MUSICIANS MAKE MARKETS

ABSTRACT

Arts markets are not ‘neutral’. Rather, they are inevitably coloured by socio-cultural practices and regularities, some of which are embedded in and afforded by aesthetic forms and the values and images associated with these forms. The stabilisation of distribution and consumption patterns over time may thus be linked to, and structured by, often tacitly delineated meanings, values and practices associated with artistic products (musical works and their performance, in this case). These associations afford emotional attachments and identity-stances that may become integral to artistic distribution and in ways that are socially consequential. To the extent that distribution and consumption are inflected in these ways, markets may be understood to be culturally inflected. Market processes, in other words, can be seen as structures that are both shaped by, and shape, the flow and exchange of passion, emotion and often unremarked forms of sensibility. I explore these themes through a case study of the production and distribution of Beethoven's keyboard concertos in early nineteenth century Vienna. I describe how the distribution of Beethoven's works offered gendered ‘object lessons’ about music producer/distributers (composer/performers) and music consumers. Through these lessons, the market for high culture music came to be associated with exhibitions of physical prowess, a heroic mien, and, almost exclusively, performances by men.

Keywords:

• music
• markets
• aesthetics
• embodiment
• agency
• Beethoven

Notes

¹This work was presented at a wide range of seminars and conferences since 2001. I would like to thank: Tom Beghin, Pedro dos Santos Boia, Bruce Brown, Tim Dowd, Cliff Eisen, Lucy Green, Antoine Hennion, Marta Herrero, David Wyn Jones, Richard Leppert, Nigel Osborne, Richard Peterson, Lisa McCormick, Jann Pasler, Leon Plantinga, Michael Pury, Melvin Pollner, Trevor Pinch, Bill Roy, Robin Stradling, Bill Weber, and Robert Witkin. For online portraits of Beethoven see: http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Portraits/GalleryPortraits.html