Overview

"The English invented the idea of musical classics. In the 18th century England was the first country where old musical works were performed regularly and reverentially, and where a collective notion of such works - ""ancient music"" - first appeared. This work explores the formation of the musical ""classics"" in regard to repertory and social contexts. It examines the performance of old music in 18th-century England, from the interest in music of the Elizabethan period at the beginning of the century, through the performance of works by Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, and other English and Italian composers, to the development of festivals that featured choral-orchestral works of Purcell and Handel. The book concludes with the establishment of the Concert of Antient Music in 1776, where the traditions of performing old works came together as a self-conscious canon focused upon the work of Handel. It examines closely the political and social reasons for these developments. In addition, it shows how they laid the groundwork for the classical-music tradition of the 19th century."

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9780198166078

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"""Breaks much new ground, and at the same time provides a fascinating insight into the cultural life of the period....This pioneering work has clearly involved a prodigious amount of first-hand archival and other documentary research....The book...is cause for celebration. It deserves to be warmly welcomed.""--Albion ""Weber's complex and fascinating exercise integrates musical with social, intellectual, and political history, boldly breaking important ground....It is wonderful in the intelligent breadth of its concerns and its truly impressive research....A delight for all serious students of 18th-century music and society....Recommended to both advanced undergraduate and graduate collections.""--Choice ""A particularly welcome book....A welcome contribution to a new era in music scholarship that studies music as an intregal agent in political and social history.""--Journal ""of Modern History ""The book is...imaginative and provocative.""--Journal of Interdisciplinary History ""[Weber's] study should prove a model to others studying canon-formation in music of later periods and different regions.""--Eighteenth-Century Studies ""Weber's work is an ambitious, richly textured analysis that cuts a revealing wedge into the cliff-face of history, exposing strata of praxis, assumption and definition (among other facets) which have never before been clearly perceptible.... A book of rare distinction in music history.""--Current Musicology"

Breaks much new ground, and at the same time provides a fascinating insight into the cultural life of the period....This pioneering work has clearly involved a prodigious amount of first-hand archival and other documentary research....The book...is cause for celebration. It deserves to be warmly welcomed.--Albion Weber's complex and fascinating exercise integrates musical with social, intellectual, and political history, boldly breaking important ground....It is wonderful in the intelligent breadth of its concerns and its truly impressive research....A delight for all serious students of 18th-century music and society....Recommended to both advanced undergraduate and graduate collections.--Choice A particularly welcome book....A welcome contribution to a new era in music scholarship that studies music as an intregal agent in political and social history.--Journal of Modern History The book is...imaginative and provocative.--Journal of Interdisciplinary History [Weber's] study should prove a model to others studying canon-formation in music of later periods and different regions.--Eighteenth-Century Studies Weber's work is an ambitious, richly textured analysis that cuts a revealing wedge into the cliff-face of history, exposing strata of praxis, assumption and definition (among other facets) which have never before been clearly perceptible.... A book of rare distinction in music history.--Current Musicology

Breaks much new ground, and at the same time provides a fascinating insight into the cultural life of the period....This pioneering work has clearly involved a prodigious amount of first-hand archival and other documentary research....The book...is cause for celebration. It deserves to be warmly welcomed. --Albion<br> Weber's complex and fascinating exercise integrates musical with social, intellectual, and political history, boldly breaking important ground....It is wonderful in the intelligent breadth of its concerns and its truly impressive research....A delight for all serious students of 18th-century music and society....Recommended to both advanced undergraduate and graduate collections. --Choice<br> A particularly welcome book....A welcome contribution to a new era in music scholarship that studies music as an intregal agent in political and social history. --Journal of Modern History<br> The book is...imaginative and provocative. --Journal of Interdisciplinary History<br> [Weber's] study should prove a model to others studying canon-formation in music of later periods and different regions. --Eighteenth-Century Studies<br> Weber's work is an ambitious, richly textured analysis that cuts a revealing wedge into the cliff-face of history, exposing strata of praxis, assumption and definition (among other facets) which have never before been clearly perceptible.... A book of rare distinction in music history. --Current Musicology<br>

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