Throughout the much-heralded revival of interest in Edith Wharton’s life and writings over the past fifty years, one facet of her career remains largely unknown: the impact of music on her imagination. Contrary to the recollections of old friends, Wharton evinced a lifelong responsiveness to music, documented extensively in her correspondence. An avid concertgoer from a young age, she attended performances of orchestral, instrumental, chamber, and choral works, as well as private musicales hosted by friends. Her sophisticated tastes in opera embraced compositions by Gounod, Wagner, Mozart, and Richard Strauss. She befriended numerous musicians, vocalists, and composers on both sides of the Atlantic. From Bach and Beethoven to Stravinsky, Ravel, and Debussy, Wharton’s immersion in Western classical music ranged widely and adventurously. In much of her fiction and critical prose, moreover, she employed terms and images derived from music, reflecting an intimate acquaintance with the complexities of musical language and of musicianship.