Description
Book Synopsis
Late nineteenth-century France was a nation undergoing an identity crisis: the uncertain infancy of the Third Republic and shifting alliances in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War forced France to interrogate the fundamental values and characteristics at the heart of its own national identity. Music was central to this national self-scrutiny. It comes as little surprise to us that Oriental fears, desires, and anxieties should be a fundamental part of this, but what has been overlooked to date is that Britain, too, provided a thinking space in the French musical world; it was often surprisingly and paradoxically represented through many of the same racialist terms and musical tropes as the Orient. However, at the same time, its shared history with France and the explosions of colonial rivalry between the two nations introduced an ever-present tension into this musical relationship. This book sheds light on this forgotten musical sphere through a rich variety of contemporary sources.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
Singing the English: At the Café-Concert
Chapter Two
Singing for Salvation: Music and British Evangelism in France
Chapter Three
Singing the Celts: British Folk Music and French Identity
Chapter Four
Singing in London: Dubious Music in French Travel Writing
Epilogue
