Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the pace of London's concert life quickened dramatically, reflecting both the prosperity and the commercial vitality of the capital. The most significant development was the establishment of the public concert within the social and cultural life of fashionable society. The subscription concerts that premiered symphonies by J. C. Bach and Haydn were conspicuous symbols of luxury, even though they were promoted on broadly commercial lines. Drawing on hitherto untapped archival sources and a comprehensive study of daily newspapers, this book analyses audiences at venues as diverse as the Hanover Square Rooms, Vauxhall Gardens and City taverns. The musical taste of the London public is investigated in the light of contemporary theories of aesthetics, and there is detailed discussion of the financial and practical aspects of concert management and performance, in a period that encouraged enterprise and innovation.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of illustrations
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• List of abbreviations
• Map of London in the second half of the eighteenth century
• 1 Prologue
• Part I The Social Role of the Concert
• 2 'An exclusive principle': subscription and ancient concerts
• 3 Other types of concert
• 4 The concert in London life
• Part II Attracting an Audience
• 5 The musical product: novelty and familiarity
• 6 The musical product: programming
• 7 Taste and national idioms
• 8 Musical style: 'music intended to reach the heart'
• 9 Musical style: the learned, the sublime and the dramatic
• Part III Concert Management and the Musician
• 10 The finances of concert promotion
• 11 Life as a professional musician
• 12 The practicalities of concert promotion
• 13 Epilogue
• Appendices
• Notes
• Musical sources
• Select bibliography
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In this important contribution to the social history of music in late 18th-century London, McVeigh (Goldsmith's College, Univ. of London) thoroughly explores the development of the public concert. He also presents much new material and revises some commonly held views on the evolution of concert life in London. He discusses the vast array of concerts, from exclusive subscription series to oratorios and benefit performances, from the period of increasing activity in mid-century to the decline in the 1790s. The first section focuses on the audiences for different types of concerts--their social strata, the strategies by which social divisions were maintained, and the role of the concert in social life. The middle section is concerned wtih aspects of publicity and the music itself. The chapters examining musical style as reflecting both audience taste and the influence of continental music are especially valuable. The final section concentrates on the musicians themselves--their education and training, careers, and financial and social status. Despite an artificial division between musical activities in the concert hall and the playhouse, McVeigh's excellent book vastly increases our knowledge and understanding. Upper-division undergraduate and above. J. Girdham; Bowdoin College