Synopses & Reviews
Review
"A tragic and epic story that Haas relates so magisterially well that this book will probably remain definitive on its subject for the foreseeable future."—
Booklist, starred review
Booklist
Review
“A valuable compendium of untold stories, a corrective to standard histories of music and an essential reference point for anyone engaged in the culture and politics of the twentieth century.”—Norman Lebrecht, Wall Street Journal Norman Lebrecht
Review
“An outstandingly fine piece of work.”—Terry Teachout, Commentary Wall Street Journal
Review
“A richly detailed history of Jewish musicians.”
—Kirkus Terry Teachout - Commentary
Synopsis
A groundbreaking study of the Jewish composers and musicians banned by the Third Reich and the consequences for music worldwide
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.
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About the Author
Michael Haas is director of research at the Jewish Music Institutes Centre for Suppressed Music, based at Royal Holloway, University of London. He lives in London.