Musik als Arbeit

Overview & Synopsis

What was a thrilling pleasure for some was strenuous work for others: musicians often had a difficult lot (even) in the late Habsburg Monarchy. The Austro-Hungarian Musicians' Association, founded in 1896, set out to improve this situation. To this end, it intervened in the music industry throughout the monarchy and in a variety of ways. It overhauled the job placement system, was an active orchestra founder and concert organizer, strove for nationwide wage regulations, (unintentionally) brought about the formation of rival associations in Hungary and Bohemia, fought bitterly against military bands, and allied itself with groups on the political fringes. Fritz Trümpi's detailed study of this organization, which has so far received little attention in music history, also provides a profound analysis of the music industry at the fin de siècle, which would probably have looked considerably different without it.