Musicologica Austriaca (Nov 2022)
The Musikpädagogische Zeitschrift and its Supplement Modernes Musikleben (1912–20): Early Publication and Advertising Strategies of the Music Publisher Universal-Edition
Abstract
Music journals serve multiple purposes and parties. The Musikpädagogische Zeitschrift (Music Pedagogical Journal; 1911–27) was the official organ of the “Österreichischer Musikpädagogischer Verband” (Austrian Music Pedagogical Association) and is an important source book on Austrian and Viennese musical life, concert life, and, in particular, teaching and association life. This article focuses on volumes 2–10 (1912–20), in which the journal was issued by the Viennese music publisher Universal-Edition (UE): in a permanent “supplement” to the journal, entitled Modernes Musikleben (Modern Music Life), the publisher seized the opportunity to create a public forum for its newest division—“modern music.” This part of the journal is closely examined and highlighted as an example of the corporate communication, marketing, and advertising strategies of an ambitious and expanding company working on its profile and building up a portfolio. Besides UE’s managing director Emil Hertzka (1869–1932), another important figure of this early period is introduced for the first time: the UE employee Hugo Robert Fleischmann (1886–1942), who edited and was largely responsible for the content of the “supplement.” Fleischmann subsequently continued his work as a copywriter and advertising expert, placing him at the intersection of the publishing and the emerging advertising industries. With Musikblätter des Anbruch (later: Anbruch), founded in 1919, UE created its own sophisticated “house journal,” whose international influence drew upon the lessons learned from its little-known predecessor. An appendix indexes all 44 composer portraits printed in Modernes Musikleben.
