Music,Dance,Theater

The first half of 20th century saw a split between German and Austrian music. Arnold Schoenberg  moved along an increasingly avant-garde path, pioneering atonal music in 1909 and twelve tone music in 1923. Composers in Berlin took a more populist route, from the cabaret-like socialist operas of Kurt Weill. 

Many composers emigrated to the United States when the Nazi Party came to power, including Schoenberg, Hindemith, and Erich. During this period, the Nazi Party embarked on a campaign to rid Germany of so-called degenerate art, which became a catch-all phrase that included music with any link to Jews, Communists, jazz, and anything else thought to be dangerous. Some figures such as Karl Amadeus Hartmann remained defiantly in Germany during the years of Nazi dominance, continually watchful of how their output might be interpreted by the authorities.