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F. M. Scherer
The Economics Of Music Composition In The Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries
Princeton University Press
December 2003
On Sale: December 8, 2003
256 pages ISBN: 0691116210 EAN: 9780691116211 Hardcover
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Historical | Non-Fiction
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
new 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.
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