Review : Richard Taruskin ' s The Oxford History of Western Musi c 1 Part 1

Among the most persistent criticisms of Modernist music since the dawn of the twentieth century has been its failure to win "the audience," i.e., the traditional audience for concert music. The implication is that it has failed to enter the standard concert repertoire of symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and the like. Justifications of Schoenberg's music by his students usually focused on the connection of his work to the great Classical tradition, with the implied or stated promise that eventually––despite the difficulties it presented to contemporary listeners––it would be understood by future audiences and recognized as part of the Classical pantheon.