Singing the English

Late nineteenth-century France and national identity

France was undergoing an identity crisis during this period, with the uncertain infancy of the Third Republic and shifting alliances following the Franco-Prussian War. Music played a central role in this national self-scrutiny.

Representation of Britain in French musical culture

Britain was often represented through racialist terms and musical tropes similar to those used for the Orient, despite the shared history and colonial rivalry between the two nations, which introduced tension into their musical relationship.

Sources and cultural interactions

This book explores this forgotten musical sphere through contemporary sources, including the café-concert tradition of ‘Englishing up’ with fake hair, mocking accents, and unflattering dances.

It examines reactions to British evangelical bands in France and the colonies, the French fascination with Irish and Scottish folk music, and the culture shock experienced by French visitors to Britain witnessing British music-making for the first time.

Music as a reflection of societal uncertainty

Throughout, it considers how this music helped French society grapple with the uncertainties of late nineteenth-century life, offering a means to understand and interrogate the Franco-British relationship and French identity itself.