A landmark in the study of music and culture, this acclaimed volume documents the remarkable scope of amateur music-making in the English town of Milton Keynes. It presents in vivid detail the contrasting yet overlapping worlds of classical orchestras, church choirs, brass bands, amateur operatic societies, and amateur bands playing jazz, rock, folk, and country. Notable for its contribution to wider theoretical debates and its influential challenge to long-held assumptions about music and how to study it, the book focuses on the practices rather than the texts or theory of music, rejecting the idea that only selected musical traditions, "great names," or professional musicians are worth studying. This opens the door to the invisible work put in by thousands of local people of diverse backgrounds, and how the pathways creatively trodden by amateur musicians have something to tell us about both urban living and what it is to be human. Now with a new preface by the author, this long-awaited reissue of The Hidden Musicians will bring its insights and innovations to a new generation of students and scholars.

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of abbreviations
INTRODUCTORY
The existence and study of local music
'Amateur' and 'professional' musicians
Introduction to Milton Keynes and its music
MUSICAL WORLDS IN MILTON KEYNES
The classical music world at the local level
The brass band world
The folk music world
The world of musical theatre
Jazz
The country and western world
Rock and pop
CONTRASTS AND COMPARISONS
Learning music
Performances and their conditions
Composition, creativity and performance
Plural worlds
THE ORGANISATION AND WORK OF LOCAL MUSIC
Music in the home and school
The churches and music
Club and pub music
Working at it: organisation and administration in music groups—the case of the Sherwood Choir
Small working bands and their organisation
Resources, rewards and support
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LOCAL MUSIC
Pathways in urban living
Music, society, humanity
Appendix: A note on methods and presentation
Notes
References
Index