Forbidden Music
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The Jewish Composers Banned by the Nazis
Michael Haas
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Format: ClothPrice: $40.00
Out of Print
With National Socialism's arrival in Germany in 1933, Jews dominated music more than virtually any other sector, making it the most important cultural front in the Nazi fight for German identity. This groundbreaking book looks at the Jewish composers and musicians banned by the Third Reich and the consequences for music throughout the rest of the twentieth century. Because Jewish musicians and composers were, by 1933, the principal conveyors of Germany’s historic traditions and the ideals of German culture, the isolation, exile and persecution of Jewish musicians by the Nazis became an act of musical self-mutilation.
Michael Haas looks at the actual contribution of Jewish composers in Germany and Austria before 1933, at their increasingly precarious position in Nazi Europe, their forced emigration before and during the war, their ambivalent relationships with their countries of refuge, such as Britain and the United States and their contributions within the radically changed post-war music environment.
“A richly detailed history of Jewish musicians.”—Kirkus
“Michael Haas’ important new study. . . not only tells us about the ‘Forbidden’ music and musicians but also investigates the origins of this appalling episode . . . Haas writes with insight and intelligence, illustrating his points with quotations from a wide range of sources . . . Haas writes eloquently about the marginalisation and suppression of the non-Aryan music and the murders and migrations that followed. He describes the rich legacy of these tragic times on post-war musical life in Britain, the US and the world.”—Daniel Snowman, History Today, 1st August 2013
“ ...Forbidden Music . . . offers an essential supplement to standard histories of music in thrall to big names and vested interests. The trajectory is tortuous and tragic, the future still uncertain.”—David Gutman, International Record Review
“This heart-breaking book . . . is eloquently written with an almost poetic sensitivity to the subject . . . its publication is a revelation, packed as it is with an overwhelming amount of documents and facts, enriched with fascinating details about modern music from a distinctively Jewish perspective – justifiably so, as the entire musical period was significantly shaped by Jewish composers . . . Forbidden Music serves as a powerful reminder of what Austria in particular has lost in rich 20th century musical culture.”—Matthias Wurz, The Vienna Review
“[T]his compelling exploration of the role Jewish musicians and composers played in the cultural life of the Prussian and Austro-Hungarian Empire. . . is rich in unexpected facts and quotes. . . Its greatest virtue is the unearthing of composers, critics, conductors and musicians destined for obscurity. Haas makes a pleasingly detailed argument for honouring a treasure trove to which the development of Western music owes a considerable debt.”—Rebecca K Morrison, The Independent
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
