The Creative Labor of Music Patronage in Interwar France

This book explores how patrons in early twentieth-century France shaped the sounds and meanings of new French music, challenging the perception that composers made art, not money. Patrons collaborated closely with composers, treating commissions for new music as opportunities to express their own artistry, leading to an explosion of new music and styles. New ranks of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others capitalized on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world, complementing a dwindling cast of aristocratic patrons.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 28 January 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

The conventional belief that modernist composers prioritized art over financial gain and that those who achieved financial success were somehow unable to create art is challenged by this book. Patrons have long been portrayed as vibrant and unique figures in the history of music, but this book reimagines them as creative forces that shaped the sounds and meanings of new French music between the world wars. Far from being mere sources of funding, early twentieth-century patrons worked closely with composers, treating commissions for new music as opportunities to express their own artistic vision. These patrons expanded their involvement in music-making, venturing beyond commissions to establish ballet companies, manage performance venues, and establish state programs. The diverse range of patronage activities resulted in a proliferation of new music, as well as the emergence of new styles and -isms, which have left an indelible mark on the repertoire examined in this book, including several pieces that are still frequently performed in concert halls today. In addition to providing fresh insights into well-known French repertoire, this book challenges the notion that patronage is a relic of the past. Complementing the dwindling ranks of aristocratic patrons were new groups of music publishers, impresarios, state bureaucrats, opera directors, and others who capitalized on their savings, social connections, and artistic vision to bring new music into the world. The book explores various aspects of patronage, including aristocratic commissions, the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges, through chapters on French discourse surrounding patronage, aristocratic commissions, the stimulus provided by the interwar dance craze, music publishing, the Paris Opéra, state intervention in French musical life, and transatlantic musical exchanges. By blending cultural history with primary source study and music analysis, the book not only enhances our understanding of French musical life and culture during the early twentieth century but also offers valuable insights into the broader cultural and social contexts of the time.

Weight: 518g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783276691