The Rockstar Composer

Although mostly forgotten now, the French composer Philippe Musard played a significant role in making classical music more accessible to the general public. He believed that such musical performances shouldn't be limited to operas and theaters, which were primarily accessible to the higher classes. As a result, he began organizing promenade concerts, which were inexpensive and held in public spaces.

Musard, who was also a composer, frequently combined his own compositions with well-known and well-liked motifs from other composers. Dances that were performed quickly were galops, quadrilles, and of course the can-can. Musard's performances were extremely well-liked by the working class, and his concerts evolved into the focal points of the biggest parties in Paris. Naturally, not everyone enjoyed such hedonistic entertainment, and soon accusations circulated that the composer was working with the devil and was trying to convert the moral citizens of Paris to a life of wickedness.