The Fractured Self: Selected German Letters of the Australian-born Violinist Alma Moodie, 1918–1943

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Diana K. Weekes Kay Dreyfus

The Fractured Self

Selected German Letters of the Australian-born Violinist Alma Moodie, 1918–1943

Diana K. Weekes, Kay Dreyfus, Diana K Weekes

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English

Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
31 August 2021

String instruments

Alma Moodie’s letters from 1918 to 1943 span two of the most tumultuous decades of modern German history. They document the responses of an individual professional musician to the vicissitudes of her public and private life: the challenges of post-war economic and political instability in the Weimar Republic, the impact of the Great Depression, the exclusionist cultural policies of the Third Reich and the perils of war.

Australian-born, Moodie gives voice to the vulnerabilities of her position, living alone and constantly on tour as an unaccompanied, female virtuoso. She describes the profound satisfactions of her career triumphs, the joys and tensions of her marriage and her deep love for her children. Weaving through the narrative is the miracle of her ability as a virtuoso violinist, an ability that commanded the admiration and respect of many of the leading cultural figures of the day. Famous conductors, prominent musicians, contemporary composers, writers and art connoisseurs all fell under the spell of her sensational playing and lively personality.

Originally written in three languages, the letters are made available here for the first time in English translation. Extensive annotations place the letters in their historical context while short essays by specialists in their fields reflect on particular themes.

Edited by: Kay Dreyfus
Translated by: Diana K. Weekes
Other: Diana K Weekes
Imprint: Peter Lang International Academic Publishers
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 34mm
Weight: 955g
ISBN: 9781800790216
ISBN 10: 180079021X
Pages: 642
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Contents: The Letters – Starting Over 1918– 1923 Letters 1–46 – Complications and Resolutions 1924– 1928 Letters 47–148 – Years of Crisis and Fulfilment 1929– 1932 Letters 149–185 – Uneasy Accommodations 1933– 1938 Letters 186–231 – War and Death 1939– 1943 Letters 232–268 – Addenda: Letters 269–270 – Reflections – Eduard Erdmann: Einige Erinnerungen an Alma Moodies Künstlerschaft [Some Memories of Alma Moodie’s Artistry] – Goetz Richter: On the Higher Values of Artistic Personality: Alma Moodie’s Path in Response to Carl Flesch – Birgit Saak (Transl. Diana K. Weekes): Alma Moodie as Eduard Erdmann’s Chamber Music Partner – Peter Tregear: Moodie and Krenek: Challenging Ernst’s Ernestness – Michael Haas: Alma Moodie and the Third Reich – Endnotes.

The Editor: Kay Dreyfus is an Associate Research Fellow in the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (SOPHIS) at Monash University. Her background is in musicology and history and she holds doctorates in both areas. She has previously published an English-language biographical study of Alma Moodie, Bluebeard’s Bride: Alma Moodie, violinist (Lyrebird Press, 2013). The Translator: An honours arts graduate from the University of Melbourne, Diana K. Weekes studied musicology at Munich University before completing her Meisterklassendiplom in solo performance at the Hochschule für Musik. In 2007 she graduated with a PhD in composition from the University of Adelaide. She recently translated Albrecht Dümling’s The Vanished Musicians (Peter Lang, 2016).

Reviews for The Fractured Self: Selected German Letters of the Australian-born Violinist Alma Moodie, 1918–1943

This fascinating and meticulously annotated collection of letters from the Australian-born violinist Alma Moodie is an invaluable resource for those wishing to gain greater insights into the turbulent musical life of Germany's Weimar Republic and Third Reich. (Professor Erik Levi, Royal Holloway, University of London, author of Music in the Third Reich and Mozart and the Nazis) Vividly engaging, sharply observant, heartfelt, tragic and often witty ... Alma Moodie's letters bring to new life her struggle with choices, challenges and opportunities. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the life and artistic career of a great, unique violinist in the vortex of the twentieth century. (Professor Emeritus Ulf Hoelscher, Hochschule fur Musik Karlsruhe, leading German violin soloist, chamber musician and recording artist)