Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): A Musical Life (Music in Nineteenth-Century Britain)

by Jennifer L. Oates

Professor Bennett Zon

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Book cover for Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916): A Musical Life

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Hamish MacCunn's career unfolded amidst the restructuring of British musical culture and the rewriting of the Western European political landscape. Having risen to fame in the late 1880s with a string of Scottish works, MacCunn further highlighted his Caledonian background by cultivating a Scottish artistic persona that defined him throughout his life. His attempts to broaden his appeal ultimately failed. This, along with his difficult personality and a series of poor professional choices, led to the slow demise of what began as a promising career.

As the first comprehensive study of MacCunn's life, the book illustrates how social and cultural situations as well as his personal relationships influenced his career. While his fierce loyalty to his friends endeared him to influential people who helped him throughout his career, his refusal of his Royal College of Music degree and his failure to complete early commissions assured him a difficult path. Drawing upon primary resources, Oates traces the development of MacCunn's music chronologically, juxtaposing his Scottish and more cosmopolitan compositions within a discussion of his life and other professional activities. This picture of MacCunn and his music reveals on the one hand a talented composer who played a role in establishing national identity in British music and, on the other, a man who unwittingly sabotaged his own career.

  • ISBN13 9781409467670
  • Publish Date 1 June 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Out of Print 20 January 2022
  • Publish Country GB
  • Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
  • Imprint Ashgate Publishing Limited
  • Edition New edition
  • Format eBook
  • Pages 286
  • Language English