The Great Transformation of Musical Taste
Summary
The feel-good place to buy books
The Great Transformation of Musical Taste by William Weber
Grounded in knowledge of thousands of programs, this book examines how musical life in London, Leipzig, Vienna, Boston, and other cities underwent a fundamental transformation in relationship with movements in European politics. William Weber traces how musical taste evolved in European concert programs from 1750 to 1870, as separate worlds arose around classical music and popular songs. In 1780 a typical program accommodated a variety of tastes through a patterned 'miscellany' of genres, held together by diplomatic musicians. This framework began weakening around 1800 as new kinds of music appeared, from string quartets to quadrilles to ballads, which could not easily coexist on the same programs. Utopian ideas and extravagant experiments influenced programming as ideological battles were fought over who should govern musical taste. More than a hundred illustrations or transcriptions of programs enable readers to follow Weber's analysis in detail.
Review of the hardback: 'Wonderful book for 'classical' music lovers … This book gets good reviews elsewhere and for good reason: it is fascinating and informativeA must-have.' E. Douglas Jensen, www.amazon.com
'If you have ever wondered why concert programs in the modern world are constructed as they are, Weber's fascinating book will help you understand … Weber draws his data from a vast range of contemporary programs, painstakingly accumulated, many reproduced in facsimiles, others summarized.' Philip Gossett, Common Knowledge
'This fascinating window into the concert world that William Weber has provided will make The Great Transformation of Musical Taste essential reading for anyone interested in nineteenth-century music and concert life.' Journal of Musicological Research
'If you have ever wondered why concert programs in the modern world are constructed as they are, Weber's fascinating book will help you understand … Weber draws his data from a vast range of contemporary programs, painstakingly accumulated, many reproduced in facsimiles, others summarized.' Philip Gossett, Common Knowledge
'This fascinating window into the concert world that William Weber has provided will make The Great Transformation of Musical Taste essential reading for anyone interested in nineteenth-century music and concert life.' Journal of Musicological Research
William Weber is Professor of History at California State University, Long Beach.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521124232 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521124239 |
| Title | The Great Transformation of Musical Taste |
| Author | William Weber |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 2009-12-03 |
| Number of pages | 380 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |