John Mauceri is a conductor and served on the Yale University faculty for 15 years. Mauceri believes the dearth of classical music in the 20th Century was the result of war. The Nazis banned plenty of music and only authorized certain approved conductors and certain approved music be performed.
Stalin insisted that music must have a purpose in supporting the State. Both Stalin and Hitler’s actions sent many talented conductors, classical musicians, and composers to other countries. In the United States, many of the refugee composers found their way to Hollywood.
For much of the 20th Century, Mauceri shows film music was considered inferior to “Real Classical Music.” But, as time has passed, the film music of Korngold, Steiner, Tiomkin, and Rozsa grow in fame and popularity. Mauceri maps out the classical influences that contemporary film composers work with:
“However, it can be argued that, if there is indeed a ‘line’ of influence, one that accounts for the most heard symphonic music in history, that like would look something like: Wagner–Strauss/Mahler–Korngold/Steiner (Waxman, Tiomkin, Rozsa)–John Williams (Elmer Bernstein, Alex North, Bernard Herman, Jerry Goldsmith)–Howard Shore, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desalt, Nobuo Uematsu, Ramin Djawadi, and so on.” (p. 153-154)
If you’re a fan of film music, you’ll appreciate Mauceri’s survey of Hollywood music of the 20th Century. What’s your favorite Hollywood music composer? GRADE: A
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1
1 A View from 30,000 Feet 14
2 Brahms and Wagner: The Twilight of Two Gods 25
3 Stravinsky and Schoenberg: Overtures to the Great War 37
4 The Lure of Chaos 62
5 Hitler, Wagner, and the Poison from Within 73
6 Stalin and Mussolini Make Music 81
7 The Miracle of a Second Exodus 95
8 A New War, an Old Avant-Garde 114
9 A Cold War Defines Contemporary Music 128
10 Creating History and Erasing History 149
11 Of War and Loss 173
12 A Century Ends 180
Appendix: A Personal Diary 195
Notes 207
Acknowledgments 217
Index 219
Illustrations follow page 36
