BERTOLT BRECHT AND MUSIC: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY

The works of Bertolt Brecht (1889-1956) have certainly not suffered from a lack of scholarly attention during the past twenty-five years, while Brecht's involvement with music--as exemplified by his collaborations with Weill, Hindemith, Eisler, and Dessau (among others)--is by now a well-known fact to observers of twentieth-century German literature and culture. Nevertheless, a thorough and systematic investigation of Brecht's relationship to music has not previously been undertaken. The aim of this dissertation is to close that gap in Brecht research by examining Brecht's association with music and musicians in chronological fashion, beginning with (1) his childhood and student years in Augsburg and Munich (1898-1924), and subsequently considering (2) his work in Berlin, participation in the Baden-Baden Chamber Music Festivals, and involvement in the workers' music movement (1924-1933); (3) the exile years in France, Scandanavia, and the United States (1933-1947); and (4) his return to Europe and contribution to the cultural development of the GDR (1947-1956). Through an extensive investigation and correlation of primary and secondary sources, a complex and differentiated image of Brecht's relationship to music--including his attitudes toward various styles, traditions, and composers--is presented, establishing firmly that music was an essential component of Brecht's creative personality from early on in his life, and therefore a central factor in his overall artistic-intellectual development. In addition, particular attention is devoted in this study to previously neglected or recently discovered aspects of Brecht's involvement with music, including his work with Franz S. Bruinier in the mid-1920's and views concerning the function of music in film and radio. The concluding section of the dissertation offers an assessment of the significance of Brecht's musical thought and activities within the specific context of Marxian-socialist musical philosophy and aesthetics (Adorno, Eisler, Zhdanov) as well as twentieth century musical culture in general, underscoring the necessity for an interdisciplinary approach on the basis of historical-sociological criticism for a comprehensive understanding of Brecht's importance as a major cultural--not just literary--figure.