Alessandra Palermo

Dr. Mitchell
Music 2B03
December 2, 2014

The Influence of Politics on

Music of the Twentieth Century

Palermo 1
The Twentieth Century was a turning point in history for many aspects of culture.
It brought about new innovations in technology, science, art, and improved living. As
social customs and events changed, the world had to learn to accommodate them.
People, communities, and governments had to adapt to the ever-changing lifestyle.
Politics played a huge role in shaping the events of the Twentieth Century. It
influenced the economy, the lives of citizens, and the arts of the period. The most
prominent time in which political events and beliefs affected culture was during the first
and second world wars. These wars were all encompassing, and initiated changes in
many aspects of Twentieth Century culture, music especially. The politics of the first and
second world wars had a significant influence on music through the imposition of
nationalism on compositions, the reputations of composers, and the genres of music
written.
Leading up to the first and second world wars, there was a great call for
patriotism and loyalty to respective homeland. Because of this, many composers were
seeking to create more nationalistic music. Nationalism was a musical movement that
emerged in connection with political independence movements in an attempt to glorify
their own cultural heritage.

This was accomplished by incorporating elements of

national music from folk songs, dances, rhythms, and subjects for compositions.

In a

time of turmoil, and conflict concerning politics, economy and territory, it was very fitting
to feel the sense of patriotism. Several key nationalist composers of the twentieth
century were Igor Stravinsky, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Aaron Copeland, and Richard
Strauss.

1 (Miles 1985)

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Igor Stravinsky was a Russian Nationalist composer. During his career he had
three main periods; his Russian Period was when his compositions embodied the
Russian culture most. The majority of the stylistic elements that became synonymous
with Stravinsky were derived from folk music. These included undermining meter,
discontinuity, a use of diatonic and octatonic scales, layering of sounds and a colourful
use of instruments.

Stravinsky also took influence from Russian folk music. The folk

music went into very basic matters of style and technique, where Stravinskys response
to the stimulus of folklore often took novel turns that could not have been predicted
simply from knowledge of the model.3 His piece Napev for example, carries a principle
of diatonic modality, relationship to folklore, and belligerent rejection of Europe
(panromanogermanic common practice), all making this a very Russian piece.

Another influential nationalist composer was Ralph Vaughn Williams. He was an

English composer who drew inspiration from the works of previous English composers
Thomas Tallis and Henry Purcell. His inspiration also came from English hymnody, folk
songs, and assimilation of modal harmonies.

During the times leading up to the war,

he noticed the awfulness that was going on in the world. Because of this, he continued
to write nationalistic music, hoping to preserve some old English traditions in an everchanging society as a means to temper it. 6 His most notable piece is the Fantasia on a
Theme of Thomas Tallis (1910). This piece was based on a hymn composed by Tallis
2 J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music Eighth Edition, (New York: W.W.
Norton and Company, 2010). 829

3 Richard Taruskin, Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions Volume One, (Los Angeles : The Regents of the University of
California, 1996), 1167.

4 Ibid
5 J. Peter Burkholder, et al. 798
6 Simon Heffer, Vaughn Williams, (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2000), 122

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and takes place in the Phryigian mode. It incorporates styles used by Tallis himself and
is considered to be the ultimate expression of the English soul in music.

Aaron Copland, an American composer, is perhaps regarded as Americas most

notable nationalist composer of the time. He was heavily influenced by the Americana
style of music, which incorporated folk songs, slave songs, country, and jazz music. 8 As
he was born in the turn of the century, he lived through and experienced many hard
times for America including both World Wars and the Great Depression. He often tried
to write optimistic and nationalist songs to boost the morals of Americans. One notable
piece of his was the ballet Appalachian Spring.9 This piece was reflective of American
landscape and was written to celebrate the beauty of Appalachia. It was said to have
reflected youthful aspiration in the American heartland. 10 After America entered the
Second World War, Copland was commissioned to write a piece that was upbeat and
appropriate for Americans.11 For this he wrote A Lincoln Portrait. This was homage to
President Lincoln and was inspired by a biography Copland had read of him shortly
after he received his commission. This orchestral work accompanies a text of Lincolns
speeches, and incorporates quotations from American folksongs Camptown Races
and Springfield Mountain.

12

Richard Strauss was a German composer of the Twentieth Century born on June
11, 1864 in Munich, Germany. Strauss achieved unparalleled success in popularity and

7 Ibid, 37
8 Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Aaron Copland. 2000. Print.
9 Adam O'Dell, "Aaron Copland and American Nationalist Music." (unpublished working paper., 2013), 8
10 Kapilow, Robert and John Adams. Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland
11 Child, Fred. Abraham Lincoln: A Portrait in Words: NPR.
12 Ibid.

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is considered one of the most advanced composers of the time. 13 He held highly
reputable positions during his career including the conductor in Meiningen, Munich,
Weimar, Berlin and Vienna.14 Though not entirely known as a nationalist composer, his
compositions did contain a specific element of the German confidence. This may have
been due to the fact that his career mainly developed during a time of superiority and
success for Germany.15 He, along with other composers mentioned and unmentioned,
witnessed the need for patriotism set in place by the World Wars and adjusted their
compositions accordingly.
Another manner in which the World Wars affected music, was by forever
changing the reputations of several composers of the Twentieth Century. Richard
Strauss and Ernest Macmillan are key examples of this. As Strauss was very heavily
involved in German nationalism and pride, he is often associated with the Third Reich.
During Nazi Germany, he was appointed by Hitler to hold the position of the President of
the Reichsmusikkammer under Joseph Gobbels propaganda ministry.16 Though
Strauss composed several progressive operas including Salome and Elektra, he was
very much indebted to the Romantic Era and still upheld their beliefs. He was also
indebted to the successful and prosperous Germany that he had learned to love before
the devastation of the aftermath of the First World War.17 When the Nazi party began
restoring traditional cultural ideals and promoting those Romantic ideals that seemed
13 Kristina Cartwright-Martin, "MUSIC AND POLITICS Richard Strauss: Before, During and After the Nazi Regime."
(unpublished working paper., 2003), 1

14 Ibid
15 Ibid, 2
16 Mark-Daniel Schmid, The Richard Strauss Companion , (United States: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003), 435.
17 Kristina Cartwright-Martin, "MUSIC AND POLITICS Richard Strauss: Before, During and After the Nazi Regime."
(unpublished working paper., 2003), 2

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lost, Strauss amongst many Germans, supported them. Over time, he became involved
within the Third Reich and would serve as a symbol of the new regimes willingness to
anchor the musical life of the Third Reich in musical tradition.

18

Eventually Strauss

grew tired of the implications placed upon written music, and resigned from his post
within the Nazi regime. Following the war, Strauss faced charges for anti-Semitic
activities and his affiliation with the Nazi Party. He was the defendant in his own trial,
which was later abandoned as Strauss did not meet the definitions of any of the Nazi
categories.19 Though he does not carry the title of Nazi, there is still a negative stigma
surrounding him and his music. Many people try to read too deep into his music and
claim they have found anti-semitic views and proof of his hatred towards the Jewish
race. However, no such view was proven to have existed. Many people neglect the fact
that Strauss own daughter- in-law and grandchildren were Jewish and he demanded
that full Aryan rights were to be fully extended to his family. While Hitler extended
certain concessions, the Strauss family remained at risk. 20 Another Jewish association
to remember is Richard Strauss music publisher Adolph Frstner. 21 Though Richard
Strauss was associated with the Nazi regime, it is unfair to view him as a Nazi in the
purest sense of the term. Unfortunately, he is still often criticized for his involvement and
his reputation has been tinged due to the politics of the war.
Ernest MacMillan was another composer whose reputation changed because of
the war. He was a Canadian composer and at the time of the First World War,
18 Alan E. Steinweis, Art, Ideology, and Economics in Nazi Germany: The Reich Chambers of Music, Theatre and the Visual
Arts, (United States: University of North Carolina Press, 1993), 48.

19 Ibid
20 Kristina Cartwright-Martin, 9
21 Alan E. Steinweis, 53

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MacMillan was studying at Oxford University. As a Canadian visitor to the Bayreuth
Festival that year, he was arrested at the outbreak of the war as an enemy-alien. He
spent seven months under restraint in Nuremberg, and was later transferred to
Ruhleben where he remained until his release in November 1918. 22 This camp however
was unlike most others as it was well established and the prisoners formed societies,
clubs and activities. While in the camp, MacMillan, along with several other reputable
musicians, set up a musical society.

Composer Benjamin Dale and songwriter

Frederick Keel wrote:

We keep our hands in by doing some teaching a work of charity and
benevolence for we dont get any extra jam on our bread! We have formed a
musical society, we have had some concerts and recitals. There is quite a
good string quartet. There have also been some lectures on music, and in fact
there is a course going on at present on modern musicians [] We musicians
have built a shed in which we hope soon to get a piano. 23
While in the camp, MacMillan taught courses and lectured on Beethoven symphonies,
Debussy and modern Russian music.

He also composed music and found a new

passion in conducting. 24 In fact he completed three of the four movements of his String
Quartet in C minor and through the Prisoners of War Education Committee, he
completed his doctorate at Oxford. To do so, he composed his Doctoral Exercise in the
winter of 1917-18 and in preparation, began composing a fugue a day as well as
numerous exercises.25 After his release and return to Canada, he became very
influential in setting up musical education programs and governmental committees.
Beckwith stated that:

22 John Beckwith, "Ernest MacMillan and England," Canadian University Music Review, 19, no. 1 (1998): 37
23 Ibid
24 Ibid, 38
25 Ibid

Palermo 7
MacMillan [] possessed a strong gift, by their striking themes, harmonic
boldness, and fluency of part writing, (MacMillans scores) outshine most
other productions by Canadian composers of their era. 26
His accomplishments within the camp are recognized and he is regarded as
Canadas most internationally renowned composer and musician. His reputation may
not have reached international success had he not been placed in Ruhleben, just as
Strauss reputation may not have been tarnished by association with the Nazis. For
better or worse both composers reputations have been changed by the World Wars.
The last way in which the war influenced music was by placing restrictions on
what types of music could be written and performed. This was most prominent in Russia
and Nazi Germany. Joseph Stalin, while in charge of Soviet Russia, set strict restrictions
to the music composed and performed. This limited composers ability to write music as
they pleased. Dmitri Shostakovich in particular faced formidable rules as a composer. If
he did not follow the demands of Joseph Stalin the consequences could be fatal. 27 The
government at the time was very harsh and millions of people were dying due to
execution, imprisonment or starvation. In an environment such as this, it was difficult for
Shostakovich to express individuality in his pieces. Though he did try and often
succeeded, one work of his, Lady Macbeth, was not received well by the government.
They were not impressed by the gruesome and untraditional elements and
Shostakovich was forced to make a formal apology to government.
Things were much the same in Germany. As mentioned previously, Strauss was
the President of Reichsmusikkammer. This was an institution that promoted good
26 Ibid
27 Hope R. Strayer, "Music and Worship," Altered but not Silenced: How Shostakovich Retained his Voice as an Artist Despite
the Demands of a Dictator, 4, no. 2 (2013): 58,

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German music. According to the Nazis, good German music had to have been
composed by Aryans, or people who fit with other Nazi ideals. It also had to suppress
degenerate music atonal music, jazz, and music composed by the Jewish - and
reflect the works of previous successful German composers such as Beethoven and
Wagner. 28 It was divided into seven separate branches: film, music, theatre, press,
writing, visual art and radio. It also included branches for composers, musicians and
music teachers, and separate departments for concerts, choral and folk music, music
publishing houses and musical businesses. The intention of this organization was
twofold: to cleanse the musical world and ensure that undesirable music was neither
written nor performed, and to better improve the success of Aryan composers.

29

Both

Strauss and Shostakovich were subjects to the governments power and compelled to
follow the restriction places on the music during the time of the second world war.
The music of the Twentieth Century was revolutionary. It has inspired many of the
popular genres ingrained in todays society. However it would not have been the same
had it not been influenced by the politics of the time, primarily surrounding the two world
wars. The years leading up to, and during the wars, called for patriotism causing many
composers to incorporate nationalism within their work. Also, composers such as
Strauss and Ernest MacMillan are both known for their roles and actions during the war
which earned them international recognition. Finally, other composers struggled to

28 Music and the Holocaust , "Reichskulturkammer and Reichsmusikkammer."

29 Ibid

Palermo 9
remain independent despite the difficult environment where there were many
restrictions placed on music further proving the influence of politics at the time.

Palermo 10
Works Cited
Beckwith, John. "Ernest MacMillan and England." Canadian University Music Review.
no. 1 (1998): 37.
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western
Music Eighth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2010.
Child, Fred. Abraham Lincoln: A Portrait in Words. NPR
Heffer, Simon. Vaughn Williams. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2000.
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Aaron Copland. 2000. Print.
Miles, John. "Nationalism and its Effect on Music in the Romantic Era." Last modified
1985. http://hunsmire.tripod.com/music/nationalism.html.
Music and the Holocaust , "Reichskulturkammer and Reichsmusikkammer."
http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/politics-and-propaganda/thirdreich/reichskulturkammer/.
O'Dell, Adam. Aaron Copland and American Nationalist Music. working paper., 2013.
http://www.adamdodell.com/publications/Copland.pdf.
Schmid, Mark-Daniel. The Richard Strauss Companion . United States: Greenwood
Publishing Group, 2003.
Steinweis, Alan E. Art, Ideology, and Economics in Nazi Germany: The Reich
Chambers of Music, Theatre and the Visual Arts. United States: University of North
Carolina Press, 1993.
Strayer, Hope R. "Music and Worship." Altered but not Silenced: How Shostakovich
Retained his Voice as an Artist Despite the Demands of a Dictator. no. 2 (2013):
58.
Taruskin, Richard. Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions Volume One. Los Angeles :
The Regents of the University of California, 1996.