Quarter Notes and Bank Notes: The Economics of Music Composition in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

(Paperback)

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Analyzes the changing trends in how composers acquired their skills and earned their living, examining such impacts as demographic developments and modes of transportation. This book offers insight into the diversity of composers' economic aspirations, the strategies through which they pursued success, and the emergence of copyright protection.

Reviews

"Scherer has broken new ground with his exciting interdisciplinary approach and use of massive quantitative and qualitative data--the scale of this achievement cannot be overstated."--Siobhan McAndrew, Business History "This new book by F.M. Scherer explores aspects of the music business in Western Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and asks the question of how classical composers there made the transition from feudal to capitalist society... Scherer brings a much-needed sense of maturity and respectability to the study of music and commerce... Scherer's work on the economics of music publishing is especially informative... Anyone interested in the rise of market practices in Europe will enjoy [this book], especially if they like casual music."--James P. Kraft, Enterprise & Society

Author Bio

F. M. Scherer is Aetna Professor Emeritus at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and the author of many books.