About the Book

The twentieth century saw innovations in musical form unlike any other. Often referred to as ‘contemporary’ or ‘new’ music, the innovations of composers such as Schoenberg, Ives, Stravinsky, Bartok, Copland, Webern, Cage, Boulez, Stockhausen, Reich and Glass, broke with the conventions of ‘serious’ or so-called ‘classical music’. In so doing, this music often scandalized audiences and, compared to the popular music or jazz music of the period, remained aloof from the mainstream cultures of industrial and post-industrial societies. This book analyzes this history through the lens of the sociology of modern culture, linking these paradoxical aspects of twentieth century music to central processes in modern culture analyzed by sociology and social theory.