1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910462071503321

Autore

Pasler Jann

Titolo

Composing the citizen [[electronic resource] ] : music as public utility in Third Republic France / / Jann Pasler

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2009

ISBN

0-520-94387-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (813 p.)

Collana

An Ahmanson foundation book in the humanities

Disciplina

306.4/842094409034

Soggetti

Music - Social aspects - France - History - 19th century

Music - Political aspects - France - History - 19th century

Electronic books.

France Social life and customs 19th century

France Politics and government 1870-1940

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"An Ahmanson Foundation book in the humanities"--Jacket flap.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction. Paris: A Walking Tour -- Part 1. Forming Public Spirit and Useful Citizens -- Part 2. Shaping Judgment and National Taste -- Part 3. Instituting Republican Culture -- Part 4. Shifting Notions of Utility: Between the Nation and the Self -- Coda -- Appendix A. Important Political and Musical Events in the Early Third Republic -- Appendix B. References in Ménestrel to Performances of French Operas Abroad, 1872-1888 -- Appendix C. Selected Publications on Revolutionary Music after 1870 -- Illustrations -- Musical Examples -- Illustration Credits -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

In a book that challenges modernist ideas about the value and role of music in Western society, Composing the Citizen demonstrates how music can help forge a nation. Deftly exploring the history of Third Republic France, Jann Pasler shows how French people from all classes and political persuasions looked to music to revitalize the country after the turbulent crises of 1871. Embraced not as a luxury but for its "public utility," music became an object of public policy as integral to modern life as power and water, a way to teach critical judgment and inspire national pride. It helped people to forget the past, voice



conflicting aspirations, and imagine a shared future. Based on a dazzling survey of archival material, Pasler's rich interdisciplinary work looks beyond elites and the histories their agendas have dominated to open new windows onto the musical tastes and practices of amateurs as well as professionals. A fascinating history of the period emerges, one rooted in political realities and the productive tensions between the political and the aesthetic. Highly evocative and deeply humanistic, Composing the Citizen ignites broad debates about music's role in democracy and its meaning in our lives.