Cultural History of Western Music in the Age of Enlightenment
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- ISBN 9781350075573
- Weight: 705g
- Dimensions: 168 x 242mm
- Publication Date: 22 Jan 2026
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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A CULTURAL HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC IN THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
A Cultural History of Western Music in the Age of Enlightenment covers the period from 1650 to 1790, a time of radical, social, and cultural transformation. Alongside the splendor of performances in courts and opera houses, novel forms of musical culture – such as public concerts and music journalism – emerged in many urban cultures. Advances in science encouraged the development and use of new musical sounds and technologies. Increased exploration and trade enhanced knowledge of other cultures, but the expansion of colonialism and slavery had far-reaching repercussions for Western music. At the same time, the Enlightenment’s philosophical focus on what it means to be human recast the purpose of music: sound became the expression of the self.
The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Western Music presents the first comprehensive history from classical antiquity to today, covering all forms and aspects of music and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are society; philosophies; politics; exchange; education; popular culture; performance; and technologies.
The Cultural Histories Series
A Cultural History of Western Music is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available as hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a tangible reference for their shelves or as part of a fully-searchable digital library. The digital product is available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access via www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com . Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available in print or digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com .
David Irving is ICREA Research Professor at Institució Milà i Fontanals de Recerca en Humanitats, CSIC, Spain. His research focuses on the role of music in intercultural exchange, colonialism, and diplomacy in the early modern period (1500-1800). He is author of Colonial Counterpoint: Music in Early Modern Manila (Oxford, 2010), and co-editor of Intercultural Exchange in Southeast Asia: History and Society in the Early Modern World (I.B. Tauris, 2013). He was awarded the Andrew McCredie Medal for Musicology in 2015, and the Jerome Roche Prize by the RMA in 2010.
ESTELLE JOUBERT is Associate Professor of Musicology at Dalhousie University. Her research focuses on opera and political thought of the Enlightenment, music and identity politics in Europe, and music in the global eighteenth century.
