The music profession in Britain since the eighteenth century - Cyril Ehrlich

The nineteenth century was a time of vigorous expansion for the music profession, with new employment opportunities for performers and teachers, many of whom were women. By the 1920s eighty per cent of musicians were employed in the silent cinema; but the advent of the talkies, constant improvements in recording technology, and a shift in leisure patterns undermined their position. This wide-ranging book provides the first history of the Musicians' Union, and explains the proliferation of conservatories and diplomas which persists to the present day.;This is the first paperback edition of this title. The hardback published in 1986 remains available.;Some reviewers's comments: 'the definitive study of the musical profession in Britain' The Times Higher Education Supplement;'a fascinating account of the ins-and-outs of social conditions as they affected musicians' Denis Arnold, London Review of Books;This book is intended for students and scholars of British social and economic history since the eighteenth century; musicians and those interested in the history of music and performance.