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Book Review
Apr. 10th, 2013 10:32 amMaking Music Modern: New York in the 1920s
by Carol J. Oja
I really enjoyed this fascinating book about American composers in the early 20th century. Oja does a great job of looking at the threads and development of contemporary American art music through the lens of one time and place. She covers a wide range of composers, from very well known figures like Copland down to more obscure composers like Marion Bauer, as well as the composers' organizations that arose during the 1920s. While primarily focused on modernism, Oja also examines neo-classical and jazz elements to give a very full picture of what was going on. Oja is also not afraid to examine the darker side of early modernism, either. She is quite frank about the sexism, classism, and racism that existed in this community, too.
I really loved the way that Making Music Modern gives a different perspective on the 1920s and on the development of modern music than one usually gets in music history classes and texts - one that centers on the Second Viennese School and the rise of serialism. Instead, this book shows us that modernism was once a radical movement of wild experimentation and diverse approaches, and only became an academic hegemony later. Divisions between different aesthetic camps were less rigid. It was a very exciting time that gave rise to fascinating music, a lot of which still sounds radical and revolutionary.
by Carol J. Oja
I really enjoyed this fascinating book about American composers in the early 20th century. Oja does a great job of looking at the threads and development of contemporary American art music through the lens of one time and place. She covers a wide range of composers, from very well known figures like Copland down to more obscure composers like Marion Bauer, as well as the composers' organizations that arose during the 1920s. While primarily focused on modernism, Oja also examines neo-classical and jazz elements to give a very full picture of what was going on. Oja is also not afraid to examine the darker side of early modernism, either. She is quite frank about the sexism, classism, and racism that existed in this community, too.
I really loved the way that Making Music Modern gives a different perspective on the 1920s and on the development of modern music than one usually gets in music history classes and texts - one that centers on the Second Viennese School and the rise of serialism. Instead, this book shows us that modernism was once a radical movement of wild experimentation and diverse approaches, and only became an academic hegemony later. Divisions between different aesthetic camps were less rigid. It was a very exciting time that gave rise to fascinating music, a lot of which still sounds radical and revolutionary.
