Music and Nineteenth-Century Liberalism in the Ibero-American Atlantic Space

Liberalism in the 19th Century, rooted in philosophy and expressed through economic and political systems, shaped the Western world in complex and often contradictory ways. The influence of liberalism on music in Portugal, Spain, and Latin America is explored, regions where liberalism evolved amid conflicts that left deep cultural marks.

Liberalism—in its political, economic, and ethical forms—shaped the 19th-century Western world. Rooted in philosophy and expressed through economic and political systems, liberalism was complex and often contradictory. This book explores the influence of liberalism on music in Portugal, Spain, and Latin America—regions where liberalism evolved amid conflict that left deep cultural marks. Rather than focusing on nation-states, the authors trace the circulation of music across borders and highlight cultural exchanges during pivotal moments such as the “Atlantic crises” (after 1807-08) and the revolutionary cycle of 1820–1823. Through operas, zarzuelas, the press, wind and brass bands, as well as debates on slavery, they reveal how liberalism was performed and imagined, offering a fresh perspective on music and ideology.