European Music and Musicians in New York City, 1840-1900: 36 (Eastman Studies in Music) - Tapa dura

Extremely well edited . . . and the writing is consistently clear and engaging. . . . Makes available a wealth of information from period sources, including concert programs, unpublished musical scores, newspaper and journal reviews, and correspondence from leading musical figures, that deeply enhances our understanding of musical life in 19th-century New York. . . . Meticulous presentation. BULLETIN OF THE SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN MUSIC [Steven Baur]

For the first time, New York's position as a major outpost of European musical culture is given its due in this much-needed book. A series of fascinating and well-documented studies show the astonishing richness and variety of the city's culture of high art music. --Nicholas Temperley, Emeritus Professor of Musicology, University of Illinois

This marvelous compendium documents the stories of music and musicians that entered America in the nineteenth century through New York City. The richly detailed profiles reveal an array of music making stunning in its intensity and variety. Essential reading for historians and students of American life and culture. --Deane L. Root, Professor and Chair of the Department of Music, University of Pittsburgh, and Director and Curator of the Center for American Music

The musical scene in mid-nineteenth century New York City, contrary to common belief, was exceptionally vibrant. Thanks to several opera companies, no fewer than two orchestras, public chamber music and solo concerts, and numerous choirs, New Yorkers were regularly exposed to "new" music of Verdi, Meyerbeer, Schumann, Berlioz, Liszt, and Wagner.

In European Music and Musicians in New York City, 1840-1900, the first thorough exploration of musical life in New York City during this period, editor John Graziano and a number of other distinguished essayists assert that the richness of the artistic life of the city, particularly at this time, has been vastly underrated and undervalued. This marvelous new collection of essays, with topics ranging from military bands and immigrant impresarios to visits from operatic diva Adelina Patti, establishes that this musical scene was one of quantity and quality, lively and multifaceted -- in many ways equal to the scene in the largest of the Old World's Cities.

Contributors: Adrienne Fried Block, Christopher Bruhn, Raoul F. Camus, Frank J. Cipolla, John Graziano, Ruth Henderson, John Koegel, R. Allen Lott, Rena C. Mueller, Hilary Poriss, Katherine K. Preston, Nancy B. Reich, Ora Frishberg Saloman, Wayne Shirley.

John Graziano is Professor of Music, The City College and Graduate Center, CUNY, and co-Director of the Music in Gotham research project.