Overview

The importance of nineteenth-century writing about culture has long been accepted by scholars, yet so far as music criticism is concerned, Victorian England has been an area of scholarly neglect. This state of affairs is all the more surprising given that the quantity of such criticism in the Victorian and Edwardian press was vast, much of it displaying a richness and diversity of critical perspectives. Through the study of music criticism from several key newspapers and journals (specifically The Times, Daily Telegraph, Athenaeum and The Musical Times), this book examines the reception history of new English music in the period surveyed and assesses its cultural, social and political, importance. Music critics projected and promoted English composers to create a national music of which England could be proud. J A Fuller Maitland, critic on The Times, described music journalists as 'watchmen on the walls of music', and Meirion Hughes extends this metaphor to explore their crucial role in building and safeguarding what came to be known as the English Musical Renaissance. Part One of the book looks at the critics in the context of the publications for which they worked, while Part Two focuses on the relationship between the watchmen-critics and three composers: Arthur Sullivan, Hubert Parry and Edward Elgar. Hughes argues that the English Musical Renaissance was ultimately a success thanks largely to the work of the critics. In so doing, he provides a major re-evaluation of the impact of journalism on British music history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Meirion Hughes
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.453kg
ISBN:  

9781138274495

ISBN 10:   1138274496
Pages:   260
Publication Date:   31 March 2017
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Part 1: Watchmen and Watchtowers: I.The Times: J.W. Davison: 'musical politician'; Francis Hueffer: stranger as sentinel; J.A. Fuller Maitland: 'doorkeeper of music'; H.C. Colles; 2.The Daily Telegraph: Joseph Bennet: ’patriarch and head of the profession’; Robin Legge; 3. The Athenaeum: Henry F. Chorley: critic as patron; Campbell Clarke; Charles Gruneisen; Ebenezer Prout and Henry Frost; John Shedlock; 4. The Musical Times: J. Alfred Novello: a look-out for profit; Henry Lunn takes command; W.A. Barrett and E.F. Jacques; Frederick G. Edwards; W.G. McNaught; Part 2: The Watched: 5. Sullivan - ’Jumbo of the moment’: Lost leader?; ’Risking comparison with great men’; ’A love of the stage’; 6. Parry - ’English master’: ’Wild oats’; ’Legitimate husbandry’; 7. Elgar - 'self-made' composer: ’A local musician’; Passing the rubicon; ’Man of the hour’; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

Reviews

'...a significant work, do acquire the book if your interest is high on the subject.' The Delian 'This is an important and pioneering study, breaking substantially new ground...' The Elgar Society Journal '... meticulously amassed evidence...' BBC Music Magazine

Author Information

Meirion Hughes, a freelance historian, co-authored (with R.A. Stradling) The English Musical Renaissance 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction (1993), a volume which has appeared in a revised edition as The English Musical Renaissance 1840-1940: Constructing a National Music (2001). He contributed essays on Elgar to Music and the Politics of Culture (1989), on Rossini to Conflict and Coexistence (1997), and has written and presented several broadcasts for BBC Radio 3.

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