Music in America during World War II

FAIN: FA-54580-09

Annegret Fauser
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1350)

Musicians in America were deeply involved in all aspects of World War II, from military service to radio propaganda, whether in the Office of War Information or in the State Department. They included such well-known composers as Samuel Barber, Marc Blitzstein, Aaron Copland, and Roy Harris. Compositions such as Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" (1942) and ballet "Appalachian Spring" (1944) were as much related to war-time concerns as Blitzstein's "Airborne Symphony" (1943-46), Henry Cowell's "Hymn and Fuguing Tune" (1944) or Morton Gould's "American Salute" (1943). Yet little is known about these musical activities during the war. My project is the first one devoted to the musical and cultural study of classical music in the United States during World War II. The main outcome of the project is a monograph, "Symphonies of War: Music in America during World War II," offering historical and cultural interpretations of musical life in the United States between 1939 and 1946.

Associated Products

Prizes

Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for outstanding print, broadcast, and new media coverage of music
Date: 10/7/2014
Organization: American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
Abstract: na

Music in American Culture Award
Date: 11/1/2014
Organization: American Musicological Society