Music, Morality, and Social Reform in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Paul Watt is the first book-length study on this topic. Previous scholarship exploring issues of social reform and morality in British music has focused on specific movements, individuals, institutions or higher education, as exemplified by Charles Edward McGuire’s Music and Victorian Philanthropy, Christina Bashford’s The Pursuit of High Culture, and Rosemary Golding’s Music and Moral Management in the Nineteenth-Century English Lunatic Asylum and Music and Academia in Victorian Britain.Footnote ¹ Watt draws on these important works as well as a broad range of scholarship and writings from philosophers from ancient Greece and Rome to contemporary and present-day authors from various disciplines. The result is a thorough study of the subject that cuts across disciplines.

Watt uses the writings of Rev. Hugh Reginald Haweis (1839–1901) and Peter Kivy (1934–2017) as anchors for his study. Indeed, one of Watt’s goals is to reassess and contextualize the works of these authors. Haweis, a Church of England minister, author, and lecturer, is a well-known figure in the field of music and morality, who believed that music could have a positive effect on personal morals and social mores. On the other hand, Kivy, a musicologist interested in philosophy of music and representational aesthetics, argues that the arts can only influence morals in three ways: “epistemic, behavioural and character-building” (p. 7). These two authors provide a framework for exploration of how the people, institutions, publications and efforts covered used music to influence personal and public moral education.Footnote ²

For this book, Watt regards “the cultivation of morality as a character-building process” that encompasses musical activities along with reading, sports, and other outdoor activities as a means for moral education (p. 8). This cultivation was not just an individual pursuit. Publishers, schools, charities, religious organizations and other socially-minded institutions all had an impact on the moral life of individuals. These groups often used music, which encompassed a broad range of activities including playing a musical instrument and dancing, to promote, as Watts puts it, “morality and social reform in the long nineteenth-century” (p. 1). At the same time, he shows both how approaches to music varied and also that different values influenced how music was used and its message shared, noting “during this period, morality and social sobriety, gender stereotypes, the place of organised religion in civil life and the ethics of nation-building were contested as moral programmes and social reform agendas criss-crossed a myriad of musical and other agendas” (pp. 1–2).

The introduction functions as an overview that will be useful for both scholars of music and those engaged in research in related fields, e.g., morality and social reform. In it, Watt notes that he envisioned the book as taking a “turning-the-diamond” approach, viewing morality and social reform from various angles in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the whole. This approach serves the topic well, as the values and influences on morality and social reform from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century were diverse and far from unified, shifting significantly over time. By eschewing a chronological or evolutionary approach, Watt deftly reveals the complexity of morality and social reform, providing insightful case studies and detailed vignettes. The inclusion of men, women and children as the target audiences for moral improvement efforts, as well as men and women as social reform activists and authors, also offers a more inclusive perspective. While the focus remains clearly on Britain, when appropriate, Watt makes connections with the literature of morality and social reform in other countries to invite comparison and further exploration.

Rather than attempting a comprehensive study of music’s place in morality and social reform, Watt divides the book into two parts, each consisting of three chapters, and the whole text is framed with an introduction and an afterword. In the first half, Watt explores morality by examining “moral instruction for particular audiences” between 1880 and 1910; in the latter half he expands the time frame from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century and shifts the focus to an exploration of social reform and how music was utilized in these endeavours by examining the works of one or two individuals per chapter (p. 10). The first three chapters cover education, specifically elementary instruction, manners and etiquette, and the courses and educational offerings of mechanics’ institutes. In the latter three chapters, Watt examines, respectively, political economy and the writings of William Stanley Jevons, philanthropy as undertaken by Hannah More and Octavia Hill, and the concept of utopia as expressed by August Comte and Malcolm Quin; he selected these topics (and individuals) because they touch upon neglected aspects of nineteenth-century musical history.Footnote ³

In each chapter of Part One, Watt provides an overview of the importance of morality to the audience type being discussed, defines terms as needed, presents an informative literature review illustrating the various ways morality was presented and ties the different threads together with the chapter’s closing section. The focus of Chapter One is children, particularly the role of hymns and songs in their moral instruction. After discussing song publications and outlining their moral aims, Watt examines music literature focused on boys by describing a range of music-related activities featured in educational literature, including conducting an imaginary concert, making musical instruments and toys and playing other musical games. He then turns his attention to publications aimed at girls by describing the Girl’s Own Paper, which offers a treasure trove of information on music, girls, taste and morality. Chapter Two centres on women, with an emphasis on etiquette books aimed at the upper classes – specifically individuals, Watts writes, “who aspired to improve their conduct in different social and class settings” (p. 11). After noting that the separation of social spheres is fluid, he then explores the wide-ranging topics of etiquette and manner books, as well as the diverse roles music played in them. This chapter serves as an excellent overview of these publications and is particularly useful. In the final chapter of the book’s first half, there is a shift in focus to men and the programmes for moral improvement offered by mechanics’ institutes, specifically libraries and classes – the latter on scientific, literary and sometimes musical topics. Such institutes, Watt argues, served as important educational sites during the nineteenth century for men, and (at times) women. Focus and scope varied widely among these organizations, and Watt provides an excellent overview of this topic. Exploring moral improvement efforts for children, women and men provides three vignettes into the targeted populations, illustrates three different ways music and morality interacted, and allows Watt to show that moral improvement publications and programmes for these three groups were not done in isolation – in fact, they were often interconnected.

In Part Two, Watt examines ideologies and programmes of social reform, rather than specific audiences and avenues for education. Unlike in Part One, the organization of these chapters is varied to accommodate the different approaches required – although all include biographical information about the people being discussed, overviews of the parts of their work relevant to the topic, placement of their work within the broader context of the chapter and insightful assessments or analyses of their work. In Chapter Four, Watt explores the theory of political economy as articulated by the economist William Stanley Jevons (1835–1882), and explains how “concepts of utility and progress married with narratives of personal morality and the public good” (p. 103). By linking political economy with social reform, he illustrates how the former extends beyond the individual and influences the whole, which serves as an excellent opening for this section of the book. The focus of Chapter Five (philanthropy) is charity and the social actions of women. Watt uses Hannah More (1745–1833), a religious writer, philanthropist, poet and playwright, and Octavia Hill (1838–1912), a social reformer and founder of the National Trust, to illustrate dissimilar approaches at two very different times in Britain’s history. Both women, for example, engaged in a variety of charitable endeavours, as did many philanthropists of the time. In Chapter Six, Watt examines the liturgy, including the importance of hymns, of Malcolm Quin’s (1854–1945) positivist church, through which he espoused his concept of a utopian community (which was greatly influenced by the writings of Auguste Comte). In addition to exploring Quin’s hymn-writing and his utopian aims, Watt relates Quin’s work to British hymnody in general, and emphasizes the role that his music played in moral instruction. In general, Part Two offers snapshots of three aspects of social reform in the long nineteenth century, moving from the importance of social reform and political economy to the activities of philanthropists, and finally concluding with a focused study of positivism, the quest for utopia and the role of hymns in these endeavours.

The Afterword summarizes and synthesizes the preceding six chapters. Given the exhaustive research Watt has conducted, this conclusion seems somewhat brief. It begins with a description of how the book’s focus evolved based on his sources, and also provides a list of the related topics that piqued his interest (e.g., “ethics; civility; utilitarianism; nation-building; and empire; and moral discourses linked to aesthetic pleasure and psychological well-being”) (p. 181). Then, in a concise summary, he highlights key points, allowing the reader to regain a bird’s-eye view of the topic, and finally revisits one of his goals for the book – reassessing and contextualizing the works of Reginald Haweis and Peter Kivy. This synthesis situates Watt’s research within a broader context, making his book all the more meaningful. The closing paragraphs reiterate the range of musical activities involved in morality and social reform efforts in nineteenth-century Britain.

In sum, Music, Morality and Social Reform in Nineteenth-Century Britain serves as an excellent first book devoted to this topic; it fills an important gap in musical scholarship. Much of musical historiography in nineteenth-century Britain addresses these issues, but until now, scholars had limited means of exploring this topic without making it a full-on side quest. Watt’s book provides an excellent introduction to the subject and furthermore offers something for those more familiar with it, including ideas for further exploration. The six case studies are invaluable explorations of morality education for three types of audiences and three aspects and figures of social reform. And the afterword offers both a synopsis of the book as well as insightful closing thoughts.

The writing style and ancillary aspects of the book are also of high quality. Musical examples and brief discussions of music are included, but readers do not need musical literacy or background to enjoy and benefit from this book. Watt’s prose is engaging and a pleasure to read. He provides a clear outline for the book, and each chapter, although packed with information, is well organized, making it easy to digest. Watt’s outstanding research – including both primary materials and mastery of secondary literature – is evident in both the chapters and the thorough and useful bibliography. The musical examples illustrate how music was presented in contemporary publications, and suggest both the types and skill level of music published and the nature of available instruments. Images of the individuals discussed in Part Two help the reader to imagine those people. A comprehensive bibliography spanning multiple disciplines provides a starting point for those interested in exploring morality, social reform and related topics. Finally, the excellent index makes the book a valuable reference source.