Music and society in Cork, 1700-1900 / Susan O'Regan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ireland's second city -- Public concerts in the eighteenth century -- Music and the established church to 1820 -- 'Spirited Lessees' : opera and theatre music to 1840 -- 'A refined public:' music for charity and amusement -- 'Talented townsmen' : mobility and opportunity, 1820-1840 -- 'Cultural explosion' : diversity on the concert platform, 1830-1840 -- 'Rational recreation' : the spread of amateur music-making, 1840-1870 -- Catholicism and music, 1800-1900 -- 'A glorious future.'

Cork city's strategic location facilitated rapid economic growth during the eighteenth century, and urban social patterns consolidated within its mercantile communities. Local professionals collaborated with touring performers in sustaining a vibrant concert life, to which military and yeomanry bands frequently contributed. Visiting theatre companies from Dublin brought professional musicians and singers, giving local audiences a taste of current metropolitan repertoire.