Conservative Musical Reaction in the Weimar Republic, 1919–33

Abstract

From the vantage point of the 1990s, the Weimar Republic still remains one of the most stimulating periods of 20th-century music history, a period in which Germany seemed to throw off the shackles of national romanticism and opened its doors to an unceasing stream of artistic experiments, which included Neue Sachlichkeit (new objectivity), 12-tone composition, flirtations with jazz and novel conceptions of music-theatre. Musical tolerance seemed the order of the day, as Weimar Germany played host to a vast array of German and international talents. Music thrived in several provincial centres, but it was Berlin that emerged, after the dissolution of the German Empire, to challenge Paris as the musical capital of Europe. Some of the most influential composers of the period were drawn to the city. A number were engaged as teachers: for example, Ferruccio Busoni and Franz Schreker, who arrived during the early 1920s to serve at the Prussian Academy of Arts and the Berlin Hochschule für Musik respectively. A further influx of teacher-composers followed, including Arnold Schoenberg in 1925 and Paul Hindemith two years later.