Koncerty promenadowe jako przykład demokratyzacji konsumpcji muzycznej

Abstract

Promenade concerts were established in musical culture in 19th century. They aimed in familiarizing of art music in the wide social audience and they significantly contributed to the democratization of musical consumption. They were an alternative proposition to classical concerts organized usually in concert halls and dedicated to elite listeners, well-prepared to reception of “highbrow culture”. The aim of this paper is to reveal the process of transformation of ritual of promenading into promenade concerts and to characterize the latter. Firstly, the ritual of promenading was described from the sociological perspective, as a ritual of gathering to circulate and display themselves in grand processional spaces or parks, in order to demonstrate status of elite. Next the author presented the idea of promenade concerts and ways of its accomplishments in the European cities. Finally, she concentrated on London Proms as the examples of promenade concerts which were transformed into the summer festival of classical music and which still enjoy the permanent interest of the listeners.