Music in Parks in nineteenth-century Glasgow

Music in public spaces was promoted by Glasgow Town Council from the 1870s as part of a programme of municipal improvements to address the health of the citizens. Performances were held in the growing number of public parks, bringing a diversity of musical genres and ensembles to different class-defined areas of the city, and at international and smaller theme-based exhibitions. By using primary historical sources to analyse the production and consumption of a municipal music culture, the project will feed into debates on the nineteenth century ‘improvement’ ethos attributed to urban development, and legacies of Empire. It will reveal the intersections and differences between audiences, performers, and policy makers by comparing the Music in the Parks initiative and with the kind of concerts included at the high-profile exhibitions.