Rise of Musical Classics in Eighteenth-century England

The English invented the idea of musical classics. In the 18th century England was the first country where old musical works were performed regularly and reverentially, and where a collective notion of such works - "ancient music" - first appeared. This work explores the formation of the musical "classics" in regard to repertory and social contexts. It examines the performance of old music in 18th-century England, from the interest in music of the Elizabethan period at the beginning of the century, through the performance of works by Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli, and other English and Italian composers, to the development of festivals that featured choral-orchestral works of Purcell and Handel. The book concludes with the establishment of the Concert of Antient Music in 1776, where the traditions of performing old works came together as a self-conscious canon focused upon the work of Handel. It examines closely the political and social reasons for these developments. In addition, it shows how they laid the groundwork for the classical-music tradition of the 19th century.