Emily Dickinson’s Poetry: Preserving Nineteenth-Century Parlor Music and Hymnody

Emily Dickinson’s poetry is frequently described as lyrical for its musical phrasing, timbre, and rhythmic meter; scholars frequently acknowledge this musicality but overlook its roots in her firsthand engagement with music. This paper argues that Dickinson’s poetic voice was profoundly shaped by her training as a pianist and her immersion in the domestic and sacred music culture of her time. Drawing on historical evidence from Dickinson’s education at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, contemporary domestic music practices, and her family’s sheet-music collection and letters, this study reconstructs the musical environment that informed her work. Close analysis of “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” shows how Dickinson adapts familiar hymn meters and parlor music conventions into her poetry. The paper further traces how these inherent musical qualities have invited later musical reinterpretation, focusing on Aaron Copland’s 1950 art-song setting, Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, as an example of how Dickinson’s poetry continues to generate new musical meaning. By integrating historical, literary, and music theory analysis, this study positions Dickinson’s poetry as a literary reflection that preserves the broader culture of parlor music and hymnody in nineteenth-century America. Examining her work alongside these musical influences also reveals how much can enrich literary meaning, underscoring the value of interdisciplinary approaches in revealing new understanding.