Musicians and amateurs
Auteur(s)
- Corinne Walker
- Xavier Bouvier
Corinne Walker with a contribution from Xavier Bouvier, Musicians and amateurs, the taste and practices of music in Geneva in the 17th and 18th centuries, Geneva, La Baconnière, 2017.
Résumé
From the second half of the 16th century onwards, Geneva gained prominence as an intellectual and religious hub. Attracting a sizeable community of foreign nobles, the city did not let the artistic tastes and practices of the age pass it by. Whilst the place occupied by fine arts is recognised today, that of music had not yet been assessed.
Here, as elsewhere, dancing, accompanied by instruments, was always part and parcel of the most important moments in people’s family lives and social lives. Itinerant musicians and dance tutors were key players in the dissemination of musical practices. In the mid-17th century, there were already advertisements stating that “music concerts” were to be held in the temples, and in 1718 the first concert society was given a furnished room at the Town Hall, where, for more than a century, amateurs from Geneva and itinerant musicians were to perform music. Far from being confined to the ‘salons’ of the nobility, the playing of music spread throughout the bourgeoisie and into the world of the wealthy artisans of the Fabrique, creating job opportunities for music and dance tutors, lute-makers, and even music engravers. This explains the fact that many foreign musicians moved to the city, sometimes permanently. Hailing from a range of different countries and cultures, they set their cultural baggage and artistic language against that of the local artists, thereby contributing to the growth of a flourishing musical life that was in step with the major stylistic trends in Europe.
Stemming from a research project by the Haute école de musique de Genève, the work is accompanied by two discs (published by Claves) dedicated to chamber music and the symphonic works of the composers Gaspard Fritz, Friedrich Schwindl and Nicolas Scherrer, making it possible to discover the extraordinary sound universe of Geneva’s musicians in the 18th century.
Lien(s) associé(s)
