ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 examines the legacy of new criticism to the emerging musicological discourse in the early twentieth century. It begins with an excerpt from The Critic’s Circular in 1923 that acted as a retrospective on the previous forty or so years of the reform and regulation in criticism noting that by and large the critic was now more than ever before a consummate professional. The chapter considers the place that the ethic of professionalism had in such professions as medicine, law, and the civil service and the hope for such a set of professional standards to be drawn up to equip music critics for their task, but such plans were often met with design and sarcasm. The chapter identifies the features and characteristics of the ‘new criticism’ and evaluates its effect and influence in the remainder of the twentieth century and for today. Critics and writers such as M.D. Calvocoressi, Ralph Hill, Neville Cardus and Frank Howes are cited in examples.
