ABSTRACT

Although I am not expert enough to pursue the history of song into this century in any great detail, a word or two must be said. The most obviously striking factor is the sudden proliferation of idioms, as shown in an almost comically extreme form by the anthology Das moderne Lied. Eine Sammlung von 50 Gesängen, edited by Josef Wöß and published in Vienna in 1914. ‘Modern’ on the title-page relates to the composers’ dates of birth (1860s to 1880s), with the result that the anthology ranges from the innocent and rather sentimental charm of songs by Eugen d’Albert and Leo Blech, through the harmonic and technical complexities of Reger to the vastly more experimental idioms of Paul von Klenau and the early work of Schönberg.