Abstract

Subject of the study are music societies or rather societies which include an orchestra, founded by „Bildungsbürger“ (educated citizenry or bourgeoisie) in german-speaking countries, as to say, the area of the former Holy Roman Empire between 1800 and 1830. These associations were usually called „Musikverein“ or „Musikgesellschaft“. The study does explicitly exclude sheer choir associations, wind music, and associations that organised national „Musikfeste“. The music societies included merely „Dilettanten“ (amateurs) and organised regularly „Abonnementskonzerte“ (subscription concerts). Thus, they were probably the pillar of the emerging public civic concert life.
After having clarified the essential terms „Bürgertum“ (bourgeoisie), „bürgerliche Bildungsidee“ (the idea of education in the rising middle class), and „Dilettantismus“ (amateurism in historical sense) the study goes on to analyse the music society itself: its organisational structure, aim(s), finances, and its social composition. The orchestra is examined in its composition as well as in its size. The programming is naturally also a part of exploration. In the study’s last section the degree of publicity is dicussed as well as are the catalysts and preconditions for the wave of creations of music societies after 1800.
It is a large-scale study and takes 24 music societies into account that have been founded in Berlin, Berne, Braunschweig, Bremen, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Eisenach, Erfurt, Frankfurt on Main, Graz, Hamburg, Leipzig, Ljubljana, Mannheim, Munich, Munster (Westphalia), Vienna und Zurich. Hitherto unknown but nevertheless rich historical primary sources as statuts, concert programmes, lists of members, balance sheets, correspondence, the societies’ Festschriften, and in addition new scientific literature form the basis of the analyses. Their importance and contents are explained to the reader at the beginning of the book.