A Short History of Cheap Music: As Exemplified in the Records of the House of Novello, Ewer and Co., with Special Reference to the First Fifty Years (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781108001700)

The publisher Novello was hugely influential in making music affordable for a wider section of the Victorian public. A Short History of Cheap Music, published in 1887, focuses on Novello's role. It begins with the establishment of the house in 1811, when the founder, Vincent Novello, printed his first book at his own personal expense. Soon afterwards the house made available cheap editions of major musical compositions including Mozart's and Haydn's masses, Purcell's sacred music, and various Italian and English works. It also printed a variety of publications and journals dedicated to music, advocated the reduction of taxes on music, and organised events for the advancement of the musical arts. The author shows how by finding cheaper methods for printing music, organising cheap concerts, and establishing new choral societies, the house of Novello gradually created a taste for music among new audiences, a process paralleled today in the new media.

Author: George Grove
ISBN-10: 110800170X
ISBN-13: 9781108001700
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 07/20/2009
Pages: 176
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.51lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.41d