Jacqueline Pelliccio

The Piano Forte in Pride and Prejudice

The characters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice partake in social performance through lies, exaggerations, and avoidances in order to maintain public decorum. The piano forte forces young women to both musically and socially perform from the initial request by another for them to play. It reveals the women’s musical talents as well as their skill in pleasantries and pretense. Compelled by propriety, the young ladies play the modest role of the ideal woman and constrain their true feelings to meet social standards by playing the piano when asked and being polite in uncomfortable situations. The piano acts as the center of performance in the novel and as a source of competition. The way women communicate with one another about playing the piano, through undeniable requests to perform, spiteful remarks, and insincere compliments, reveals the pressure they feel from social expectations and the differences in socioeconomic status amongst them.

Owning a piano signifies class and wealth. All the respectable ladies of society master playing the piano, as Austen and Catherine DeBourgh might suggest, but only wealthy families own such expensive and grand instruments. The wealthiest character in the novel, Lady Catherine, uses the piano to assert her dominance and demean others, all while maintaining a thin mask of propriety. Lady Catherine proposes, “Though Mrs. Collings has no instrument, she is very welcome, as I have often told her, to come to Rosings every day, and play on the pianoforte in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room” (Austen, 133). Offering her piano and home to another makes Lady Catherine appear to be a polite, generous woman, which is her precise intention. Owning a piano signifies wealth, so when Lady Catherine indicates that Mrs. Collins has no instrument, she implies that Mrs. Collins does not have a lot of money. In spite of Mrs. Collins’ modest wealthy, Lady Catherine willingly offers her use of a piano, which gives the wealthy woman a philanthropic quality. Lady Catherine invites Mrs. Collins to play the piano in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room, revealing to her guests that this specific instrument may be just one of several in her home, thereby increasing her status. The number of pianos a family owns remains directly proportional to their wealth. Mrs. Collins, who does not own any, then finds herself distanced that much further from Lady Catherine – the proud owner of potentially numerous pianos. The particular piano in Mrs. Jenkinson’s room happens to be out of the way, so Mrs. Collins would not be socializing with Lady Catherine when she came over, further asserting their class differences and inability to be social equals or close friends.

Playing the piano well indicates status and class. Young ladies of wealthy families would have more free time and opportunity to practice the piano and other instruments, allowing them to better develop their talents. Women emphasize these talents to highlight the accomplishments of their loved ones while concurrently demeaning those they hold in less favor. Lady Catherine expresses to Elizabeth, “Our instrument is a capital one, probably superior to-- --You shall try it some day” (126). Lady Catherine uses the instrument to compare social statuses between Elizabeth and herself. Consciously, she almost oversteps the social boundaries by explicitly stating her superiority over the Bennets. By stopping herself just before saying “yours,” Lady Catherine allows her guests to understand what she means and recognize her supremacy without being blatantly rude. She does not merely offer the use of her piano to Elizabeth, but Lady Catherine declares that she “shall” try it, taking away any power Elizabeth has to defend her family or avoid playing the instrument. Lady Catherine adds, “The Miss Webbs all play, and their father has not so good an income as yours” (126). Here, Lady Catherine suggests since Elizabeth’s family has more money than the Webbs, they should all be able to play the piano. Elizabeth’s economic status in comparison to her own is no excuse to Lady Catherine: the instrument should be mastered by the entire family without question. Wealth and musical talent indicate one another. Miss Bingley describes Miss Darcy: “Such countenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the piano forte is exquisite” (28). By grouping Miss Darcy’s musical talent with upper-class characteristics such as countenance, manners, and accomplishment, Miss Bingley identifies mastering the piano forte as an enviable attribute of high-class femininity that all should strive for. Therefore, all other women present have an inferior status to Miss Darcy (because of her talents) and Miss Bingley (because she noticed those talents).  

Because the model maiden of the time embodies modesty and submission, a woman cannot simply offer to display her talents without seeming conceited or assertive. Any performance must begin with a request for it. Charlotte asks Elizabeth to play the piano more than once before the inescapable acceptance, highlighting Elizabeth’s unwillingness to display her musical skill in front of such a high-class crowd. When Charlotte opens the piano, she tells Elizabeth, “You know what follows” (17). Charlotte, Elizabeth, and the rest of the group know only one event follows the opening of the piano -- Elizabeth playing. The predetermined nature of the request for a piano performance eliminates free will and any chance for Elizabeth to decline. The audience expects Elizabeth’s acceptance of the request, and Elizabeth, though uneager, feels compelled to meet their expectations and play. Austen exemplifies another one of these performance requests: “[Mr. Darcy] applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for an indulgence of some music. Miss Bingley moved with some alacrity to the piano forte; and, after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself” (38). Before either Miss Bingley or Elizabeth can play the piano, Mr. Darcy has to request it. Miss Bingley quickly moves towards the instrument first, revealing her eagerness to show off her skill and achieve some advantage over Elizabeth. Though her request for Elizabeth to go first was “polite,” it was also insincere. The two women, who clearly do not care much for one another, are forced to exchange civilities because their simultaneous request to play the piano involves sharing the instrument and the attention.

The young pianist must continue to express modesty in her acceptance to perform. When pestered by Charlotte to play the piano, Elizabeth replies, “I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers” (17). It would be improper for Elizabeth to appear overeager to perform, and she would be judged as ignoble, but refusing to play would be equally unacceptable. Instead, she humbly expresses her resistance while flattering the other guests. In acknowledging the excellence of the performers her audience typically hears, Elizabeth compliments the spectators by signifying their high status and wealth. She feels self - conscious because Elizabeth knows her listeners will critique her performance in comparison to the talented singers and pianists of their own class. Though she says she would “rather not,” Elizabeth knows she will inevitably play the piano for the group because everyone expects her to accept Charlotte’s request, and she must meet their expectations. These “performers” include the musical pianists and singers as well as regular people performing social norms. Elizabeth does not want to perform musically by playing the piano for the upper-class guests just as much as she does not want to perform socially by ignoring their indirect insults or dealing with their insincere compliments.

Women use the piano to compete by overshadowing one another and challenging each other’s talents. Miss Bingley takes advantage of the piano to interrupt others. Bitter and jealous of the attention Elizabeth receives from Mr. Darcy, she requests music, specifically the piano, to disrupt their conversation. “‘Do let us have a little music,’ cried Miss Bingley, tired of a conversation in which she had no share” (43). Miss Bingley does not simply request music-- she cries for it -- revealing her eagerness to redirect Mr. Darcy’s attention. Miss Bingley’s jealousy of Elizabeth causes her to use the piano to disrupt Mr. Darcy’s conversation. He appreciates the distraction of the piano because he hesitates to pay too much attention to Elizabeth. Later in the novel, Darcy approaches Elizabeth while she sits at the piano, and she assures him, “I will not be alarmed though your sister does play so well. There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me” (133). Elizabeth acknowledges the competitive spirit the piano provides, but suggests that she shows no fear when faced with the talent of others. The piano and the antagonism it creates reveal Elizabeth’s resilient, determined spirit not to be undermined or intimidated by people of a higher social status.

Women use musical performance in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to entertain and impress others. Yet, by discussing the talents of others, the women indirectly belittle on another by cutting each other off and calling attention to the inequalities in wealth and status. The piano, along with the its possession, mastery, and a willingness to play, remains central to the novel’s theme of performance. In a less obvious nature, the performance controls the actions of the entire story. As players in a novel of manners, Austen’s characters inevitably have to perform to meet social expectations of propriety. Whereas performance usually connotes a voluntary, enjoyable decision to display one’s self, performance in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice results from the social pressure forcing (mainly female) characters into situations that may be unwanted and uncomfortable.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.

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