The House of Novello: Practice and Policy of a Victorian Music Publisher, 1829û1866

by Cooper,Victoria L.

• ISBN13: 9780754600886
• ISBN10: 0754600882
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-08-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

By the mid-nineteenth century music publishing was no longer the provenance of shopkeepers, instrument makers or individual scholars, but a business enterprise undertaken by a new breed of Victorian entrepreneurs. Two such were Vincent Novello and his son Alfred whose music publishing house enjoyed significant growth between 1829 and 1866.Victoria Cooper builds up a picture of Novello during this period and the socio-economic and cultural climate that influenced the company's business decisions. Looking in detail at some of the editions Novello published, she analyzes the editing style of the firm and how this was dictated by Novello's main audience of amateur musicians and choral societies. Scrutiny of Novello's stockbook indicates the financial fortunes of these editions, while correspondence between the firm and composers such as Mendelssohn reveals how Vincent and Alfred went about acquiring new compositions.With its focus on the development of a music publishing business, this study brings a fresh dimension to musicological research. Novello was able to combine business practice with a commitment to disseminate music of educational and artistic value, and the history of the company provides illuminating evidence of the commodification of music in nineteenth-century Britain.

Author Biography

Victoria L. Cooper is Commissioning Editor for Opera and Theatre Studies at Cambridge University Press, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	vii
Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	1	(6)
1 The Economic and Social Environment in England, 1829-1866	7	(22)
Economic Environment and Definition of the Middle Class	8	(6)
Ecclesiastical and Social Reform	14	(4)
The Choral Movement	18	(3)
Domestic Music and Performance	21	(8)
2 House Editorial Techniques	29	(40)
Sources of Novello Editions	30	(2)
Editorial Philosophy	32	(4)
Editions of Eighteenth-Century Music	36	(14)
Editions of Contemporary Music: the Missa solemnis	50	(3)
Editions from Spurious Sources: Mozart and Haydn	53	(16)
3 The Novello Stockbook,1858-1869: A Chronicle of Publishing Activity	69	(18)
Publishing Policy: Compositions, Format, Quantity	70	(6)
Novello's Printing Methods	76	(3)
Balance of Supply and Demand	79	(8)
4 Contemporary Issues of the Victorian Music Publisher	87	(34)
Definition of the Market and Demand	88	(1)
Acquisition Methods	89	(14)
Copyright Law: Protection and Co-publication	103	(11)
The ‘Taxes on Knowledge’ and the Printing Duties	114	(7)
5 The Musical Times as a Reflection of Novello's Editorial Policies	121	(28)
Origins of The Musical Times	122	(4)
Contemporary Music Journals and Fine Arts Periodicals	126	(12)
The Musical World	138	(5)
The Music Supplements	143	(2)
The House Journal and Editorial Policy	145	(4)
Conclusion	149	(8)
Appendices
1 Contract between J. Alfred Novello and Henry Littleton, 28 October 1861	157	(6)
2 Contract between J. Alfred Novello and Henry Littleton, 17 September 1866	163	(6)
3 Preliminary Remarks in Novello's Edition, The Collected Masses of Joseph Haydn (Orchestral Accompaniment Edition, 1828)	169	(2)
4 Partial Transcription of the Novello Stockbock, November 1858-May 1869	171	(14)
5 Partial Transcription of the Novello Commission Book	185	(4)
6 Transcription of Deposition in Court Case Taylor vs. Novello	189	(4)
Bibliography	193	(10)
Index	203