From musical folklore to twelve-tone technique

"The memoirs of the Russian-born German composer Georg von Albrecht (born in Kasan, Russia, 1891, and died in Heidelberg, Germany, 1976) are important documents of twentieth-century musical history. Dictated to his son, Michael von Albrecht, and first published in German, von Albrecht's autobiography recounts his dramatic experiences during the 1917 Russian revolution and the Nazi terror. "His reports of encounters with such composers as Taneyev, Glazunov, Scriabin, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Frommel, and David, and his thorough discussion of tonal systems and compositional methods reflect the approach and critical response to many procedures typical of music of the era. "His analyses also shed light on the works of other composers and the development of modern and postmodern compositional strategies. Translated by Michael von Albrecht and Francis R. Schwartz and edited by Elliott Antokoletz, these memoirs offer English-speaking readers a firsthand account of some of the most dynamic political, social, and musical developments in twentieth-century Europe."--Jacket.