600 female musicians, but the Fadettes disbanded in 1927 following a sporadic concert schedule during the early 1920s.[17][36]

Performance style and legacy

[edit]

The Fadettes of Boston initially operated as a club of local women, but as it expanded, it began touring more regularly and performing for paying audiences.[37] The orchestra occasionally performed vaudeville acts;[38] vaudeville actor Joe Laurie Jr. described one in which the orchestra members left the stage and Nichols played ten instruments in their place.[18] The ensemble challenged gender norms; the performers wore white shimmery gowns, which were considered traditionally feminine,[20] while playing a wide variety of instruments considered unbefitting of women at the time.[39] Nichols was commemorated in a song called "The Fadette Two-Step",[40][41] and, in June 1952, nine of the Fadettes reunited in Boston to celebrate the golden jubilee of their first season with Keith.[42]

In 1919, women began entering men's orchestras,[3] and women's orchestras became more prominent around the 1920s and 1930s,[5] with women horn players in particular becoming more common.[6] The prevalence of women in the music industry led to subsequent shifts in women's uniforms, going from white dresses similar to what the Fadettes wore to more formal black outfits, hinting at a more refined and professional ensemble.[43] However, after the Fadettes of Boston was formed, gender discrimination in the music industry did not fully subside;[44] as noted by pianist Olga Samaroff, critics who did not like her music said that she "played like a woman".[45] Furthermore, major orchestras did not include women until the 1960s.[38]

Discography

[edit]

On August 10, 1897, when the orchestra was known as the Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette, they recorded at least three songs on Berliner Records: "Oh, paradise!", "Morning serenade", and "Sweet and low".[14] The orchestra also performed "The Gartland March",[3] which was originally composed by Victor G. Boehnlein in 1906.[46]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Also known as the Boston Fadette Lady Orchestra,[11] Fadette Woman's Orchestra,[12] the Fadette Ladies Orchestra,[13] and the Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette[14]
  2. ↑ Her surname was misspelled as Nicholas by Maureen Buja (2018).[3]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Jagow 1998, pp. 126–145.
  2. 1 2 Macleod 1993, pp. 291–292.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Buja, Maureen (February 27, 2018). "Playing Together – Women's Orchestras and Women in Orchestras". Interlude. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Macleod 1993, p. 292.
  5. 1 2 Macleod 1993, p. 291.
  6. 1 2 3 Jenkins 2016, p. 27.
  7. ↑ Ammer 2001, p. 122.
  8. ↑ Tick 1973, p. 103.
  9. ↑ Bowers & Tick 1987, p. 329.
  10. ↑ Ammer 2001, p. 123.
  11. ↑ Tick 1973, p. 101.
  12. ↑ "The Fadettes Womans Orchestra of Boston brochure" (PDF). University of Iowa Libraries. c. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 Wright 1929, p. 232.
  14. 1 2 "Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Ammer 2001, p. 124.
  16. ↑ Messer v. Fadettes, 168 Mass. 140 (1897), archived from the original on September 14, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Mitchell 2014, p. 26.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tick 1973, p. 102.
  19. ↑ Santella, Anna-Lise P. (February 24, 2010). "Nichols [Daniel], Caroline B.". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2085442. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. Retrieved October 8, 2018.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  20. 1 2 3 Howe 2013, p. 147.
  21. ↑ Edwards 2015, pp. 19–24.
  22. ↑ Spitzer 2012, p. 70.
  23. ↑ Edwards 2015, p. 20.
  24. ↑ Willard 1897, p. 236.
  25. ↑ New England Historical Pub. Co. 1904, p. 106.
  26. 1 2 "Fadettes win approbation: women's orchestra delights admirers of good music at exposition". The Pittsburgh Press. September 20, 1902.
  27. ↑ "The Final Curtain". Billboard. Vol. 55, no. 36. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 4, 1943. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510.
  28. ↑ Hinely 1984, pp. 31–35.
  29. 1 2 3 Messer 1966, p. 13.
  30. ↑ Messer 1966, p. 27.
  31. 1 2 Singer, Barbara 1992, p. 355.
  32. ↑ Messer 1966, p. 28.
  33. ↑ Singer 1992, pp. 103–113.
  34. ↑ "Keith's Theatre". The Cambridge Chronicle. Cambridge Public Library. May 31, 1902.
  35. 1 2 Spitzer 2012, p. 75.
  36. ↑ Edwards 2015, p. 23.
  37. ↑ Edwards 2015, pp. 13–14, 17, 20.
  38. 1 2 Mankiller 1998, p. 110.
  39. ↑ Macleod 1993, pp. 291–308.
  40. ↑ Louka, Marie (1904). "The Fadettes. March & Two-Step". Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2026. Dedicated to Mrs. Caroline B. Nichols, Director of the Fadettes of Boston, The Famous Ladies' Orchestra
  41. ↑ New England Historical Pub. Co. 1904, p. 163.
  42. ↑ Ammer 2001, p. 125.
  43. ↑ Macleod 1993, p. 299.
  44. ↑ Neff 2014.
  45. ↑ Macleod 1993, p. 293.
  46. ↑ Boehnlein, Victor G. (1906). "The gartland : march". Princeton University. Retrieved September 14, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Citations

[edit]
[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."
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fadettes_of_Boston&oldid=1376585186"