Institutionalization of Modern Bourgeois Musical Culture in Nineteenth-Century Carniola and Lower Styria

Abstract

The article examines the institutionalization of modern bourgeois musical culture in Carniola and Lower Styria during the nineteenth century. This era was characterized by the decline of the old aristocracy and the rise of new social classes, including the wealthy bourgeoisie and the lower nobility (ennobled bourgeoisie), collectively referred to as the »Second Society« (Zweite Gesellschaft). Using various examples, this article traces the development of modern bourgeois musical culture from the private sphere to the »semi-public« and finally to the public sphere. It examines the founding of musical societies and their funding, the increased access to musical education and concert life, the transition from amateurism to professionalism in musical practice, and the increasing participation of women in cultural and musical life throughout the nineteenth century in Carniola and Lower Styria.

Keywords

• 19th-century music
• music societies
• music salons
• modern bourgeois musical culture
• Carniola
• Lower Styria