Quarter Notes and Bank Notes

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. This 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.

ISBN 0691116210   Volumes 1 ISBN13 9780691116211 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 542 Publisher The University Press Group Ltd   Published in New Jersey Imprint Princeton University Press   Series editor Mokyr, Joel Format Hardback   Series title Princeton Economic History of the Western World Publication date 08 Dec 2003   Height (mm) 229 Library of Congress 2003053645   Width (mm) 152 DEWEY 331.761781309033   Spine width (mm) 22 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Professional / Scholarly, Tertiary education Pages 256

		List of Figures and
		Tables
		Foreword
Ch. 1		Introduction		1
Ch. 2		The Political, Social, and Economic Milieu		14
Ch. 3		Music Composition as a Profession		53
Ch. 4		Composers' Backgrounds, Aspirations, and Economic Rewards		79
Ch. 5		The Geography of Composer Supply and Demand		117
Ch. 6		Changes in Transportation and Composers' Mobility		142
Ch. 7		The Economics of Music Publishing		155
Ch. 8		Conclusion		197
App. to Ch. 1		A Currency Conversion Matrix		203
App. to Ch. 4		Consumption Outlays of Robert and Clara Schumann, 1841		210
		Notes		215
		References		249
		Index		259

Scherer has broken new ground with his exciting interdisciplinary approach and use of massive quantitative and qualitative data--the scale of this achievement cannot be overstated. -- Siobhan McAndrew, Business History This new book by F.M. Scherer explores aspects of the music business in Western Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and asks the question of how classical composers there made the transition from feudal to capitalist society... Scherer brings a much-needed sense of maturity and respectability to the study of music and commerce... Scherer's work on the economics of music publishing is especially informative... Anyone interested in the rise of market practices in Europe will enjoy [this book], especially if they like casual music. -- James P. Kraft, Enterprise & Society

 Be the first to write a customer review