Project Three: New audiences

During the 19^th century, as well as the significant changes to instrument’s development and musical ‘thinking’ amongst composers, it is perhaps the change in society which created the greatest change for musical history.  Dobney (2004) writes that previous to this era, composers:

“…were usually employed by either the church or the court and were merely servants to aristocratic circles. Composers wrote music for performances in these venues, and musical instrument makers produced instruments to be played by wealthy patrons or their servant musicians.”

With this in mind, it seems likely that access to important and influential compositions written pre-19^th century would have been very limited for the majority of the common population – perhaps confined to church or celebratory occasions.  Dobney (2004) continues to write that due to economic changes following the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, the 19^th century became a time when the ‘middle class’ was born, with more money, leisure time and with a strong desire to be involved with previous aristocratic ideas such as the arts.   It seems that it was this social change that created an avenue for composers such as Beethoven, Liszt and Shubert to break free from the constraints of ‘management’ and create music for a new, wide audience.

Weber (2004:7) describes how the new ‘economically stable’ middle classes grew in terms of musical development, beginning with a vast increase in the number of sales of instruments and publications.   Weber writes that musical activities were “ becoming almost standard within substantial middle-class households”.  However, he later states that although concerts were becoming more and more commonplace for the ‘common audience’, their popularity growth was much slower than that of ‘music in the home’. 

Of course, now instruments were becoming commonplace, composers had to ensure efficient methods of communicating their work, as recording facilities were not yet available.  It seems that this was the era when the publishing of sheet music took off.  Sampson (2001:78) writes that

“Music publishing flourished throughout Europe during this [19^th Century] period, especially in London, Paris and Leipzig but also more remote centres like Warsaw, St Petersburg and Moscow”. 

Sampson (2001) continues to describe how Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart’s work was becoming readily available in music shops, whilst other composers, such as Franz Liszt, opted to rearrange more famous folk, operatic and orchestral pieces for solo instruments.

Piano recitals and Salon music were other popular forms of musical performance during the 19^th century, perhaps due to the audience’s desire to break away from the tradition of a larger concert.   Franz Liszt is commonly believed to the first composer to write a piece within the ‘recital’ genre, with famous transcriptions for solo piano of pieces such as Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 (1804 -08) and Schubert Songs (1837 - 38).  Salon Music provided the listener with the opportunity to bring the concert to smaller intimate venues and listen to shorter and characterful pieces often focused on display of virtuoso style, composed for solo Piano, or Piano accompanied by a single instrument.   Chamber Music, with composers such as Shubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms, were somewhat less popular during the times, perhaps due to the associations with the more classical style.

Public concerts, although arguably less popular than the smaller and intimate setting, became more popular than ever during this period, due to the changes in economic status.  Operas remained the point on high society, but concerts held by composers, both at home and abroad, gave the world the opportunity to access even more musical styles.   During the Romantic period, many of the world’s most famous concert halls were built, such as the Musikverein in Vienna and Palais Garnier in Paris, providing spaces to accommodate both larger audiences and larger orchestras. 

Details of my listening responses to pieces composed for recitals, salon settings, chamber ensembles and public concerts can be found in my listening log.