The study of the social context of music must consider the day-to-day experiences of its practitioners. This book traces the daily working life and aspirations of British musicians during the sweeping social and economic transformation of Britain from 1750 to 1850. It features working musicians of all types and at all levels—organists, singers, instrumentalists, teachers, composers, and entrepreneurs—and explores their educational background, their conditions of employment, their wages, the systems of patronage that supported them, and their individual perceptions.