Discover the focuses!
A thorough understanding of the history of French music of the 19th century can’t be got from studying the careers of individual musicians and an analysis of the works they composed or performed alone. Available instrumentation (itself burgeoning at the height of an industrial revolution), the artistic way of life in the period (whether in private salons or major concert societies) and the development of new operatic or instrumental genres, are all factors that contribute to a complete picture of the period’s intensely-productive music scene.
Musique pure et musique descriptive
Deux manières de concevoir la musique instrumentale s’opposent au XIXe siècle.
Compositrices
Plus encore que celle de leurs homologues masculins, la mémoire des compositrices françaises du XIXe siècle s’est complètement perdue et ce n’est qu’à la faveur de recherches et de projets discographiques récents que s’opère peu à peu leur redécouverte.