PATRONAGE SYSTEM IN THE BAROQUE AND CLASSICAL PERIODS

Name

Course

Instructor

Date
 1

PATRONAGE SYSTEM IN THE BAROQUE AND CLASSICAL PERIODS

Introduction

Current problem

The emergence of patronage is perhaps the most significant developments that shaped

the annals of music. Musical sponsorship and patronage serve as a double-edged sword that

gives the artists an opportunity to maximize their talent while simultaneously inhibiting their

autonomy. Music support has elicited significant discussion regarding the freedom of the

artist. The musicalsupport attributed to the Baroque and Classical Eras enhanced the

development of Western music by providing the composers with financial resources to enable

them live a fulfilling life.

The Baroque period gained dominance within the Western culture during the 1600s

and introduced the use of ornaments. The changes incorporated during the Baroque era

helped to increase the size, ranges, and enabled the performers to include a various form of

instruments. The expanded Baroque music led to significant cost implication toward the

composers. The complexity associated with the baroque culture necessitated the need for

patrons as a source of financial and logistical assistance. The early baroque patrons in Italy

included Giovanni Di Bardi who facilitated a Camerata group consisting of humanists,

composers, musicians, poets, and intellectuals. Giovanni Di Bardis involvement in the

Baroque music is praised for his role in enhancing the emergence of the opera musical genre

as he advocated for solo singing accompanied by string instruments. However, his preferred

form of musical entertainment contradicted the then contemporary styles characterized by

preference to discourse and oration1. Clearly, such an observation clearly brings into light the

implications of patronage system on the form of music. Some questions become intriguing.

1 Botstein, Leon. ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'', Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 2

What was the actual significance of patronage on music? Could music have evolved in the

path it followed without patronage? Could be argued that, on the overall, the patronage

system was beneficial or detrimental to music?

Population/Area of Focus: music students and music connoisseurs

The Baroque and Classical eras patronage had a sequential relationship as the culture

foreshadowed the emergence of ideas that fused integrating the Baroque and Classical music

elements. Therefore, the two forms of music often overlap concerning the area of focus.

Similarly, the Baroque element is associated with the transition from the Renaissance genres

related to the use of polyphony in addition to musical instruments attributed to the ancient

Greek culture. The necessary forms that gained preference among the music composers

during the Baroque era included the anthem that utilized recitation, independent instrumental

segments, and intricate solo passages. Conversely, profound music composers during the

Classical era included Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The former

excelled in composing many different genres, which he then directed while working for both

Count Morzin and the Esterhazy Family in 1759 and 1761, respectively. Mozart was also a

celebrated composer across Vienna for his beautiful composition. The difference between the

two was that, because Haydn was in Esterhaza most of the time while working for the

Esterhazy Family, Mozart was able to make a bigger name for himself despite his being about

24 years younger in age. Mozart composed works in just about every popular genre of his

time2.

Consequently, the connection of music and power, and the cultural and historical

shifts within Baroque and Classical music periods caused the change in the privatized

financial support from being used in private social gatherings and in church to the hands of

2 Botstein, Leon. ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'', Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 3

the wider public3. This change essentially meant that those in powerful positions had an

upper hand is dictating the course of music. Consequently, the artists had to comply to be

accepted. On the overall, an examination of the experiences and the attitudes of these group

of musicians reveals a lot of information regarding the patronage system in the baroque and

the classical periods.

Key terms patronage, Church, Music, Wealth

In essence, the transition of musical practices was dramatic in the sense that it could

only be best described based of four key elements: patronage, Church, music, and wealth.

Patronage, in this sense, can be seen as a form of music sponsorship. During the era, it was

inherently challenging the musicians to dedicate their course of life to music because the

associated financial gains were limited. The sponsors had to come in to provide the incentives

and impetuses to drive the music culture, providing the financial incentives. The patrons had

to be the people with the needed financial resources people with power or wealth. At the

time, the church was also powerful and played a critical patronage role. However, it should

be noted that the relationship between patronages was not one-way but reciprocal. There had

to be the terms and conditions which can be argued to have ultimately resulted in regulation

of music agents regarding what to sing, how to sing, instruments to sing and when to sing,

among other elements. In essence, nothing free was actually free.

Due to the connection of music and power within Baroque and Classical music

periods, the cultural and historical shifts caused the change in privatized financial support

from novelty and church to the hands of the wider public, which further shaped the form and

nature of music to satisfy the interests of the majority.

Background
3 Botstein, Leon. ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'', Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 4

A look at the form and nature of the music culture provides evidence of cultural shift

that happened to be largely mediated by patronage. The developments were dramatic

musical devices characterized the Baroque music, and the large commissions necessitated the

demands ofseveral patrons4.The increased brilliance in both instrumental and vocal level gave

the composers an opportunity to experiment with new unique techniques that helped Baroque

music to differentiate itself from the Renaissancestyle. The use of keyboard instruments, in

addition to other instruments such the organs, was used at church, while homes permitted the

increased experimentation of the up and coming opera genre. Indeed, the success of the opera

form catalyzed the dominance of the baroque element during the 1600s. Equally, the ongoing

preference to authenticity and use of it also influenced the need for patronage during the

Baroque era. The complexity of Baroque culture further transitioned the new contemporaries

from the Renaissance era because it facilitated the formation of a smaller group of artists such

as the Florences Camerata who liaised with patrons to get a leeway to the music world5.

The role of the aristocracy in shaping the course of music was also notable. The role

of the aristocracy as patrons of musicians during the Classical era significantly affected the

development of currentpractices during the 1700s. The prevailing socio-political situation

allowed for a steady demand for new works, although the composers and musicians were still

not as valued, and was still seen more as servants to their patrons. Nevertheless, the patronage

system created an economic security6 that cushioned artists from the widespread social-

political challenges. The Age of Enlightenment led to conflict between the old order and the

new ideas as the power of human reasoning become profound. The new attitudes resulted in

the emergence of music connoisseurs such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven who helped to

transition from the baroque era by introducing the musical concert concepts.

4 Wendy Heller, Music in the Baroque, Ed. Walter Frisch (W. W. Norton & Company, 2013), 56.
5 Ibid, pp 34

6 Leon Botsein, ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'',Musical Quarterly95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 5

Nevertheless, the rise of these three prominent music composers reveals the rise and

fall of artistic patronage during the subsequent periods such as Romantic and Modern. Franz

Joseph Haydn lived from 1732 to 1809, and at a tender age of eightyears, St. Stephen Church

adopted him as a member of their choir. His left the church in 1749 and this led to his

developmentas a composer of sacred and secular music. Equally, Mozart, another Austrian

citizen born in 1756, revolutionized the choral musical form as he dedicated his time to

teaching and performing music wherever he was needed. Ludwig van Beethoven was

explicitly opposed to the patronage system because it inhibited the artists autonomy.

Beethoven is accredited for transitioning the Classical era to the Romantic era through his

instrumental compositions. The time and cultural differences between the two musical

generations illustrate the increasing overlap in musical forms, as well as styles used by the

composers7. In this regard, it can be inferred that, at one moment, the patronage programs

became an issue of contention because it did not only constrain the autonomy of the

musicians, but also curtailed the evolution of music. The background check reveals that

within a short time, the music composers and singers had started turning away from the

patrons to pursue their own music course. Some were already considering doing it on a

freelance basis.

The Emphasis of the Link between Music Production and Patronage System

It can be argued that the form of music patronage did not stop at financing and

determining what and where to sing it infiltrated into the production chains, too.

Moreover, while it tended to fed in the face of the influx of freelance music advocates such as

Beethoven, it took a different turn when it reinvented itself by shifting from the hands of the

aristocrats and church to the public. The musical paradigm shifted throughout the human

7 Kent, Fre. Patronage, Art, and Society in Renaissance Italy (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013), pp 78
 6

history and portrayed the force of Cultural Revolution within the Western hemisphere. The

transition from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and the Romance cultural

standards led to the adoption of a system that would enhance the development of societys

fine arts. Furthermore, the new complexity of the musical output and presentation implied an

increase in cost, making a greater need for a patronage system to help promote and support

the composers new works. The use of new literature structures of the Classical era produced

the need to change the current style of music8. For instance, the sonata form had formed the

basis for many large-scale instrumental works such as symphonies, concertos, and overtures.

Similarly, new the sociopolitical elements spurred the need for less musical support

from the aristocratic class, developing anew attitude toward this art in its ability to attract the

masses.9 The Classical era is attributed to the Age of Enlightenment, which influenced many

of the themes seen throughout works composed during this time. The transformation of

patronage was characterized by the rise of a wealthier and more educated middle-class

society. Although the musician and composer were still working for others, their social status

was upgrading as well, leading to independence. Meanwhile, other essential social changes

associated with the Age of Enlightenment relates to the new role of women in the society. In

particular, the Classical era witnessed the surge in some women participating in art both as

patrons and as performers10. Retrospectively, despite the evolutionary nature of music, this

trend creates the allowance to infer that the link between patronage and music had become

indispensable. If only, what tended to change with the revolutionary course was who served

the patronage course. Many musicians had gained financial prosperity and could now serve

still serve as patrons, while the music developments had now become inclusive of women.

More importantly, the public had gained much control of the patronage scene.

8 Hills, Helen. Rethinking the Baroque (Farnham, Surrey; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012), pp 23.
9Daniela Kaleva,''Patronage through Dissemination: Louise Hanson-Dyers Patronage of Gustav Holst, Context 37 (2012):
7791.
10 Leon Botsein, ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'',Musical Quarterly95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 7

The Experiences of Famous Artistes during the Transition Period

A look at the experiences of famous artists during the transition period is mixed it

does not only highlight the positive side but also the detriment sides of patronage that can be

argued have stimulated the dramatic cultural change. For instance, Haydn work presents

experiences of change from patronage to freelancing and then back to the system of

patronage. His popularity grew after leaving St. Stephens Cathedral and started his career as

a freelancer. Years later Haydn was picked up an assistant music director for the Esterhazy

Family, who he stayed with until his illness became too debilitating. It is noteworthy that

Haydn musical career stagnated during his isolation period he spent under Esterhazy

patronage. Such a scenario reveals the detriment of private patronage system toward the end

of the Classical era11. Therefore, it can be argued that while he received financial incentives

from music director for the Esterhazy Family, such association curtailed his music vibrancy.

The experience of Ludwig Beethoven presents perhaps the most negative attitudes

towards music patronage. Ludwig Beethoven12 was one of the first independent musicians

who wrote, composed, and sold music without the patronage system. The German-born

classical composer explicitly opposed all forms of sponsorship because he perceived that it

was inhibiting the growth and autonomy artists. Besides this, Beethoven advocated for an

objective model that paid homage toward thematic and harmonic structures to assist in

elegance as well as the professionalization of the music industry. This formalized system

facilitated the emergence of freelance work, which became an essential alternative option

from the somewhat inefficient patronage system13. Therefore, one can see that the course of

patronage was not all smooth because it was met with some level of resistance. It could be

hypothesized that these form of negative reaction towards patronage was what eventually

11 Simpson, Jeffrey. Spoils of Power: the Politics of Patronage (Toronto: Collins. 2013),, pp32
12Jan Swafford,Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph,(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), 32.
13 Leon Botsein, ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'',Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 8

resulted in the cultural change that favored pursuance of the free-artist and transferring

patronage from the aristocracy and church to the musicians themselves, and the general

public.

The Debate of the Privileges and Flaws Working under the Patron or as a Free Artiste

In light of the mixed attitudes regarding the role of patronage in music, it becomes

intriguing to question whether such a system was beneficial or costly on the overall. This

issue has presented itself as a debate with some arguing that that the position of patronage

was positive, while others assert that the industry could still have done better without

patronage. However, such views create the allowance to attribute that patronage had some

benefits, as much as it had some weaknesses.

Certainly, the patronage system created an opportunity to promote art within the

society but also served to inhibit the artists autonomy. Nevertheless, the fading popularity of

patronage could be attributed to the social and political upheaval that dawned on the

European nations during the Age of Enlightenment. These developments contributed toward

the inefficiency of musical patronage. For instance, France, as an absolute monarchy, became

a field of conflict between the style and good taste versus the taste of the majority of the

population. Other European nations that experienced this new conflict included Italy,

England, and Vienna. The latter was particularly perceived as the epitome of the Baroque and

Classical cultural variable because it culminated to the increased sociopolitical conflict dealt

the massive blow to the contracted artists14.

Nevertheless, the role of patronage in supporting the music developments should not

be overlooked. Indeed, the patron model had underlying merits such as the safeguarding

music innovations and helping musicians overcome the financial constraints. The Florence

14 Leon Botsein, ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'',Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4. (2012), pp 458.
 9

Camerata group, for instance, benefited from the patronage of Giovanni Di Bardi. The

consortium acquired new resources and ideas such as the usage of figured bass, a new

approach that helped develop and revolutionize the harmonic structures. Clearly, there are

certain forms of benefits that could not be derived from pursuing the freelance course. Such a

scenario results into the thinking that the associated benefits was the probable main reason

why patronage could only change hands, but did not go away.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the aim of this paper has been to explore the aspect of patronage as it

relates to form and nature of music, tracing to the Baroque and Classical music era. On the

overall, it can be inferred that the form and nature of music has been progressive,

characterized by the emergency and growth of popularity of patronage, its fall and re-

mergence in the wake of music production processes. The forms of musical revolution that

were apparent within the Western culture contributed toward the development of innovative

cultural artifacts. It is indisputable that the role of patronage was essential in promoting

artistic development as evident during the transition from Renaissance, Baroque, and

Classical eras. Therefore, the social, political, and economic changes witnessed in the society

had significant effects toward the cultural artifacts such as music, drama, as well as visual

arts. A look at the discussion creates the allowance to infer two trends out of the music

developmental course: first is that the patronage played a crucial role in promoting the stature

of music, and second is that, in as much as this contributions were positive, they had their

detriment points. Indeed, on one hand, the discussion brings into light the view that patrons,

who comprised of the wealthy, the powerful, and the church, played a dominant role in

sponsoring the artistes by providing financial incentives to enable them lead a fulfilling life

and commit their course to music. On the other hand, patronage curtailed the autonomy of

artistes because they had to reciprocate to the demands of the patrons by producing what
 10

suited them. Clearly, nothing was free of charge. Considering the limits, the patronage

evolved over time and changed hands, shifting from the hands of the aristocrats and church to

the public, which was now empowered to pursue what interested them.
 11

Bibliography

Botstein, Leon. ''Patronage, Performance, and Scholarship'', Musical Quarterly 95, No. 4.

(2012): 451-458.

Fenlon, Iain., ''Joseph Haydn and Beethoven between thecourt and nobility'', in Music and

PatronageThe Library of Essays on Music, Politics, and Society, edited by Paul

Merkley. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2012.

Heller, Wendy. Music in the Baroque, Edited by Walter Frisch. New York: W. W. Norton &

Company, 2013.

Hills, Helen. Rethinking the Baroque. Farnham, Surrey; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012.

Kaleva, Daniela. ''Patronage through Dissemination: Louise Hanson-Dyers Patronage of

Gustav Holst'', Context 37 (2012): 7791.

Kent, Fre. Patronage, Art, and Society in Renaissance Italy, Oxford, Oxford University

Press, 2013.

Simpson, Jeffrey. Spoils of Power: the Politics of Patronage. Toronto: Collins. 2013.

Swafford, Jan. Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.