Musical Instruments

Fadettes of Boston

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 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 a plaintiff, Messer, 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 during performances at Keith's Theatre. 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.

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See also

• ▸Culture of North Korea
• ▸Aldebaran
• ▸Ariège (department)

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