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> According to British cultural critic Norman Lebrecht, a violinist in 1960 could expect to pay about $1,600 for “a fine 19th-century instrument,” or roughly do
by skj 12y ago
> According to British cultural critic Norman Lebrecht, a violinist in 1960 could expect to pay about $1,600 for “a fine 19th-century instrument,” or roughly double his annual salary.
Emphasis mine.
That seems unlikely to me, $800 over the course of a year?
- quotient 12y agoIt's not unrealistic --- keep in mind that the collective earnings of an orchestra are not large to begin with. There are great operational expenses, and once those have been taken care of, the remaining money is divided among the members of the orchestra. Keep in mind that playing in an orchestra is not a full-time job, adjust for inflation, and then an annual salary of $800 may even seem generous...
- sp332 12y agoWell, his/her salary as a violinist. Not mentioning any other jobs the person had.
- Theodores 12y agoLet's see... The British critic probably was thinking in pounds, shillings and pence, not USD. Therefore, that $1600, at exchange rates of 1960 was £560. Divide by two, how does £280 compare to salaries of 1960? http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1960/nov/29/national-average-wages http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1960/nov/... Manual workers were paid ~£14 a week which is £700 a year. Clerical workers in the governments employ get just shy of £800 a year. Your musician is earning approximately a third of your manual labourer. Let's put that into modern day money, where £25K is the rate for a person that shuffles paper across a desk for some government. Would some musician really be earning all of ~£8.5K a year for their role in an orchestra? The answer is probably yes!!!
- nemetroid 12y agoI think it's a misquotation. The linked article says > Around 1960, a London ensemble player earning £1,000 a year could expect to pay twice that sum for a fine 19th-century instrument. which fits well with what others have commented were typical salaries back then. I am however surprised by the other commenters saying that playing in an orchestra is not a full time job. Perhaps it is different in the US, but in Sweden any symphony orchestra worth naming is comprised of full-time musicians.