Reclaiming a music for England: Nationalist concept and controversy in English musical thought and criticism, 1880-1920. (Volumes I and II)

During the years 1880-1920 England experienced a creative surge in native musical composition, ending a draught that had dominated the English musical scene for nearly two centuries. The "renaissance" experienced in English music at that time was also marked by vibrant intellectual activity on the part of scholars, critics, and composers that enriched the musical life of the nation in many areas. Yet no concern so dominated the musical/intellectual landscape as the topic of musical nationalism. In their writings and public lectures many composers and critics sought to provide intellectual and aesthetic bases for the development of a national school of musical composition, with the goal of reestablishing England as a force in the musical world.;This study reveals that the usual portrayal of the national music movement in England fails to do justice to its controversial and multi-faceted character. The issue of national music was universal in scope, drawing virtually every writer on music into the debate, with few claiming neutrality. The controversy raged over questions ranging from whether music could ever be considered national to more specific matters pertaining to the cultivation of a national music in England.;The dissertation is divided into three principal parts. The first focuses upon general questions of nationality in music and the innate musicality of the English people. Part two traces the circumstances that led to the call for a national music, and addresses the arguments regarding particular modes of cultivation: folk song, historical precedent, and national opera. The final part deals with the problem of nationalism as a classification scheme, and presents four representative "English" composers in light of the concepts and controversies addressed in parts one and two.;This study reveals that the nationality debate provides an important framework for understanding the intellectual milieu in which some of England's greatest composers worked. It concludes that the national music debate played a vital role in the English musical renaissance because of the rejuvenating impact it had upon English musical life--an impact whose effects would continue throughout the twentieth century.