Until June 1933, when it abruptly became a vehicle of Nazi propaganda, Die Musik was the most prestigious German-language general music journal of its time. Up to then, it stood out by avoiding both the decided enthusiasm for modern music of the Musikblatter des Anbruch and the ultraconservatism and anti-Semitism of the Zeitschrift fur Musik. Among the major German music periodicals of the first half of the twentieth century, Die Musik is probably the most interesting from a historical point of view because, for each of the three periods of modern German history, it features a clearly defined attitude: a panegyric of the Classical and Romantic masters during the prewar period, a careful reception of new trends during the Weimar Republic, and an enthusiastic propagation of a political ideology during the Third Reich. It thus affords an excellent overview of musical journalism at a time and in a country in which this profession enjoyed a very high level of activity.
The present thesis begins with a bibliographical survey of research on German-language music periodicals, music criticism, and music during the Third Reich as well as with a historical survey of contemporary German-language musical journalism. This is followed by two parts, the first of which consists of a descriptive and historical study of Die Musik (1901-15, 1922-43) and of Musik im Kriege (1943-44), its title following a merger with three other journals. Its four chapters deal with the following topics: a physical description, a presentation of the editors and publishers, a political and administrative history, and a detailed study of the contents. The second part of the thesis studies material published in the journal to illustrate its transformation from period to period. It analyses the following aspects: the reception of modern composers and their works; the effects of the two wars and of the Third Reich as well as the attitudes towards foreign countries; and the expression of racism both before and during the Third Reich.
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