Quarter Notes and Bank Notes

The Economics of Music Composition in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-691-15546-3
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 278 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 427 g

Reihe: Princeton Economic History of the Western World

In 1700, most composers were employees of noble courts or the church. But by the nineteenth century, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Verdi, and many others functioned as freelance artists teaching, performing, and selling their compositions in the private marketplace. While some believe that Mozart's career marks a clean break between these two periods, this book tells the story of a more complex and interesting transition. F. M. Scherer first examines the political, intellectual, and economic roots of the shift from patronage to a freelance market. He describes the eighteenth-century cultural "arms race" among noble courts, the spread of private concert halls and opera houses, the increasing attendance of middle-class music lovers, and the founding of conservatories. He analyzes changing trends in how composers acquired their skills and earned their living, examining such impacts as demographic developments and new modes of transportation. The book offers insight into the diversity of composers' economic aspirations, the strategies through which they pursued success, the burgeoning music publishing industry, and the emergence of copyright protection. Scherer concludes by drawing some parallels to the economic state of music composition in our own times.Written by a leading economist with an unusually broad knowledge of music, this fascinating account is directed toward individuals intrigued by the world of classical composers as well as those interested in economic history or the role of money in art.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Scherer, F. M.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikwissenschaft Allgemein Musiktheorie, Musikästhetik, Kompositionslehre
• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikwissenschaft Allgemein Musikindustrie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Medien-, Informations und Kommunikationswirtschaft Musikindustrie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures and Tables vii
Foreword ix
Chapter One
Introduction 1
Chapter Two
The Political, Social, and Economic Milieu 14
Chapter Three
Music Composition as a Profession 53
Chapter Four
Composers' Backgrounds, Aspirations, and Economic Rewards 79
Chapter Five
The Geography of Composer Supply and Demand 117
Chapter Six
Changes in Transportation and Composers' Mobility 142
Chapter Seven
The Economics of Music Publishing 155
Chapter Eight
Conclusion 197
Appendix to Chapter One
A Currency Conversion Matrix 203
Appendix to Chapter Four
Consumption Outlays of Robert and Clara Schumann, 1841 210
Notes 215
References 249
Index 259

Über Autor(innen)

Scherer, F. M.
F. M. Scherer is Aetna Professor Emeritus at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and the author of many books.