Employment Systems Of Musicians

Throughout history, musicians and composers, who possess a unique musical talent, found themselves been employed under the patronage system and or freelance system.

Up till the classical era, the only way musicians could support themselves is under the patronage system. They could be servants of aristocrats or servants of the church. Under the patronage system, musicians were employed as servants. As servants, they have very few rights; they cannot leave their jobs without asking for permission from the patrons. Being employed also comes with certain restrictions of the type of music that musician produced. The musicians produce have to produce music to the employerЎЇs liking. Haydn was not free in the kind of music he would create. Joseph Haydn, a well known classical era composer, spends most of his career until he retired working in that musicians have worked centuries before him under the patronage system. Haydn spent large part of his career composing opera. Even though opera was not his most recognized work, he had to compose opera because his employer, Prince Esterhazy loved it. These opera pieces are not well known pieces by Haydn. These opera are not famous because HaydnЎЇs opera pieces are formulated pieces under a lot of restrictions. He had to write for specific singer hire by the opera company. These opera pieces also had to meet his employerЎЇs standards. Haydn had little freedom to experiment in his instrumental music. Haydn wrote hundreds of trios for violin, cello, and baryton. Haydn included the instrument baryton because that was the instrument that price Esterhazy likes to play. The music that Haydn wrote for baryton also had to be easy enough so that the price can play. Most musicians and composers before Haydn were employers under the patronage system. There are great deals of restriction of his music but they were still very creative under these conditions.

By the nineteen century, with a lot more with technological advances; railroads began to be built all over Europe composers

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