Croatian Musicological Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music.http://www.jstor.orgMass Culture and the Reshaping of European Musical Taste, 1770-1870 Author(s): Wiliam Weber Source:International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol. 25, No. 1/2 (Jun. - Dec., 1994), pp. 175-190Published by:Croatian Musicological SocietyStable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/836942Accessed: 14-08-2015 01:10 UTCYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jspJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.This content downloaded from 64.69.157.17 on Fri, 14 Aug 2015 01:10:32 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsW. WEBER, MASSCULTUREAND EUROPEANMUSICAL TASTE, IRAMDA 25/1,2 (1994) 175-190175 MASSCULTURE ANDTHE RESHAPING OF EUROPEANMUSICAL TASTE, 1770-1870"* WILIAMWEBER California State University, Long Beach, U.S.A. UDC:78.073"17/18" Original Scientific Paper Izvorniznanstveni6lanak First published in: /Prvi put objavljeno u: InternationalReview of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol.VIII,No. 1, 1977 Abstract -Resuie' Theriseofthemaster composers - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, later Handeland J. S. Bach, and finally Schubert, Weber,Schumann, and oth- ers -to musical sainthood took place during the 1850's and1860's. It can be regarded as an early, butcleverand profit-seeking formofmass cul- ture, whoseevolutioncanbetraced in Europe fromabout1770 to1870. Inthisthe growth of the publishingindustry is discussed, as the main impetus behindthecommercial development ofthemusicalworldin London,Paris, Vienna, and Leipzig. Themain large-scale concerts which appearedduring themiddleofthe19th century brought a new impersonal socialstruc- turetolife, andthe classical repertoire ofthese concerts reshapedEuropean musicaltaste since then bypolarizing valuesforentertainment (>>popularclassicalRoll over, Beethoven< goes that song -sincecommercial exploi- tationofthemasterswasa major startingpoint ofthe modem musicbusiness. In this lecture I am going to trace the evolutionof massculture in European musicallifefromabout1770 to1870 andshowhowit culminatedintheriseof theclassicalmasters.I willfirst discussthe growth ofthe publishingindustry, the force which provided the main impetus behindthe commercial development ofthemusicalworld.The argument willbemadethatthe industry hadthe dynamics ofmassculturefromthestartofthenineteenth century. I willthen sketchoutthemain large-scale concertswhich appearedduring themiddleof the century and brought a new impersonal social structure to concert life. Finally, Iwillshowhowtheclassical repertoire oftheseconcerts reshapedEuropean musicaltaste bypolarizing valuesforentertainmentandserious artistry. The resultingduality of >popular< and >>classical< musichas sincethen beenthe key- stoneofmusicalmassculture. I willalso beg off from doing several other things. I willnot try to investigate the relations betweenmassculture and macrocosmicdimensionsof society such asclassstructureorindustrialization.Most important of all, I willnothazard any conclusionsaboutits impact onhowmusicwaswritten. Myscopegeo- 1 Monde musical, April 30,1846, pp. 2-3. 2 TheGesellschaftder MusikfreundeinViennahasan extensivecollectionofsuchmemorabilia: seeRichard vonPERGER and Robert HIRSCHFELD, Geschichte der k. k. Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna 1912, Zusatz-Band, pp. 85-154. This content downloaded from 64.69.157.17 on Fri, 14 Aug 2015 01:10:32 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsW. WEBER, MASSCULTUREAND EUROPEANMUSICALTASTE,IRAMDA25/1,2 (1994) 175-190177 graphically willbebroad butwillbelimited primarily tothethree major Euro- peancapitals - London,Paris, andVienna-andto Leipzig, theGerman city most prominent in nineteenth-century musicallife.I willalsonotdelveintothe differences among them. Inthemusicalfieldtheterm>mass culture< can bedefinedina relatively concrete manner. It shouldbe conceivedas performance or dissemination of music whichdoesnotrest uponpersonalrelationships betweenmusiciansandthe pu- blic and for which obtaining - indeed, manipulating -a wide public is a primary goal. This is not just a matter of brute numbersof peoplebuying musicor going toconcerts.Whathascharacterizedmusicalmassculture primarily hasbeen rather the impersonality of relationships betweenlistenersand performers and the active exploitation of a broad public by the musicbusiness.To be sure, neither thesizeofaudiencesnorthecirculationofsheetmusic during thenineteenth century compares at all closely to contemporary levels, and early marketing tech- niquesmay seemcrude by comparison withthose usedfor Elton John or Leonard Bernstein. But the impersonality ofconcert eventsandthe manipulative devices ofthe publishingindustry hadmuchthesamebasic qualities thenasnow.Be- causeofthese dynamics, the appearance of 1,000 insteadof300 people at some concertsandthe publication oftensofthousandsinsteadofseveralhundred new pieces ofmusic peryearchanged thesocialstructureofmusicallifefun- damentally.3 Now, intheold society, intheworldwehave lost, music-making revolved aroundone-to-one personalrelationships. Musicwaswhatone person didfor another. There werenoformalinstitutionswhere people wentforthe objective, impersonalpurpose of simplyhearing music. People dancedandcourtedto music, passed thetime making music, andcelebratedwithmusic.Mostofthe ceremonialoccasions accompaniedby musicwere directly associatedwith spe- cificeventsinindividuals'lives- marriages, funerals, namedays, saints days. Moreover, the relationship oftencountedfor far morethan the musicitself. Even inthehouseholdsofthe upper classesof society musicianswerenotadiscrete profession butrather simply those people who, for onereasonor another, sang or played forthosearoundthem.Inashrewd study of English musiciansof thelatesixteenth century, Walter Woodfillhasshownthat few performers were formal, residentretainers butrather were people froma wide range of occupa- tionswhomademusicfor othersandobtainedan unspecific reward, somekind of personalgratuity, andoften performed otherservicesforthesamehouse- holds.4 Performers in the large-scale ensemblesofthe eighteenthcentury almost 3 Thetermhasnotbeen applied at all intensively tothe history of European classicalmusic thusfar. Themostusefulworksonthe history ofconcertswhichat leastbear upon the subject are the following:Percy M. YOUNG, The Concert Tradition, London 1965; Arthur LOESSER,Men, Women and Pianos, NewYork 1954; andHans ENGEL, Musik und Gesellschaft, Berlin 1960. 4Walter WOODFILL, Musicians in English Society, Princeton 1953, pp. 59-62. This content downloaded from 64.69.157.17 on Fri, 14 Aug 2015 01:10:32 UTCAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions178W. WEBER, MASSCULTUREAND EUROPEANMUSICAL TASTE, IRAMDA 25/1,2 (1994) 175-190 always had other functionsin the household; a list of the membersof one German Hofkapelle in1783 cited, among others, two porters, one cupbearer, twoman- servantsandthe chaplain.5 Relationships between performers andtheir patrons weretherefore thecen- tral sourceofsocialorderinmusicallife.The key tosuccessfor musicianswas not expanding the numberof suchties but rather maintaining themwithcareful diplomacy inthe smallgroup socialcontextofthetime.The frequency of vaga- bondageamong low- (and insomecasesnotso low-)ranking musiciansmade thisconcern important toall concerned; reputationsdepended asmuch upon simple trustfulnessas upon musical ability.6 Theriseof public concerts during the18th centurychanged thenatureof these relationshipssurprisingly little.Themost prominentearly concertswere performancesby dedicatedamateurs -Kennerund Liebhaber, as they werecalled inGerman -assisted by musiciansof usuallygreater ability froma lowersocial standing wholivedin part byteaching and performing in bourgeois andaris- tocratichomes.The people whowenttotheseeventswhere accordingly the friendsandrelativesofthe performers, andmembersofthelocal community. Suchconcertsthusrested upon astructureof personalrelationships andthe complementary needsofthedifferentkindsof participants. Their highlyper- sonalizedcharacter limitedtheir growth into large-scale or professional institu- tions.Whenthatdid happen, asintheorchestraoftheGesellschaftder Musikfreundeof Vienna after the Revolutionof 1848, it came onlythrough force- fulandcontroversialactions byprofessionals.7 Even commercially-oriented concerts sponsoredby individualmusicians hadsuchafabric of relationships. To be sure, such concertgivers nowactedin a enterpreneurial capacity, since they put on eventsfor more than onehousehold and charged afeefor admission.Anelementofcommercial objectivitythereby enteredintothe relationships withtheir patrons. But theseconcertsdidnot have an impersonal public, for they remained dependentupon domestic music-making untilafter the middleofthe nineteenth century. The growth ofamateurmusical trainingduring the eighteenthcentury hadmade teaching in bourgeois and aristocratic homesa broad, highly lucrative market and provided a stable source ofincomefromwhichmusicianscouldlaunchcareersas publicperformers. These events, usually called>Academies>Benefit Concerts>Herkunft undSozialstatusdes h6fischen Orchestermusikers im18. und friihen 19. Jahrhundert in DeutschlandZursozialen Stellung des StadtmusikantenA Sketch ofthe History ofMusic Printing>1951: Pop Musicat the CrossroadsCreating theLP RecordOrpheon< instructional program in elementary schoolsundermu- nicipal sanctionand shortly after extendedit to adultclasses.The program drew a predominantly artisanal clientelederivedin large part from traditionaltavern singinggroups, and someof the studentsthemselvesbecame professional choral directors. Wilhem'ssuccessors expanded the >Orphdon< intoa massivenational choral program whichclimaxeditsfirstdecadein1859withaconcertatthe Palaisdel'Industrieinwhichthe press claimed, undoubtedly withsome exag- geration, that 6,000 singers from204societiesfromalloverFrance performed beforeacrowdof 40,000 people.24 That certainly wasmassculture. Throughout theconcertsofthe1850's one canfeela lusting for identificationwiththemassofthe population, adesireto celebratethe emerging urban-industrialcivilizationwitha grandthronging to- gether in publicplaces. Theminutesofthe directing committeeoftheSacred Harmonic Society reveal complaints that singers balkedat attending rehearsals regularly and only wantedto appear at the big concerts. That doesnot just show of London, British Museum, May 22, 1831 andMarch 11, 1832 (refusals of permission for exchange of tickets),January 19, 1834 and August 10, 1842 (removal ofthe rule). For Leipzig, see Programs oftheGewandhaus Orchestra, Museum der Geschichte der Stadt Leipzig, November 30, 1822 (warning tosubscribersnotto exchangetickets) and February 13, 1837 (removal ofthe rule). TheParisian Societe des Concerts duConservatoire carefully avoidedtheruleatits inception in 1828, asdidthe ViennaPhilharmonicOrchestra in1842 andtheLondonMusicalUnionin1845. 23 WEBER, op. cit., pp.100-108. 24 AlbertLAVIGNAC, ed.,>>'Orphionyou don'thavetoknow much, butit'sniceif you do(.Mozartsaidasmuchinalettertohisfatherin1782 whenhe describeda set of concerti he was writing as >a happy mediumbetween whatistoo easy andtoodifficult... here and there are things whichconnoisseurs can appreciate, butI haveseento it that thoseless knowledgeable mustalsobe pleased without knowingwhy>MusicintheCultureofthe Renaissancebrilliantbut not difficult>serious< repertoire. Most concertgoers not only didnotthink you neededto knowmuchaboutthe music; they didnoteventhinkit wasniceif you did.To most people at concerts, said a Parisian journalist in 1833, >>musical feeling, taste, the study of the great masters, thescienceof composition aredissonancestotheirearsthat you wouldbeill advisedto pronounce before themindividual concert-givers now scarcely dare any longerpresent themselvestothe public without Beethoven, Chopin, orSchu- mannIt isnot longsince weendeavoredtoshowwhata change hastaken place here during thelastten years