The French Revolution was a pinnacle event in France’s musical history that helped mould the future for French musicians. The influence the Revolution had on its musicians and, lesser researched, the influence musicians had on the Revolution is crucial to understanding this time period. France prior to the Revolution under the Ancien Régime was a very difficult society to thrive or even live in for musicians and music-making. The difficulties they faced under the Ancien Régime will be discussed in further detail later in this thesis’ introduction. To gain a greater understanding of why the Revolution was so important in France’s musical history this thesis will focus on three areas. These three topics have been chosen to portray the varying impacts and influences faced by musicians and the art of music-making. These areas will display how the French Revolution impacted Opera and more specifically women in Opera; the influence propaganda music had on rallying the French people; and the impact the Revolution had on musical education. These chapters will be discussed in reference to a composer or musician in order to show in-depth examples that help display this thesis’ title.
PLEASE NOTE: You must be a member of the University of Lincoln to be able to view this dissertation. Please log in here.