Abstract
Boston is a musical city widely recognized as being central to our compositional and intellectual heritage. It is also marked by associations of elitism, conservatism, and provincialism. Though not connected by intent nor limited as regional studies, three significant new books offer fresh insights into the richness of Boston's musical spirit of place. In Music of the Highest Class: Elitism and Populism in Antebellum Boston, Michael Broyles traces the emergence of the idealism of high art in America to early-nineteenth-century Boston and reveals how abstract instrumental music was transformed from mere entertainment to a vehicle of moral enrichment, thereby establishing the classical canon in America. He isolates diverse strands of the elitist/populist or cultivated/vernacular dichotomy (hymnodic reformers, the evangelical middle class, transcendentalists, Whig Republicans, socioeconomic
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
