Thesis Abstract: Although the art song was a favorite genre for American composers at the turn of the twentieth century, its favor declined rapidly and significantly during and after the 1910s, and for the rest of the first half of the century the genre held a marginalized place in the output of the most significant American composers. Concomitant with this decline in song composition, song publication also declined considerably after 1920, and a significant percentage of the songs published thereafter were authored by composers who specialized in songs and shorter works expressly intended for the domestic song market and written in a conservative musical idiom which appealed to mass audiences. In contrast to these earlier declines, the number of song concerts in New York City and Chicago increased steadily until about 1930, even as the percentage of song concerts to other concerts held steady. After 1930, however, the number and percentage of song concerts in these two cities declined as well. The emergence of modernism on the musical landscape in the United States after 1915 was largely responsible for the decline in song publication and composition. Among other things, musical modernism valorized dissonance, melodic fragmentation, and objectivity; these characteristics ran counter to the largely Romantic orientation of the art song with its long-spun lyricism and subjectivity. As a revision of current thought, this study broadens the accepted corpus of modernist composers to include neo-Romantics such as Samuel Barber whose music retained an essentially Romantic character but was frequently imbued with modernistic elements. This study also shows that composers in certain stylistic, professional, and demographic categories wrote songs in significantly greater numbers those in others. For example, in looking at the total song output of over 100 American and transplanted composers, there was a direct correlation between musical style and song production; the more progressive a composer's musical style, the fewer songs he authored. In addition to the impact of modernism on the art song, these declines were also exacerbated by the art song's close association with other song types which lowered the art song's aesthetic credentials.
PART I: BACKGROUND
Chapter One: Modernism and the Arts in Early Twentieth-Century America
Defining Modernism
Modernist Art
Modernist Literature
Modernist Music
Conclusions
Chapter Two: History of the Art Song and its Reception in the United States
The Beginnings of Cultivated Art Music in the United States
The Emergence of Women Composers
Conclusions
PART II: EVIDENCE OF THE AMERICAN ART SONG'S DECLINE
Chapter Three: Song Recitals and the American Art Song
A Glance at Recital Reviews by Notable Critics
The Audience's Passion for Star Singers
Song Concerts in New York City
Song Concerts in Chicago
Conclusions
Chapter Four: Musical Organizations and the Programming of Art Songs
American Music Guild
International Composers Guild
League of Composers
Pro Musica in Detroit
New Music Society
The Federal Music Project of the Works Progress Administration
Conclusions
Chapter Five: The Composition and Publication of Art Songs in the United States
Songs Published by G. Schirmer
Songs by Significant American Composers
Songs by Major European Composers
Conclusions
PART III: COMPOSER CLASSIFICATIONS, SONG OUTPUT, AND CONCLUSIONS
Chapter Six: Art Song Composition by Major Composers in the United States
Classification by Musical Style
Classification by Profession
Classification by Demographic Category
Classification by Birth Year
All Categories Combined
A Glance at the Most Prolific Individuals
Published Versus Unpublished Songs
Conclusions
Chapter Seven: Art Songs by the Composers Whose Songs Were Published Most Frequently
Classification by Musical Style
Classification by Profession
Classification by Demographic Category
Classification by Birth Year
All Categories Combined
A Glance at the Most Prolific Individuals
Conclusions
Chapter Eight: Reasons for the Art Song's Decline
The Decline in Art Song Publication
Aesthetic Conflicts Between Modernism and Romanticism
Modernist Music and the Art Song
Modernist Poetry and the Art Song
Art Song Accessibility and the Modernist Aesthetic
The Art Song's Association with Lower Forms of Song
Conclusions
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Concerts Scheduled in the New York Times and
Chicago Tribune, 1900 to 1950
Appendix B: Songs Appearing on Concerts Presented by Musical
Organizations, 1922 to 1950
Appendix C: Songs Published by G. Schirmer, 1900 to 1950
According to Records in the OCLC Database
Appendix D: Composer Song Output and Demographic Tables
Appendix E: Demographic Data on the Composers Most Frequently
Published by G. Schirmer, 1900 to 1950
