The Birth of the Orchestra: History of an Institution, 1650-1815

by John Spitzer, Neal Zaslaw

This is the story of the orchestra, from 16th-century string bands to the "classical" orchestra of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Spitzer and Zaslaw document orchestral organization, instrumentation, social roles, repertories, and performance practices in Europe and the American colonies, concluding around 1800 with the widespread awareness of the orchestra as a central institution in European life.

Genres: Music

614 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2004

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book. Don't let the niche subject and seemingly dry primary-source driven research fool you, this book is expertly written and as much of a page-turner as this kind of book can get. An expert weaving of orchestral and instrumental detail, dry statistics, narrative asides, humor, and historical context while always maintaining an academic even-handedness and sense of momentum. Even if you can't tell a viola de gamba from a hautbois, you'll probably find something interesting in here (if you care to invest the time, the book is massive!)

[Megan Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty sure this book will single-handedly help me pass my subtopic on my DMA comprehensive exam.