The ‘Bath Revolution’? Musical Distractions in French Spas, Cercles, and Salons

French historians consider the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as ‘the golden age of watering-places’. Using unpublished musical and administrative archives, this chapter studies musical practices in various French spas town during the golden age, to demonstrate what music history can reveal about the history of spa towns in France. This history is marked by the imitation of what was organised in Bath in the previous century. The development of assembly rooms was central to the ‘Bath Revolution’ which is an important concept in French tourism historiography. French spa towns like Vichy, Aix-les-Bains, and Évian-les-Bains had cercles and salons which, although adapted from the Bath model, differed in terms of clientèle and appeal. Secondly, the concerns of French spa musicians can be seen as a confirmation of the historical analysis of Kurmusik by German historians, who have argued that the aesthetics of nineteenth-century spa music cannot be understood without a comprehensive examination of the socio-economic factors of music production, the conductor’s methods, and conceptualisation of his profession. Finally, serving as spaces for diplomatic encounters, spa towns became cosmopolitan hubs of musical activity for foreign visitors.