“Um movimento musical como nunca houve em Portugal”: associativismo musical e vida concertística na Lisboa liberal (1822-1853)

“The meticulous research, rigorous treatment, and sharp, historically informed analysis of all the social, cultural, and economic aspects of this musical activity – with particular emphasis on the intense wave of associativism – provide us with a completely new perspective and understanding of musical life during this period. The different and, in some cases, contradictory motivations of the various participants (sometimes resulting in intense rivalries) help us, for the first time, to grasp many issues for which Portuguese musicology had not yet found an adequate answer. [...] This study by Francesco Esposito thus constitutes an important contribution to the understanding of 19th-century Portuguese musical history, undoubtedly earning a prominent place in the historiography of music for this period.” Manuel Carlos de Brito