“For the serious listeners who swear neither at nor by Schoenberg”: Music Criticism, the Great War, and the Dawning of a New Attitude Toward Schoenberg and Ultra-Modern Music in New York City

Abstract

The rich array of publications covering music in New York City during the second two decades of the twentieth century provides a compelling account of the reception of ultra-modern music. Newspapers, arts periodicals, and, especially, monthly and weekly music magazines offer tantalizing insight into how music lovers perceived new and challenging music. Before the Great War connections to German musical traditions were strong, and ultra-modern music was mostly imported. During the war ties to Germany were largely severed and ultra-modern music was silenced. After 1918 a more egalitarian and international attitude emerged. The reception of Schoenberg’s music in New York City between 1910 and 1923 illustrates the evolution of this new attitude.