Settling Scores

Classical music was central to German national identity in the early twentieth century. The preeminence of composers such as Bach and Beethoven and artists such as conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler and pianist Walter Gieseking was cited by the Nazis as justification for German expansionism and as evidence of Aryan superiority. In the minds of many Americans, further German aggression could be prevented only if the population's faith in its moral and cultural superiority was shattered. In Settling Scores, David Monod examines the attempted "denazification" of the German music world by the Music Control Branch of the Information Control Division of Military Government. The occupying American forces barred from the stage and concert hall all former Nazi Party members and even anyone deemed to display an "authoritarian personality." They also imported European and American music. These actions, however, divided American officials and outraged German audiences and performers. Nonetheless, the long-term effects were greater than has been previously recognized, as German government officials regained local control and voluntarily limited their involvement in artistic life while promoting "new" (anti-Nazi) music.

ISBN 0807829447   Pages 320 ISBN13 9780807829448 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher The University of North Carolina Press   Weight (grammes) 594 Imprint The University of North Carolina Press   Published in Chapel Hill Format Hardback   Height (mm) 235 Publication date 30 Jun 2005   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress 2004029685   Spine width (mm) 27 DEWEY 780.94309044   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC22

1		Preparing for music control		12
2		Facing the music : denazification and revolution, 1945		44
3		Reforming music culture, 1945-1946		96
4		Learning to keep quiet : Wilhelm Furtwangler and the end of denazification		128
5		From major to minor : the retreat from reform, 1947-1950		167
6		Paying guests : American artists in cold war Germany, 1948-1953		205
		Conclusion : a new day in Beulah		253

"This important book has provided a framework and a methodology that will help to guide others." -- "European History Quarterly"

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