The dynamics of national music: Opera and classical music in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

This chapter explores the relation between music and nationalism. It focuses on the world of so-called Western art music in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, which has been an important locus for the study of music and nationalism. It does not attempt a systematic overview of the vast number of relevant events, works, and styles, as has been done elsewhere, but concentrates on the social and cultural dynamics that have produced and sustained musical works, genres, and practices associated with the nation. It begins by asking why people wished to have a national tradition of classical music and opera to begin with. This is followed by a consideration of the international world of music, an unequal playing field in which some nations have been deemed more national than others. Next it considers the precariousness and complexity of building a national tradition of classical music, and finally, discusses the consequences of canonization.