Summary
The contributions of such early pioneers as Theodore Thomas can scarcely be overemphasised. Thomas arrived in the New World from Germany in 1845 at the age of ten. In his teens, he toured the South by himself- on horseback, packing a pistol - as "Master TT", the prodigy violinist; he acted as his own manager, publicist and ticket-taker. He first led an orchestra of his own in 1862. Busy though it was, the Thomas Orchestra could not offer its members steady employment unless it travelled.
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Extract
A Culture of Performance
With the re-election of George W Bush, many Americans found themselves asking questions about the future of American democracy: about the impact of money and of political machination, and about the power of both to sway an electorate already addicted to fast-food news and talk radio.
Considered as an experiment in the democratisation of high culture, classical music in America restates these questions. Orchestras and opera companies...See the full content of this document
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