‘Primitive, Antique, and Modern’: An Exhibition of Music in Interwar Sydney and the ‘Australian’ Music Question
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: In 1933, the city of Sydney hosted the first dedicated musical exhibition in Australia. Showcasing historic instruments, manuscripts, and ephemera in the settler-colonial society of Australia, this exhibition raised uncomfortable questions about the nation’s history. This article explores the exhibition in the context of contemporary musical culture and collecting practices, arguing that this event physically manifests ongoing debates about the formation of Australian social and cultural identity. Its displays demonstrate both a desire for connection with European traditions and an increasing awareness of Australia’s position in the Pacific and white Australia’s relationship with First Nations people and culture.
Source: Cultural and Social History
Author: Sarah Kirby
Institutions: The University of Melbourne, State Library of New South Wales
Language: English
Subfield: Music
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: State Library of New South Wales
OpenAlex ID: W4322618322