Leenie Brown

The Last Rose of Summer and The Harp-Lute

Below are two videos that highlight an instrument that was just being developed and becoming quite the “hot new” thing during the early 1800s. It is called a harp-lute.

This first video is of a lady singing “The Last Rose of Summer” while playing the harp-lute. I thought the video was such a good one to inspire the imagination of what music in the drawing room might have looked and sounded like.

And the second video is an informational video telling a bit about the history of the instrument and showing how it is played.

The story I have chosen to pair with today’s musical selection is Protecting Miss Darcy. The excerpt below is from a conversation Alfred Langley has with his aunt (Lorcan Langley’s mother, hero of Cherishing Kitty) about the prettiest flower in the garden. 🙂

That’s right, Alfred, you just keep telling yourself that Georgiana is only your friend. No one is believing that besides you and Georgiana. 😉

Find Protecting Miss Darcy, Cherishing Kitty, and the full Marrying Elizabeth series here.

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Ball Dress (c. 1825, Ackermann)

Fashion Plate (Ball Dress). England, London, March 1, 1825. Hand-colored engraving on paper. Rudolph Ackermann (England, London, 1764-1834). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I couldn’t resist giving a longer excerpt today as this exchange is just too fun to shorten any more than I did. 🙂

“I am sorry,” she said softly, “but I was hoping for someone else to claim my hand for the next dance.” Her cheeks grew rosy.

“No one has asked you,” Shelton muttered.

“No, but if I give this dance to Mr. Blakesley then I will not be free if another arrives to ask.”

Roger Shelton’s brow furrowed. “You did not mention this before.”

“Because I did not know the gentleman’s name. One must not speak of a hope to dance with someone to whom she has not been introduced.” She cast a glance in Mr. Norman’s direction. “However, that is no longer a problem.”

“Norman?” the question flew out of Walter’s mouth.

Grace’s head bobbed up and down. “Though it is forward to even admit to it.”

Forward was not the word Walter would use for it. “Well, then, Norman, do not keep the lady waiting.” Walter knew his tone was less than gracious.

Grace put a hand on his arm but then withdrew it quickly. “Do not be discouraged, Mr. Blakesley. It is not that I do not wish to dance with you. It is just that I had hoped to speak to Mr. Norman.”

“You had?” Roger echoed the question in Walter’s mind.

“Yes, I would like some advice.” Her hands were twisting in a nervous sort of fashion. “About a condition.”

What was she about?

“You wish to speak to him because he is a physician?” Mrs. Shelton’s tone was incredulous.

Grace’s head bobbed up and down as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Walter would put ten pounds on it that the chit was lying.

“You did not know he was a physician until just now,” Mrs. Clayton said.

“But he looked like one,” Grace declared.

“He looked like one?” Skepticism filled Roger’s question. Apparently, no one else quite believed Miss Love’s story any more than Walter did.

[from Her Secret Beau]

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Oboe Concerto in C major – 3. Rondo: Allegretto (Joseph Haydn)

I thought today, we would take a look at another instrument that might have been in Georgiana’s music room (the oboe) and some music from a composer who not only wrote music for oboes, but also for piano. I’m sure Georgiana might have had some sheets of his music in her music folder.

The first video (above) introduces you to the oboe that was in use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The second video (below) is a short piece that was composed by Haydn for the oboe. Can you imagine the delight and enjoyment that Georgiana and her brother would have gotten from going to a concert and listening to something like this?

This excerpt is from a book (Cherishing Kitty) that stars Kitty Bennet, but her dearest friend in this series is Georgiana. Therefore, Georgiana plays a role in Kitty’s journey to happily ever after.

Here they are talking about Georgiana’s upcoming season. Georgiana’s story (Protecting Miss Darcy) follows Kitty’s story and leads up to her season.

Georgiana does begin her study of character with Mr. Alfred Langley… and spoiler alert… she also ends it with him. The path from here to there, however, is not a pain-free one. 🙂

Find Cherishing Kitty, Protecting Miss Darcy, and the full Marrying Elizabeth series here.

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Walking Dress (c. 1803/1804)

Fashion Plate (Walking Dress). England, early 19th century, between circa 1803 and circa 1804. Possibly from Madame Lanchester’s 1803-1804 *La Miroir de la Mode*. The drawing was copied and reused in October 1812 in *La Belle Assemblée* with a fur-trimmed pelisse and other slightly changed details. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mary saw the horse only a moment before it rose in the air. She had been so caught in her imagination and so certain the horses would stay to their path racing along the adjoining field that she had not expected one of them to approach her. With a startled cry, Mary jumped to the side, but not with any sort of grace. Her ankle rolled, sending her sprawling on the ground. The hedge snagged her bonnet as she fell, yanking it from her head and freeing a hairpin or two so that a portion of her hair fell in waves to her shoulders.

“Blast,” she muttered as she sat up and rotated one wrist and then the other. They hurt but had not sustained any significant damage from catching her on landing. Her gloves, however, were not so fortunate. One had a rip across the palm, and both were covered in soil, as was her skirt, which she flicked quickly to cover her legs.

“Are you injured?” Fred knelt beside her. “I did not see you there.” He took Mary’s arm as she attempted to rise with some grace.

“My glove is ruined.” She winced as she stood. “And my ankle…ooh,” she moaned a bit as she tried putting her weight on it. It was tender but not broken.

Fred wrapped an arm around her waist.

Mary pulled away. “Sir, please.”

“I only wish to help.”

“Then fetch my hat while I straighten my clothing and assess if there are any further injuries.” She gave him a stern look that begged him to comply. It was the look she had used with limited success on Lydia. Thankfully, this handsome young man did not seem so stubborn as her younger sister and complied. Mary brushed dirt from her skirt and took a limping step. Her left hip was nearly as sore as her ankle.

[from A Very Mary Christmas by Leenie Brown]

*A Very Mary Christmas* is one of the five novellas in this Cottage Collection.

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Fortepiano: Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)

I thoroughly enjoyed last week’s video about recorders and Van Eyck, so this week, we’re going to do something similar. 🙂 I have two videos for you today. The first one is an informational video about the fortepiano, and then the second one is a musical selection that Miss Darcy might have played on her fortepiano.

And the music in the video is actually being played on the fortepiano, which means the piece of music sounds as it would have when Beethoven first composed it. Surely, I can’t be the only one who finds that cool, can I be? 🙂

I’ve paired the above musical videos with an excerpt from a book where Georgiana plays a key role in bringing her brother and Elizabeth together. This excerpt is from a scene where Georgiana and Darcy are about to have a disagreement.

Two Days Before Christmas is the first book in my Darcy Family Holidays series. Darcy has returned home from Netherfield sooner than expected, and he’s in quite the state. Georgiana thinks she knows what his trouble is and determines that she is going to give him the best Christmas present — an unbroken heart.

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