Opera for a New Republic: The Zeitopern of Krenek, Weill, and Hindemith

Weimar Germany – the age of Bauhaus and Brecht – was a time of significant activity in all areas of the artistic avant-garde. Musicologist Susan Cook explores this intriguing period in a look at Zeitoper (topical opera)and its primary exponents, Ernst Krenek, Kurt Weill and Paul Hindemith. Zeitoper has proved to be of importance as an experimental form that broadened the definition of modern opera and musical theatre, incorporating elements previously thought unsuitable. Celebrating modern life in its libretti, its scores borrowed heavily from American dance music and jazz.

Opera for a New Republic is the first book to provide a broad historical,cultural and artistic context for the development of this operatic genre. Through it we learn that Zeitoper, although short-lived, has proved to be a vital component in the development of twentieth-century operatic style.

Susan Cook is Professor of Musicology at the University of Wisconsin.