Music as Social and Cultural Practice

The linking theme of the essays collected is this book is the intersection of the musical work with social and cultural practice. Taking the lead from the debates sparked by Lydia Goehr’s interpretation of the ‘work-concept’ (The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works, 1992) and Reinhard Strohm’s opposing views, leading scholars in the field explore diverse conceptualizations of the ‘work’ within the contexts of a specific repertory and with special attention to pre-1800 and operatic repertories not previously accounted for in surveys of the ‘work’