Viennese Musicians and Musical Culture in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries

In order to capture Vienna’s abundant, diverse and socially engaged musical culture between c.1770 and c. 1830, this chapter first examines late eighteenth-century activities through the prism of different interlocutors and communities, including critics, writers and audiences who demonstrate particular admiration for multi-talented performer-composers; publishers, liaising with composers, who produce printed music for general circulation; and musicians who often tetchily compete with one another. It then evaluates the equally heterogeneous and colourful early nineteenth century, primarily through the lens of the Vienna correspondent to the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, also explaining how canonic statuses for Viennese composers take root.