Description
Book SynopsisAnalyzes the changing trends in how composers acquired their skills and earned their living, examining such impacts as demographic developments and modes of transportation. This book offers insight into the diversity of composers' economic aspirations, the strategies through which they pursued success, and the emergence of copyright protection.
Trade Review"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
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables vii Foreword ix Chapter One Introduction 1 Chapter Two The Political, Social, and Economic Milieu 14 Chapter Three Music Composition as a Profession 53 Chapter Four Composers' Backgrounds, Aspirations, and Economic Rewards 79 Chapter Five The Geography of Composer Supply and Demand 117 Chapter Six Changes in Transportation and Composers' Mobility 142 Chapter Seven The Economics of Music Publishing 155 Chapter Eight Conclusion 197 Appendix to Chapter One A Currency Conversion Matrix 203 Appendix to Chapter Four Consumption Outlays of Robert and Clara Schumann, 1841 210 Notes 215 References 249 Index 259
