The Fadettes of Boston (1888 – 1920) was an all-women orchestra based in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, and directed by Caroline B. Nichols.

Early history

The group incorporated in 1895 as "the Fadettes of Boston", named after Fanchon Fadette, the titular character of

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

's novel '' La Petite Fadette''. The original group of six expanded to twenty by 1898,Judith Tick. "Women as Professional Musicians in the United States, 1870-1900." Anuario Interamericano de Investigacion Musical, Vol. 9 (1973), pp. 95-133 with "a first violin and director, four additional first violins, four second violins, two violas, two violincellos, two contrabassos, kettle-drums and a bass, two flutes and piccolo, two clarinets, two cornets, two French horns, three trombones, snare-drum and 'traps,' and piano-forte." Nichols was in charge of the orchestra for 30 years, having musically and professionally trained over 600 women. In 1898, vaudeville manager

B.F. Keith Benjamin Franklin Keith (January 26, 1846 – March 26, 1914) was an American vaudeville theater owner, who played an important role in the evolution of variety theater into vaudeville. Biography Early years Keith was born in Hillsboro Br ...

booked them into his theatres all over 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. At a concert in Pittsburgh in 1902, for instance, the Fadettes played marches, waltzes, songs and arias by Frederick Field Bullard,

Daniel Auber Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally whe ...

Karl Michael Ziehrer Carl Michael Ziehrer (more rarely spelled Karl Michael Ziehrer) (2 May 1843 – 14 November 1922) In the 8th edition the article title changed without comment to Ziehrer, Carl Michael. was an Austrian composer. In his lifetime, he was one of the ...

, George M. Rosey, Victor G. Boehnlein and others."Fadettes win approbation: women's orchestra delights admirers of good music at exposition." The Pittsburgh Press - Sep 20, 1902 The group also performed at the

Los Angeles Orpheum LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

Performance style

At the time, many orchestral instruments were considered unbefitting of women, thus the band was challenging gender norms. The performers "wore shimmery gowns." Among the musicians were Annie Andros Hawley, Mildred Rogers, and Lillian Thain (violin).

Media

File:Caroline B Nichols 1864 1939 USA.png, Portrait of Carrie Nichols, conductor, ca.1897 File:Ethel Atwood b1870 USA.jpg, Portrait of Ethel Atwood, orchestra founder, business manager and musician, ca.1893 File:1906 Keiths TremontSt Boston USA byDetroitPublishingCo LC.jpg, Entrance to

Keith's Theatre B.F. Keith's Theatre (1894–1928) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a vaudeville playhouse run by B.F. Keith. It sat across from Boston Common in the city's theatre district, with an entrance on Tremont Street and another on Washington Street ...

, Boston, with poster for the Fadettes, 1906 File:1909 Fadettes PittsburghPress January17.png, Newspaper spread about the Fadettes, ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'', 1909 File:1910 motto Fadette Orchestra of Boston brochure detail.png, Detail of promotional brochure, 1910 File:Morning Serenade, Berliner.png, Label of a Berliner Gramophone record; "Morning Serenade", played by the original quartet and recorded in Aug 10, 1897

Variant names

* Boston Fadettes Ladies Brass Quartette * Boston Fadette Lady Orchestra * Boston Fadette Orchestra * Boston Fadettes * Fadette Ladies' Orchestra"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 * Fadette Orchestra * Fadette Women's Orchestra * The Fadettes * The Fadettes Orchestra * Fadettes Women's Orchestra

References

External links