The Transmission of Italian Musical Articles through Germany and Austria to Eastern Europe around 1800

The essay deals with the mediating role of German and Austrian music dealers in disseminating Italian musical articles (printed editions, musical instruments, and related accessories) in Eastern Europe around 1800. This involves a geographical area as large as it is heterogeneous from an ethnic-political point of view. Therefore, a detailed national analysis for each of the eastern countries concerned is not contained in the article. Instead, the essay presents an attempt to reconstruct the main features of an international phenomenon, concentrating on structures and mechanisms which can be discerned in the diffusion of Italian musical articles in Eastern Europe on the one hand, and on individuals and their methods in the distribution processes on the other hand.