The Sound of a Superpower: Musical Americanism and the Cold War
The Sound of a Superpower: Musical Americanism and the Cold War
Assistant Professor of Musicology
Cite
Abstract
Classical composers seeking to create an American sound enjoyed unprecedented success during the 1930s and 1940s. Aaron Copland, Roy Harris, Howard Hanson, and others brought national and international attention to American composers for the first time in history. In the years after World War II, however, something changed. The prestige of musical Americanism waned rapidly as anti-Communists made accusations against leading Americanist composers. Meanwhile, a method of harmonic organization that some considered more Cold War–appropriate—serialism—began to rise in status. For many composers and historians, the Cold War had effectively “killed off” musical Americanism. In this book, the author offers a fuller, more nuanced picture of the effect of the Cold War on Americanist composers. She shows that the ideological conflict brought both challenges and opportunities. Some leftist Americanist composers struggled greatly in this new artistic and political environment, especially as American nationalism increasingly meant American exceptionalism. But composers of all political stripes would find in the federal government a new and unique channel through which to ensure the survival of musical Americanism, as the White House sought to use American music as a Cold War propaganda tool and American composers as cultural diplomats. The Americanists’ efforts to safeguard the reputation of their style would have significant consequences. Ultimately, they effected a rebranding of musical Americanism, with consequences that remain with us today.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 8 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 4 |
October 2022 | 24 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 3 |
October 2022 | 7 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 5 |
November 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 2 |
December 2022 | 4 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 3 |
February 2023 | 4 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 9 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 4 |
March 2023 | 6 |
March 2023 | 7 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 7 |
March 2023 | 6 |
April 2023 | 1 |
April 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 3 |
April 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 6 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 5 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 6 |
May 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 6 |
June 2023 | 6 |
June 2023 | 3 |
June 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 8 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 6 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 7 |
August 2023 | 5 |
August 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 6 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 5 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 13 |
August 2023 | 5 |
September 2023 | 32 |
September 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 3 |
October 2023 | 3 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 52 |
October 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 5 |
November 2023 | 43 |
November 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 6 |
November 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 3 |
December 2023 | 30 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 4 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 33 |
January 2024 | 1 |
January 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 34 |
February 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 5 |
March 2024 | 8 |
March 2024 | 37 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 10 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 35 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 4 |
May 2024 | 3 |
May 2024 | 11 |
May 2024 | 8 |
May 2024 | 36 |
May 2024 | 8 |
May 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 4 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 8 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 16 |
June 2024 | 4 |
June 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 3 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 3 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 7 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 6 |
November 2024 | 3 |
November 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 4 |
December 2024 | 1 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 4 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 2 |
January 2025 | 1 |
January 2025 | 2 |
January 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 6 |
February 2025 | 3 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 4 |
February 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 5 |
March 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 4 |
April 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.