Marie Sumner Lott examines the music available to musical consumers in the nineteenth century, and what that music tells us about their tastes, priorities, and activities. Her social history of chamber music performance places the works of canonic composers such as Schubert, Brahms, and Dvorak in relation to lesser-known but influential peers. The book explores the dynamic relationships among the active agents involved in the creation of Romantic music and shows how each influenced the others' choices in a rich, collaborative environment. In addition to documenting the ways companies acquired and marketed sheet music, Sumner Lott reveals how the publication and performance of chamber music differed from that of ephemeral piano and song genres or more monumental orchestral and operatic works. Several distinct niche markets existed within the audience for chamber music, and composers created new musical works for their use and enjoyment. Insightful and groundbreaking, The Social Worlds of Nineteenth-Century Chamber Music revises prevailing views of middle-class influence on nineteenth-century musical style and presents new methods for interpreting the meanings of musical works for musicians both past and present.

About the Author
Marie Sumner Lott is an assistant professor of music history at Georgia State University.

Reviews
"By focusing on the milieu of middle-class amateurs rather than the professional world of the concert hall that has occupied most scholars, Lott provides a fresh perspective on the production and consumption of chamber music in nineteenth-century Europe. The Social Worlds of Nineteenth-Century Chamber Music is an exemplary contextual study that enhances our appreciation of not only canonic masterworks but also lesser-known pieces written for this thriving market."--Walter Frisch, author of Music in the Nineteenth Century
By considering nineteenth-century chamber music as a practice that involved not only composition but also production, marketing, and both amateur and professional performance, Marie Sumner Lott provides a fascinating and valuable new perspective on both familiar and unfamiliar music. Anyone with a serious interest in chamber music for strings--or indeed nineteenth-century European musical practice--will enjoy and learn from The Social Worlds of Nineteenth-Century Chamber Music.--David Gramit, author of Cultivating Music: The Aspirations, Interests, and Limits of German Musical Culture, 1770-1848
Sumner Lott's book is well organized and easy to read, and it contains many fresh insights into nineteenth-century string chamber music.--Christina Bashford, author of The Pursuit of High Culture: John Ella and Chamber Music in Victorian London




Book Information
ISBN 9780252083846
Author Marie Sumner Lott
Format Paperback
Page Count 328
Imprint University of Illinois Press
Publisher University of Illinois Press
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 25mm