The Musical Scene in Europe in 1829

Extract

The historian's art is one of wisdom after the event. In this art, distance in time acts like altitude in aerial photography, revealing outlines and proportions which often cannot be seen from the ground-level of contemporary life. Yet the contemporary's immediate contact with the daily scene lends vividness to his story, and even his prejudices and miscalculations are part of the climate of the age. When, in the summer of 1829, Vincent Novello, accompanied by his wife, set out on his journey across Europe and back, he equipped himself with a notebook in which to record his impressions, and his copious jottings provide a valuable reflection of that segment of the musical scene that he saw.