Cultural History of Western Music in the Industrial Age
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- ISBN 9781350075597
- Weight: 609g
- Dimensions: 166 x 244mm
- 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 INDUSTRIAL AGE
A Cultural History of Western Music in the Industrial Age covers the period from 1790 to 1920, when Western music became entangled with political, technological, and economic change on a global scale. Known as the Romantic era and renowned for its genius composers and virtuoso performers, this period charged full steam ahead, with Western audiences marveling at musics from the far reaches of the world, folksong collectors searching for the musical soul of the people, nation-states demanding national anthems, philosophers contending with the issue of slavery, and the phonograph rewriting musical memory. Besides its traditional aesthetic, ethical, and pedagogical functions, Western music became a force in an evolving landscape of work, leisure, and global economy, beating the drums of industrialization.
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 .
ALEXANDER REHDING is Fanny Peabody Professor of Music at Harvard University. His research focuses on music in its cultural, theoretical and intellectual contexts from ancient Greece to the present day. He is author of Hugo Riemann and the Birth of Modern Musical Thought (Cambridge, 2003), Music and Monumentality (Oxford, 2009), and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 (Oxford, 2017). He was co-editor of Acta musicologica and is editor-in-chief of the Oxford Handbooks Online series in music. His awards include the Dent Medal of the RMA in 2014.
Naomi Waltham-Smith is Assistant Professor of Music at Warwick University. She is author of Music and Belonging: Between Revolution and Restoration (OUP, 2017) and her next book, The Sound of Biopolitics will be published by Fordham University Press.
