'Les armes de la critique' : het sociaal-cultureel narratief van de muziekjournalist: Belgische muziek- en kunsttijdschriften en hun melomaan publiek (1830-1880)

Musicologists study musicians, music genres, and musical practices. In recent decades, it has become increasingly clear that not only artistic but also social conditions within the classical music scene have had a significant impact on music perception and the preferences of music lovers. These insights have led to renewed analyses by musicologists and cultural historians of nineteenth-century music journals, with music critics and journalists being brought into sharper focus. Music journalists played a central role in shaping the performances of musicians and guiding enthusiasts in developing their musical taste. However, their influence extended beyond the musical context. This dissertation thus deviates from a purely musicological approach and examines the socio-cultural dimension that also emerges in the discourse of the authors. On the one hand, it sketches a portrait of the music journalist. It explores who was allowed to speak as a legitimate voice on music between 1830 and 1880. On the other hand, it shows that any socio-cultural theme could be picked up by the music press and subjected to commentary.The dissertation analyzes how male journalists, between 1830 and 1880 – in a time when female colleagues were barely visible – earned their place in art criticism and what obstacles they overcame in the process. Although their work was likely poorly financially rewarded, they had considerable societal influence. Music was presented by them as a profound means of social regulation, although they were by no means averse to superficial gossip. From a predominantly anticlerical, liberal stance and with an urban perspective that often looked down on rural life, they contributed to the social and political discourse. Their powerful position allowed them to spread certain societal norms and communicate the appreciation – or lack thereof – for Western European music culture. This discourse also fed a nationalist sentiment, which in the 1880s led to tensions between European countries.Despite their influence, music journalists did not become a driving force of social change. Articles about the position of the musician remained scarce, and the audience of the magazines was composed mainly of affluent readers with possibly little engagement in social reforms. Female artists, including famous divas, and the female audience were judged according to the conventions of bourgeois society. Between 1830 and 1880, there was barely any emancipatory voice in the music press. It primarily reinforced existing structures and upheld the bourgeois identity.