Radio, which began broadcasting in Germany in 1923, rapidly became a mass medium for entertainment, instruction, and news, with over a million registered listeners by 1926.
Composer Biography
Ernst Krenek, an "enfant terrible" of New Music, was already famous by 1923 and composed his Three Mixed A cappella Choirs in Alma Mahler's villa.
Historical Context
The year 1923 in Germany was marked by hyperinflation, political unrest, and the first public radio broadcast.
Composition History
Ernst Toch's Dance Suite was commissioned by expressive dancer and dance teacher Frieda Ursula Back, who choreographed its premiere.
Compositional Technique
Kurt Weill's Frauentanz uses a viola instead of an oboe in its wind quintet instrumentation, possibly as a tribute to virtuoso violist Paul Hindemith.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Béla Bartók's Dance Suite, commissioned for a Hungarian national celebration, ingeniously thwarted the cultural-political intentions of its patrons by incorporating folk music from various countries.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composers on this album, including Kurt Weill, Ernst Krenek, and Ernst Toch, not only benefited from the rise of radio but also actively shaped its musical use.
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