A study of the evolution of program music from its modest beginnings in the 16th century to its acceptance as a musical form by composers & artists all over the world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1907. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. IN GERMANY. The writing of the present chapter cannot be called an inspiring task. Without Wagner's sovereign contempt for the music of his time, and Tchaikovsky's belief in Germany's complete exhaustion, one may yet be unable to grow enthusiastic over the theme. The productivity during the period with which we are concerned has been enormous. But how about the really valuable outcome of it? In the latter part of the 19th century the question was often asked: What remains if you remove from the living German composers Wagner and Brahms? And then there were ever so many people who, while heartily admitting the greatness of one of the two, were not so sure of the other--not to mention those who were all for the one and would have none whatever of the other. Now, ' this exclusive way of looking at men and things is not only unfair, it is absolutely foolish. The men of genius leave room for the men of talent; and the masters en grand for the masters en miniature. To be sure for some time past Germany has not been abounding in musical genius of the first or even second order. But if there has been a dearth of powerful original creativeness and of strikingly outstanding individuality, there has been also a goodly provision of artistic ability well deserving our respect and gratitude, ability displaying itself not merely in technical skill, but often also in imaginativeness, sensibility, and poetic charm. The great bulk of crudities, futilities, and vacuities need not trouble us: they are not peculiar to any one period. One could classify composers into (1) such as write only absolute music, and are uninfluenced by and even averse to the programmatic tendency; (2) such as write programme music, but only in the classical manner and forms; (3) such as go only ...

This volume illuminates musical connections between Britain and the continent of Europe, and Britain and its Empire. The seldom-recognized vitality of musical theatre and other kinds of spectacle in Britain itself, and also the flourishing concert life of the period, indicates a means of defining tradition and identity within nineteenth-century British musical culture. The objective of the volume has been to add significantly to the growing literature on these topics. It benefits not only from new archival research, but also from fresh musicological approaches and interdisciplinary methods that recognize the integral role of music within a wider culture, including religious, political and social life. The essays are by scholars from the USA, Britain, and Europe, covering a wide range of experience. Topics range from the reception of Bach, Mozart, and Liszt in England, a musical response to Shakespeare, Italian opera in Dublin, exoticism, gender, black musical identities, British musicians in Canada, and uses of music in various theatrical genres and state ceremony, and in articulating the politics of the Union and Empire.