Crescendo of the virtuoso : spectacle, skill, and self-promotion in Paris during the Age of Revolution / Paul Metzner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Metzner, Paul, 1952-

Series:

Studies on the history of society and culture ; 30.

Studies on the history of society and culture ; 30

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

History.

Public spaces.

Technological innovations.

Arts and revolutions.

Social change.

Revolutions.

Paris (France)--History--1789-1900.

Paris (France).

France--History--Revolution, 1789-1799--Influence.

France.

Revolutions--France--History--19th century.

Social change--France--Paris--History--19th century.

Arts and revolutions--France--Paris--History--19th century.

Technological innovations--France--Paris.

Public spaces--France--Paris.

Democracy--France--History--19th century.

France--Paris.

Physical Description:

xii, 385 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [1998]

Summary:

During the Age of Revolution, Paris came alive with wildly popular virtuoso performances. Whether the performers were musicians or chefs, chess players or detectives, these virtuosos transformed their technical skills into dramatic spectacles, presenting the marvelous and the outre for spellbound audiences. Who these characters were, how they attained their fame, and why Paris became the focal point of their activities is the subject of Paul Metzner's absorbing study. Covering the years 1775 to 1850, Metzner describes the careers of a handful of virtuosos: chess masters who played several games at once; a chef who sculpted hundreds of four-foot-tall architectural fantasies in sugar; the first police detective, whose memoirs inspired the invention of the detective story; a violinist who played whole pieces on a single string. He examines these virtuosos as a group in the context of the society that was then the capital of Western civilization.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-368) and index.

ISBN:

0520206843

OCLC:

37843777