The Social Status Of Western Composers

This dissertation will study the social status of the past great composers and its influence in the western countries.The research will focus on the composer's social life and his contribution and influence to the communities in terms of materialism and spiritualism.The analysis methodology in this dissertation encompasses observation method,comparison method,aesthetics-history method.Including analysis from the angle of music composition and the lifestyles of composer,their social circles,style of music creation and the formation and development of music trend during their period.In the introduction,explanation will be given on the objective and purpose of this study as well as the evaluation of comments given on similar studies conducted by others.The main contents of this dissertation consists of three parts,the first part focus on composer from the European Medieval society,the second part spans from composer from the European early modern civil society and lastly the era from Beethoven.These three parts describes the evolution of music,music style and the interrelationship between music and social development during these periods.In detail,the first chapter discussed on the importance of "the seven liberal arts".As well as the importance of music in the church ceremony and its functions in their daily lives.The paper first discussed the role that music plays in the medieval era.In the medieval society,the most outstanding one is the work of musicians for the church. These musicians basically componere music for the sake of their religion and did not claim any credits for it.Slowly,the practice and styles of music composition reveals to a certain extent the changed in social status of the composer.Such as the notation of the emergence and continued development of music as a kind of social behavior.This culture started to create a new form of identity,for the musician-composers.As a result, the "composition" author sense began to sprout.The 'nameless' status has gradually transitioned to be a known 'composer' concept through the close of the Middle Ages.The second chapter presents the early era of Renaissance to Baroque era.Influenced by the humanism,The music performance extended from the original church to the secular palace.The music patronage rules be good at utilizing by the nobles promoted the western music development and was used to build the social.The musician(singer) and composer living in the church life were attached to the church has the advanced life guarantee and resources.They fully used their music practice rules of their time and performed their roles.The statuses of the employed composers by the palace were still the subordinate,But the patronage rule formed by the palace makes musician and composer as one career recognized by the western social.Meanwhile,The inner techniques development such as the polyphony mimic technique,the mass circulation and combination concept and the new topics in secular music not only confirmed the formation of the composer concept,but also predictive the composer who grasped the compose techniques and described the social changes could get the new social status.As the social structure changed,in the late Baroque era,as the music printing keeping on increase,the middle class development,the music market mechanism appeared.This stimulus the thoughts of the composer who pursuing the creation freely.This leads to the new era.The third chapter described the combined factor such as the arts self discipline,the self independence,the instruments dominant status and the masterpiece concept lead role etc.made the music culture status rising to the never reached height in the "modernity." formed early stage.This made the composer status formed in the modern concept.In the music practice,the changes of music main body such as some new style, that is the structure of concerto/sonata,masterpiece style as the highly matured sonata style etc.all leaded to the composer concept we now recognize.Others such as the musical social structure including the maturity of music structure,the role of music publishing,the music instruction population etc.strengthened the social status of composer to some extent.Depending on the music practice and compose behavior technique principle,the composer transformed from the initial "odd job labors" gradually to the modern composer status.From the late age of 18^th century to Beethoven living age,it clear reflected the transformation procedure of composer status. Generally,noble patronage rules dwindled but not wholly disappeared.Haydn prolonged the traditional noble patronage rules,Mozart got the embarrassment unavoidable in the style transition,Beethoven skillful used the advantages of noble patronage and market system and fulfilled the composer self dependence in human characters and economics, the modern concept composer formed.