Simon McVeigh 
Music in Edwardian London [PDF ebook] 

Traversing London’s musical culture, this book boldly illuminates the emergence of Edwardian London as a beacon of musical innovation.


The dawning of a new century saw London emerge as a hub in a fast-developing global music industry, mirroring Britain’s pivotal position between the continent, the Americas and the British Empire. It was a period of expansion, experiment and entrepreneurial energy. Rather than conservative and inward-looking, London was invigorated by new ideas, from pioneering musical comedy and revue to the modernist departures of Debussy and Stravinsky. Meanwhile, Elgar, Holst, Vaughan Williams, and a host of ambitious younger composers sought to reposition British music in a rapidly evolving soundscape.



Music was central to society at every level. Just as opulent theatres proliferated in the West End, concert life was revitalised by new symphony orchestras, by the Queen’s Hall promenade concerts, and by Sunday concerts at the vast Albert Hall. Through innumerable band and gramophone concerts in the parks, music from Wagner to Irving Berlin became available as never before.



The book envisions a burgeoning urban culture through a series of snapshots – daily musical life in all its messy diversity. While tackling themes of cosmopolitanism and nationalism, high and low brows, centres and peripheries, it evokes contemporary voices and characterful individuals to illuminate the period. Challenging issues include the barriers faced by women and people of colour, and attitudes inhibiting the new generation of British composers – not to mention embedded imperialist ideologies reflecting London’s precarious position at the centre of Empire.



Engagingly written, Simon Mc Veigh’s groundbreaking book reveals the exhilarating transformation of music in Edwardian London, which laid the foundations for the century to come.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations

Preface


1 Edwardian Soundscapes

London in the world: an international national culture

Music everywhere: expansion and social change

Challenges and debates

Looking forward


2 Mapping a Musical City: Place (and Class)

Urban landscapes

From Westminster Abbey to the West End

Concertland

Theatreland

Looking East: the City of London

Looking West: towards Knightsbridge

Off-centre: Palaces and Mohawks

En plein air


3 Mapping a Musical City: Time (and Taste)

Looking back and looking forward: the 1897-98 season

New directions: the 1902-03 season

Expansion and new horizons: the 1907-08 season

Interlude: Fry, Diaghilev, Beecham

Modernity and modernism: the 1912-13 season


4 London as Musical Hub: Europe, America, Empire

Free Trade

Two traditions

New directions in performance

An internationalistic outlook towards composers

The new Austro-German music

France

Russia

Northern Europe

USA


5 The British Question

A national musical culture

Looking towards the continent

Looking back to the future

A special case?

Conclusion: a London music?


6 Britain and ‚Others‘

Song, music hall, theatre

Royal pomp and imperial celebration

Into the concert hall

Others


7 Hidden Voices

Power and money

Musical mediators

The music industry: entrepreneurs and middle(wo)men

Patrons and financers


8 From Battersea to Bermondsey: Suburban Music and Local Politics

Life in the suburbs

Music hall

Theatres and opera

Concerts and chamber music

People’s music

Municipal concerts and funding


9 London’s Music: An Overview

The status of music

An international perspective

Modern structures

Crosscurrents

Creative London and British music


Bibliography

Index

Über den Autor

SIMON Mc VEIGH is Emeritus Professor of Music, Goldsmiths, University of London and a Past President of the Royal Musical Association.