Soprano Penelope Appleyard and pianist Jonathan Delbridge will release ‘Ode to Pity’, a newly commissioned musical setting of Jane Austen’s early poem, on Friday 19 September 2025 with VOCES8 Records. This single is part of a trio of Austen- related recordings celebrating her love of music and folk-inspired song, with Their Groves of Sweet Myrtle released on 8 August and Robin Adair on 29 August.
‘Ode to Pity’ is a brand new composition by Donna McKevitt and is a musical setting of Austen’s teenage poem (1793). Musical settings of Austen’s poetry are extremely rare, and there appear to be none currently performed or recorded in the English Song repertoire. This commission aims to change that in celebration of Austen’s 250th birthday, and it may also be the first classical setting of this poem, and the first new work composed specifically for square piano in the contemporary repertoire.
‘Ode to Pity’ is composed for performance on a Broadwood 1814 square piano, connecting back to Jane Austen’s own likely model. This piece champions domestic music making, a largely female domain of the time, and links a female poet, composer, and performer across centuries. Jane was 17 at the time of writing and appears to intelligently mock the earnest grandeur of 18th-century literary conventions, using highly descriptive, often antiquated language that in fact says nothing of any real depth. Donna has been inspired by this and the folk music of Scotland and Ireland that Jane would have heard at the time, to create a song the young author might have enjoyed singing herself.
With poetry by Robert Burns, ‘Their Groves of Sweet Myrtle’ appears in the Austen family music collection simply as ‘Song From Burns’, in Jane’s own hand, and family members recalled her singing it. With a beautiful lilting melody, it proudly compares the rugged Scottish landscape of home with exotic foreign lands, and this recording is faithful to some edits to the words that Jane seems to have favoured, such as replacing “Jean” with “Jane.”
‘Robin Adair’ is an Irish tune that Jane Austen knew, the words of which were by Lady Caroline Keppel, wife of the real-life Robin Adair. This is the only song mentioned by name in any of Austen’s novels, appearing in chapter 28 of ‘Emma’, when it is performed by the character Jane Fairfax. This short song was popular in Jane’s time and makes reference to the society balls and assemblies that we associate with her and her novels.
Performed by recital duo The Little Song Party (Penelope Appleyard & pianist Jonathan Delbridge), ‘Ode to Pity’ features in the duo’s new recital programme Sense & Musicality. The programme includes music that Jane played and sang herself (some being scores found in the Austen family music albums, often in her own hand) as well as music and composers mentioned or alluded to in her novels. Also included are pieces from the soundtracks of much loved screen adaptations, quotes from her writing, as well as extracts from letters between Jane and family members, most often her beloved sister Cassandra.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/9txKCK12sjk
Released on 19 September 2025
