NEW PUBLICATIONS ARTICLES Kowalke, Kim H. "Accounting for Success: Misunderstanding Die Dreigroschenoper." Opera Quarterly VI (Spring 1989): 18-38. Menuhin, Diana. "Les Ballets 1933." Dance Research Vl/2 (Autumn 1988) : 61-77. Schebera, Jilrgen. "Nachlese zur Ausgabe: 'Cbarivari'." notate IV/88 (October 1988): 14-15. BOOKS Brecht, Bertolt Werke. Edited by Werner Hecht.Jan Knopf, Werner Mittenzwei, Klaus-Detlef Millier. Stticke2. Edited by Jtirgen Schebera. Frankfurt Suhrkamp, 1988. 474 p. [Includes Leben Eduards des Zweiten von England, Mann i-st Mann (1926), Mann ist Mann (1938), Die Dreigroschenoper, Mahagonny, and Att/stieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny] Rudnitky, Konstantin. Russian and Soviet Theater 1905-1932. New York: Abrams, 1988. 320p. [Includes production photos and set designs for the 1930 production ofDie Dreigroschenoper, Kamerny Theatre, Moscow.] Schrader, Barbel, and Schebera, Jtirgen. The "Golden" Twenties: Arl and Literature in the Weimar Republic. New Haven: Yale, 1988. 271 p. Tschulik, Norbert. Musiktheater in Deutschland: Die Oper im 20. fahrhtmdert. Wien: Osterreichischer Bundesverlag, 1987. 347 p. Willett, John. The Theatre ofthe Weimar Repubic. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1988. Zim, Larry; Lerner, Mel; Rolfes, Herbert; The World ofTomorrow: The 1939 New York World's Fair. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. 240 p. [Contains description and photos of Railroads on Parade.) DISSERTATIONS Hennenberg, Fritz. "Neue Funktionsweisen der Musik und des Musiktheaters in den zwanziger Jahren: Studien tiber die Zusammenarbeit Bertolt Brechts mit Franz S. Brainier und Kurt Weill." Ph.D. dissertation, Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg, 1987. RECORDINGS American Musical Theater: Shows, Songs, and Stars. Volumes 1-4. The Smithsonian Collection of Recordings. RD 036. [Vols. 2 & 3 contain songs by Kurt Weill.] Concerlo for violin & winds, Op. 12; Kleine Dreigroschenmusik. Orchestra of St. Luke's; Julius Rudel, conductor; Naoko Tanaka, violin. Musicmasters CD 6-40164, MMC 40164 (cassette) Gi-sela May Sings Weill. Capriccio CD 10180. [Includes selections from Happy End, Das Berliner Requiem, Die Dreigroschenoper, and Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny.J Julie Wilson sings the Kttrl Weill Songbook. William Roy, piano. DRG Records CDSL 5207. Kleine Dreigroschenoper in "Die Kroll-Jahre." Otto Klemperer, cond. Symposium 1042. [Recorded in 1930-31; reissue of Polydor 24172/3; includes four of the eight movements] The Men in My Life. Lena Home. Three Cherries Records TC 64411. [Includes "September Song") Theatre Music of Kurt Weill. The Sextet of Orchestra USA Bluebird 6285-2-RB. Uazz arrangements; compact disc reissue) Ute Lemper singt Kitrl Weill. Rias Berlin Kammerensemble; John Mauceri, conductor; Kai Rautenberg, piano. Polydor 820 760-2; Decca NL 425 204-2. KURT WEILL SONGBOOK Der Zar liisst sich photographieren. Capriccio CD 10147; LP and Cassette 27121. KURT WEILL NEWSLE'ITER PAGE20 BOOKS Musik bei Brecht by The facts in the book do not always reflect traditional aesthetic of the individual work Joachim Lucchesi and Ronald K. the latest research. Brecht teamed to play rather than an operative philosophy of the guitar in 1912, as his brotherWalter told this arts. Brecht himself had a complex and Shull. Frankfurt am Main: reviewer, but not while at the university. differentiated way to observe and judge the Suhrkamp Verlag, 1988. 1082 The publication of "Hauspostille" failed not effect of music. This cannot be overlooked pp. because of the objectionof a shareholder, as in his commentary to ''Lled vom achten Friedemann Berger has proven. And it is Elefanten" (Mus 283.31) or the satirical song not at all clear whether Eisler really did not In the last several years, researchers too of the Bishop Cauchon (Text 253). (That write a review of Die Dreigroschenoper, pos­ have cometo realize how decisive the role of one text is in the music section and the other sibly, the review in the Rote Fahne of music has been in the development and 4 in the text section without any cross-refer­ September 1928 was written by him. The popularization of Brecht's works. With the ences illuminates a problem in the construc­ information about Brecht's knowledge of exception of John Willett, the first impulse tion of this volume.) Stravinsky is also imprecise: in 1939. Brecht for the investigation of this idea has not The authors' comprehension of the de­ compared the logistics of Piscatorrs stag­ come from Brecht research but from re­ tails ofBrecht's musical practice is wanting. ings to a Stravinsky score. This text is also For example, the collection of "lieder zur seatch dealing with Dessau, Eisler, and Weill. missing. Klampfe" is explained by the growing num­ Pioneering work in this area has been writ­ In an introductory essay, one can scarcely berof songs, but not by the growing_num ber ten by Fritz Hennenberg, Gerd Rienacker expect a complete treatment of the subject of collaborators. working in collectivity. If and David Drew. as well as the Munich Still, it is astonishing that in this comprehen­ Brecht had continued to sing bis songs alone publisher Helmut Kindler. who has edited sive work there is not one mention of the several books dealing with this subject (1977: and not in a group, he would not have put M. Wyss, Brecht in der Kritik. Resenzionen name MarcBlitzstein. At least Ronald Shull, together a bookletand could have continued who received his doctorate on the subject of aller Breclit-Uraufjuhrungen, mit verbinden­ to make do with mere musical sketches on ''Brecht and Music" at an American univer­ den Texten von H.Kindler; G. Wagner. Weill loose leaves. Also, in order to understand sity in 1985, should have known of this bis attitude toward music (for example, the und Brecht, 1980: R Sanders,Kttrt Weill; H. composer. Blitzstein was the most impor­ Jhering, Berl Brecht hat das z.iterariscl1e polemic against musical entertainment or Antlitz Deutsch/antis verandert. Gesammelte tant American composer-dramatist to carry opposition to musical pleasure), the authors on Brecht's musical-theatrical impulse. His Kritiken; 1985: A. Dlimling, Lasst euch nicht would have had to deal more thoroughly opera The Cradle Will Rock was inspired by verfiihren. Bree/it und die Musik) In 1984, with his writings. Seldom has a Brecht book the playwright and was, in fact, dedicated to the Brecht Conference in the German been published in which politics and history him. Blitzstein's adaptation of Die Dreigro­ plays such a secondary role. Democratic Republic's Brecht Center had as its motto "Brecht and Music." schenoper enabled its success in New York Thevalue ofthe book is in the chronologi­ All of this can be found in my 1985 book It is all the more surprising that the musi• cal catalogue. 1l1e collection of the 269 about Brecl,t, which Lucchesi and Shull have A.ussenmgen zur M1isik. which range in size cologist Joachim Lucchesi and the theater entirely ignored. Because other important specialist Ronald Shull describe the subject from a s ingle line to several pages, is hoped books that were published before 1986 - "Brecht and Music" as academic terra incog­ to be complete. A few unfamiliar texts from nita. They claim that, because oflimitations such as the lyrics volume to Jan Knopfs the Brecht Archive, for example the notes Brecht-Handbttclt, the Argument-Sonder­ in the method and scope of publications on the "Mahagonny" opera (No. 84ft) or No. band Hanns Eisler'', Reinhold Brinkmann's prior to May 1986, previous authors had not 99 ("Uber die gesellschaftliche Funktion Eisler essays, the "Lukullus" essay by Hans produced the definitive work - one which derMusik"),arequiteinteresting. Oneasks Mayer, Die1rich Stem's studies ofKurt Weill, would necessarily utilize as many sources as oneself, however, how "Jetzt spiele ich noch or the memoirs of Paula Banholzer - have possible. By devaluing their precedessors. Gitarre mit Hartmann" was included, while not been worked into this work. one can the authors raise expectations for their own Brecht's essential thoughts about the use of hardly call it a "comprehensive study." work. Is their book really the long-awaited Wagner in German fascism are omitted; comprehensive study? Despite these serious omissions. the fac­ instead. they are bidden in a footnote (p. 76). The introductory essay describes, with tual material in the introductory essay is for The chronological ordering of the texts is extensive reference to sources, Brecht's own the most part carefully researched. In ad­ particularly helpful because itbighlights the musical development and his cooperation vance of its publication, David Drew put the development of Brecht's process-oriented with composers. Still, Brecht's personal, as typescript of his Weill handbook at the dis­ thinking. Unfortunately, the discussion lacks well as pedagogical, cultural. and general posal of the authors. Interviews with con­ a thorough system of cross-references. Only political motivations arefor the most partl eft temporaries of Brecht have not brought any occasionally do the authors supply a brief significant new insights. Unfortunately, the out of the picture. Similarly, a discussion of commentary to previous observations and questions of genre - for example. the pro­ presentation of the material is not comple­ never to subsequent remarks. A subject gression in the generic structure from Lied mented by considerations arising from re­ index is also lacking. Therefore, for ex­ to operetta, and. finally, to Agitprop theater cent research on Brecht; on the contrary, ample, the only way to locate Brecht's and didactic play, or a critical discussion of one senses a certain intellectual distance thoughts aboutjazt is to scan the entire text; the works in the context of music history from such research. We learn that aestheti­ the related texts 161, 173. and 175 do not and musicallanguage-is nottobe found. In­ cally diverse types of music are found in the even refer to each other through cross-refer­ stead, thereisspecu1ation. For example, the playwright's works but not why.