Rachel Johnson

Abstract: that musicians in the city had might prove an effective counterpoint to the German-dominated musical culture of the north. These points only serve to demonstrate how vital Shadle’s book is to our understanding of American music history. When a book stimulates its readers to ask more questions and to consider more deeply the matters it addresses, it proves its success. Orchestrating the Nation redefines how musicologists tell the story of American music. Shadle’s unremitting exploration of major concepts through exhaustive research sets a new standard for cultural analysis, fusing elements that signal a new understanding of not only American music, but music history in general. That he manages to do so in such an engaging manner yields a remarkable example of scholarship that will be seen as exemplary for future work in the field.

TL;DR: In this paper , three institutions dedicated to education, rational recreation and moral improvement existed concurrently in early Victorian Manchester: the Royal Manchester Institution, the Manchester Mechanics' Institution and the Manchester Athenaeum.