28 - Musical performance in the twentieth century and beyond: an overview

Summary

Nineteenth-century legacies

For the purpose of considering musical performance, at least, it is now useful to conceive of the ‘long’ twentieth century, since the cultural, technological and economic forces that shaped performance in that century have their roots in practices that arose in the latter part of the nineteenth century. This is particularly true of the impact of sound-recording technology, which so profoundly changed the nature of performance in nearly all genres and contexts throughout the twentieth century. Undoubtedly, for present purposes, Edison's invention of the phonograph in 1877 marks the beginning of the long twentieth century. It is still perhaps a little too early, and we are at this point too close to it, to be sure where it might be seen to end, although some speculation is offered below.

The impact of recording technology is thus a recurring theme in this chapter, but there are other overarching trends also worthy of note. Closely intertwined with the development of the new technology was the rise of those culture industries that sought to exploit it. Sound recording allowed musical performances to be commodified, and thus packaged, distributed and sold around the world in large quantities. Record companies soon realised there were substantial profits to be made if the right market could be found for the right artist. Successful sales ensured that both the companies themselves and a small number of high-profile performers became increasingly wealthy as the century progressed. But many performers benefited financially to some degree from the income generated by sales of recordings, particularly those in the West, where the larger and more successful record companies were usually based.