A City for Music Lovers: Creating a classical music culture in Sydney 1889-1939

Abstract

Through the efforts of thousands of dedicated men and women classical music obtained a privileged position in Sydney in the early twentieth century. This neglected area of Australia’s cultural history was part of a transnational phenomenon which has divided historians and musicologists. Does it demonstrate the imposition of elite culture from above or did it emerge from the combined energies of those who believed that classical music might provide genuine benefits for the whole community? Contributing to a body of literature on the social history of classical music in Europe and the United States, this thesis incorporates a Bourdieuian analysis examining the creation of classical music in Sydney from the perspective of key stakeholders: entertainment entrepreneurs, musical institutions, performers, composers and audience. It focuses on the interaction between these stakeholders to consider the field of classical music as a dynamic, constantly evolving arena of interaction where the personal and political intersect. It takes into account social, economic, political and technological developments as Australia established itself as an independent nation grappling with a rapidly expanding population, modernity and the rise of a politically engaged working class. Such an approach brings into question previous accounts of the development on classical music in Australia which have focused on the role of the government owned Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) rather than the efforts of multiple stakeholders, community groups and committed individuals. It provides a new perspective that demonstrates the complex and iterative nature of social change and suggests ways in which our musical choices have come to define who we are. Show more