Between the Wars

The appreciation of the works of Franz Schmidt (1874 Bratislava/Slovakia - 1939 Perchtoldsdorf/Lower Austria) was adversely affected by his participation in an unfinished omposition that was ordered by the Nazis. Schmidt worked as a musician with Mahler, was a teacher, rector and adversary of the Avantgarde. Nevertheless stylistic quotes in his Buch mit 7 Siegeln (Book with 7 Seals)(1937) show that he was open to contemporary music and could write in a modern style. His use of trombones to illustrate the Last Judgement (Example) shows his individual approach to non-musical contents. (M. Saary)