The culture of music collecting

Early modern England had a strong culture of collecting and inquiry, especially with its virtuosos (dilettante gentlemen taking a polite interest in art and science) and the establishment of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge in 1662.

Within the late seventeenth and early eighteenth-century intelligentsia, collections could function both to manifest cultural capital (and thereby social status) and as repositories of objects of knowledge useful for new forms of antiquarian and scientific inquiry. Ownership of music books (printed and manuscript) an important part of English intellectual culture. Although the formats and functions of early modern musical sources is covered in recent music research, the practice of music collecting has not been studied in its own right. On the contrary, music books perceived to be collectors’ items are frequently dismissed as uncreative and irrelevant. I contend that musical artefacts could have similar symbolic value as other collection items, through various musical repertoires’ association with different social, cultural, religious and geographical contexts. This project (conducted by myself, at 0.75 FT during three years) will study music collecting in a number of contexts through case studies ranging from rare Italian music in the circles around the Royal Society, to collections of exotic and “ancient” music at Durham cathedral. Through studying musical sources as well as letters, diaries, catalogues and other publications the project will discuss the creative processes involved in compiling a music collection, and the functions of collection items as means of social distinction and objects of knowledge, as well as collectors’ interaction with foreign musical cultures. Music is both similar and different to other collection items, especially through its strong associative powers and ability to disseminate sonically as well as in written form. A study of music collecting can thus contribute new perspectives to prospering fields such as material culture and museum studies, as well as highlight the “uses” of history and foreign cultures in the construction of national early modern national knowledge-bases.