The Boston Pops: An American Institution and Its European Roots

This article traces the historical origins and influences that led the early leaders of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) to offer both “symphony concerts” and “popular concerts” on the same stage. Although scholars of nineteenth-century orchestral music align the end of “mixed” repertory with the rise of non-touring orchestral institutions based in urban centers, that tradition continued far into the twentieth century. Exploring the history of the BSO affords a deeper understanding into the division of the so-called “classical” orchestral repertory from the “popular,” and the emergence of orchestral pops series in cities across the United States.