MUS 353 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Theobald Boehm, Program Music, Contrabassoon
Document Summary
In the first half of the 19th century, the symphony and concerto became increasingly substantial in length and tone, and the concert overture provided an important new genre of program music. Performed by a large body of musicians before a large audience, these genres distinguished themselves both in scope and content from the more private spheres of chamber music, song, and short pieces of solo piano. With the decline of royal and aristocratic patronage in the first half of the 19th century, orchestral music became an increasingly public genre. Concert impresarios, dependent on ticket sales for revenue, sought bigger venues to boost profits. Audiences grew in size, and concert halls grew larger to accommodate them. Many concert halls built during the 19th century could seat one thousand or more, and the audiences that filled them were more socially diverse than before. The larger halls required a new approach to orchestral sound. Ensembles grew substantially in size, particularly the string sections.
