Composing for the State
Music in Twentieth-Century Dictatorships
Igor Contreras Zubillaga editor Esteban Buch editor Manuel Deniz Silva editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:7th Feb '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£135.00(9781472437495)
This volume explores the complex relationship between music and totalitarian regimes. Composing for the State offers essential insights into art music's role in propaganda and political expression.
This book presents ten insightful studies that delve into music inspired and promoted by oppressive regimes such as Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Franco's Spain. By analyzing the musical works themselves, Composing for the State examines the intricate relationship between composers and the State, revealing how music served both as a tool for propaganda and a medium for personal expression. Under the dictatorships of the twentieth century, music never ceased to resonate, even as these regimes occasionally imposed their aesthetic preferences.
The book highlights how certain forms of art music gained prominence during these turbulent times, including commemorative works, symphonic poems, cantatas, and choral settings. Composers, whether aligned ideologically with the regime or not, often created music that echoed the political climate, consciously or unconsciously supporting the prevailing order. The studies explore various dictatorships, including Vichy France, the USSR and its satellites, Salazar's Portugal, Maoist China, and several Latin-American dictatorships, showcasing the diverse ways music was intertwined with political power.
Composing for the State addresses several theoretical questions that have been overlooked by both musicologists and historians. It probes into the relationship between art music and propaganda, the role of composers under authoritarian control, and the political significance of the works produced in these contexts. Additionally, it considers audience reactions and whether we can meaningfully discuss the concept of 'State music.' This volume is a vital contribution to our understanding of the musical cultures of the twentieth century and the symbolic policies of dictatorial regimes.
'Ten fascinating narratives are presented here about the function of state music in a wider range of twentieth-century dictatorships. An international roster of distinguished authors ensures the most detailed study of this subject thus far. This unique volume clarifies how music was used to present the public face of state sanctioned propaganda.' - Patricia Hall, University of Michigan, USA
'These essays, surveying musical works that span five decades and three continents, shed light on creations generally overlooked by virtue of their being "tainted" because they were commissioned by dictatorships. Instead of shunning these works, the essays explore the complex interactions of the state, the composers, and the public and offer new paths toward dissecting notions of creative autonomy in the twentieth century.'- Pamela Potter, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
"Composing for the State [offers] ten case studies grounded in original research on the subject of music and twentieth-century dictatorships. Geographically, the scope is also wider, encompassing work not just on Europe but also on Latin America and China. And yet, its central question is not too far removed from Riley and Smith’s: How do we understand music commissioned by the state when that state is a dictatorship? In their introduction, the editors usefully suggest that these compositions should not simply be written off as propaganda. Instead, we should explore them, their genesis, and their reception both to enrich our comprehension of cultural life and net-works under dictatorships and, more broadly, to investigate further music’s role in the construction and perseverance of such political regimes." - Anthony J. Steinholff, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
'Ten fascinating narratives are presented here about the function of state music in a wider range of twentieth-century dictatorships. An international roster of distinguished authors ensures the most detailed study of this subject thus far. This unique volume clarifies how music was used to present the public face of state sanctioned propaganda.' - Patricia Hall, University of Michigan, USA
'These essays, surveying musical works that span five decades and three continents, shed light on creations generally overlooked by virtue of their being "tainted" because they were commissioned by dictatorships. Instead of shunning these works, the essays explore the complex interactions of the state, the composers, and the public and offer new paths toward dissecting notions of creative autonomy in the twentieth century.'- Pamela Potter, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
"...an eminently readable collection dealing with themes that have come increasingly to the fore over recent decades and whose very ambiguity enrich our understanding of the music discussed here and its historical and cultural contexts."- Ivan Moody, Universidade Nova, Lisbon
ISBN: 9780367229214
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 566g
236 pages