MusikstĂ€dte as real and imaginary soundscapes : urban musical images as literary motifs in twentieth-century German modernism
This study examines German literary images of musical life as part of the wider sound identity of the modern German city at the turn of the twentieth century. Focussing on a forty-year period from 1890 to 1930, synonymous with the emergence of the modern German metropolis as an aesthetic object, the project assesses, compares and contrasts how musical life in the MusikstĂ€dte was perceived and portrayed by writers in an increasingly noisy urban environment. How does urban musical life influence and condition city writings? What are the differences and similarities between the writings on various musical cities? Can an urban textual sound identity be derived from these differences and similarities? The approach employed to answer these questions is a new, cross-disciplinary one to urban sound in literature, moving beyond reading the key sounds of the urban soundscape using urban musicology, sensorial anthropology and cultural poetics towards a literary contextualisation of the urban aural experience. The literary motifs of the symphony, the gramophone and urban noise are put under the spotlight through the analysis of a wide range of modernist works by authors who have a special relationship with music. At
Goodyear, John
German Literature
MusikstĂ€dte as real and imaginary soundscapes : urban musical images as literary motifs in twentieth-century German modernism. This study examines German literary images of musical life as part of the wider sound identity of the modern German city at the turn of the twentieth century. Focussing on a forty-year period from 1890 to 1930, synonymous with the emergence of the modern German metropolis as an aesthetic object, the project assesses, compares and contrasts how musical life in the MusikstĂ€dte was perceived and portrayed by writers in an increasingly noisy urban environment. How does urban musical life influence and condition city writings? What are the differences and similarities between the writings on various musical cities? Can an urban textual sound identity be derived from these differences and similarities? The approach employed to answer these questions is a new, cross-disciplinary one to urban sound in literature, moving beyond reading the key sounds of the urban soundscape using urban musicology, sensorial anthropology and cultural poetics towards a literary contextualisation of the urban aural experience. The literary motifs of the symphony, the gramophone and urban noise are put under the spotlight through the analysis of a wide range of modernist works by authors who have a special relationship with music. At
real imaginary urban musical image literary motif twentieth_century german modernism study_examines german literary image musical life part_wider sound identity modern_german city turn focussing forty year_period synonymous emergence_modern german metropolis aesthetic object project ass compare_contrast musical life perceive portrayed writer increasingly urban_environment urban musical life influence condition city writing difference_similarity write various musical city urban textual sound identity derive difference_similarity employ answer_question new cross_disciplinary urban sound literature move_beyond read key sound urban use urban sensorial anthropology cultural poetics towards literary contextualisation urban aural experience literary motif urban noise put spotlight analysis wide_range modernist work author special_relationship music