This book is the first survey of its kind and distils a wide range of documentary and musical evidence relating to a particularly rich period in the history of the city of Oxford, embracing both 'town and gown'. The author, a Lecturer in Music in the university, discusses in detail, among other aspects, concert life in Oxford during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when notable visitors to the city included Handel, Haydn, Liszt, and Joachim; the choral tradition; and developments in the university that led to the eventual establishment of an honour school of music. A brief outline of musical activity in Oxford before c.1660 and after c.1914 is also provided. In addition, the author examines the achievements of a number of individual musical personalities, drawing particular attention to the role of William Crotch, Frederick Ouseley, and Hubert Parry in raising the status of music and the music profession. The book makes an important contribution to a number of spheres of enquiry that have developed significantly in recent years: the history of universities, social history of music, and the study of concert life.
