Charles Burney's Musical Travels

Catalog description

The seminar is centered around one of the richest 18th-century texts concerning music: the three-volume diary published in the early 1770s by the English music historian and composer Charles Burney documenting his travels through France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. In addition to Burney’s diaries, we will read other travel writings of the period, as well as excerpts from the history of music researched by Burney during his European sojourns. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, the seminar will address themes such as music historiography, biography, cosmopolitanism, politics and music, and changing conceptions of travel and cultural exchange.