Music and the Middle Class: The Social Structure of Concert Life in London, Paris and Vienna Between 1830 and 1848 (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain) ... (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain)

First published in 1975, Music and the Middle Class made a trail-blazing contribution to the social history of music, bringing together sociological and historical methods that have subsequently become accepted as central to the discipline of musicology. Moreover, the major themes of the book are ones which scholars today continue to grapple with: the nature of the middle class(es) and their role in cultural definition; the concept of taste publics distinct from social status; and the establishment of the musical canon. This classic text is reissued here in Ashgate's Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain series, though of course the book ranges beyond its study of London to discuss in detail the contrasting concert life of Paris and Vienna. This edition features a substantial new preface which takes into account the significant work that has been done in this field since the book first appeared, and provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact the book has had on our thinking about the European middle class and its role in musical life. "First published in 1975, Music and the Middle Class made a trail-blazing contribution to the social history of music, bringing together sociological and historical methods that have subsequently become accepted as central to the discipline of musicology. Moreover, the major themes of the book are ones that scholars continue to grapple with: the nature of the middle class(es) and their role in cultural definition; the concept of taste publics distinct from social status; and the establishment of the musical canon." "This classic text is reissued here in Ashgate's Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain series, though of course the book ranges beyond its study of London to discuss in detail the contrasting concert life of Paris and Vienna. This edition features a substantial new preface which takes into account the significant work that has been done in this field since the book first appeared, and provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact the book has had on our thinking about the European middle class and its role in musical life."--BOOK JACKET Contents General Editor’s Series Preface General Editor’s Foreword: Second Edition Preface: Second Edition Preface Abbreviations of Periodical Titles 1 Introduction 2 The Cultural Explosion: An Overview 3 The High-Status Popular-Music Public 4 The High-Status Classical-Music Public 5 The Low-Status Concert Public 6 Conclusion Appendix: The Size of the Middle Class Bibliography Tables Index The idea that the middle class arose during the 1880s is now widely accepted amongst social historians but the notion that such a social group dominated music appreciation is probably untrue. It would be wiser to speak in terms of perception of leadership rather than one social group or another dominating The 'Biedermeier' period, they once called it in Central Europe.