"The things of peace": the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts and the transformation of the British musical experience, 1939-1945

Examining developments in British musical life within the context of the Second World War, this thesis chronicles the emergence of the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), the first body offering state-supported funding for art music activities in Great Britain. Focusing on Britain's musical life during the war demonstrates that the preservation of Britain's "cultural" heritage (of which music was a part) became a rationale for the beginnings of state-supported arts funding. By studying CEMA and its effect on Britain's musical life, we reexamine how art music experienced growth during this period. CEMA's work of providing concerts in factories, shelters, and the countryside, transformed the ways the British public experienced art music. This thesis examines the process by which the organization evolved into the Arts Council of Great Britain and set the future course of arts funding for most of the organization's history. CEMA's story offers insight concerning the function of arts funding, as well as illustrates the effects that public support of the arts can have on the artistic life of a modern Western society.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Department dc:contributor.department

History

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1996

Author dc:creator

• Sheridan, David Allen

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-02132009-171638

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/41056