Melissa D. Burrage

2020 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS BOOK AWARD (IPPY) for U.S. HISTORY.

2020 CHARLES A. HILDEBRANDT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES, the Cohen Center For Holocaust And Genocide Studies.

2019 BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC BOOK RELEASE by Classical-music.com, the official website of BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE.

2019 SUMMER READS ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC by the ABC--AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION.

2019 BEST BOOK AWARD finalist in both the History and Performing Arts categories, sponsored by AMERICAN BOOK FEST.

2019 SUBVENTION AWARD by the AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM:

Alex Ross, critic for THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE, (July 2019) called her book: “commendably even-handed in its treatment of Muck, declining to make an innocent victim of him.” He writes: “It’s a wonderful book, a very rich addition not only to the literature on American music and the war but also to Boston musical history. I learned much!”

Kate Wakeling, critic at BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE writes (September 2019): “This incisive, powerful book is not so much a biography as a broader cultural history…Burrage situates Muck as a ‘prism’ through which to examine the shadow of prejudice, paranoia and reckless journalism that engulfed cultural relations in America during World War I. The resulting work is an exemplary piece of scholarship. It is painstakingly written, offering a compelling (and terrifyingly relevant) discussion of the power-play between culture, politics and the darker forces of humanity.” FIVE STARS.

Don O'Connor, critic at AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE writes (January 2020): "[A] thoroughly researched and excellent book....Well illustrated and thoroughly footnoted with an excellent, comprehensive bibliography, sparing no details of one of the shabbiest farces in our cultural history."

R.C. Speck, critic at QUARTER NOTES MAGAZINE at WCPE Classical Music Radio (December 2019) writes: "Fans of classical music like to think that music can transcend politics. After all, music is the language of beauty that crosses borders and cultures....Sadly, classical music can be a creature of politics as well, as Melissa Burrage reveals in her absorbing history.... Sad story evocatively told."

THE BOOK WAS FAVORABLY SUMMARIZED IN:

LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE/Australia by Clive Paget (August 2019)

DOPPIOZERO/Italy by Corrado Antonini (August 2019)

ACADEMIC REVIEWS:

Petra DeWitt, professor of History and Social Sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology, reviewer for HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES NETWORK (H-Net) says: "The Karl Muck Scandal makes an important contribution to the scholarly debate over the degree of patriotism in the US during World War I....As Burrage expertly explains, the social and sexual climate in America, especially the shame associated with publicized deviant behavior, assured that the accused selected internment for the remainder of the war...Burrage conducted extensive research in archives, conservatory collections, newspapers, the papers of persons involved in the events, and the appropriate secondary sources. Consequently, the author has created a work that is much more than an examination of the unfair treatment of German speakers during World War I. It is a history of music at the turn of the twentieth century; it is a study of competing interpretations of the American way of life; it is an indictment of governmental overreach; and it is a story about intrigue and sexual misconduct during a time of social change. As such, it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in American society during the World War I era, including undergraduates studying the early twentieth century."

Chris Capozzola, professor of history at MIT raved that “The Karl Muck Scandal goes behind the front page to explain one of World War I’s most remarkable events. Melissa Burrage draws on intensive research and careful listening while always keeping the human element in view. An immigrant in a new land, contests over loyalty and patriotism, fear, surveillance, and incarceration, this is not only the story of a single musician, but also a crucial chapter in the story of America itself.”

William Weber, professor emeritus at California State University, writes that Burrage “effectively confronts … a variety of major issues—nationalism, anti-Semitism, sexual morality, and Nazism… Drawing on impressive archival and published sources, Burrage moves smoothly between the musical world and national politics, showing how deeply public opinion became inflamed in new ways in the early decades of the twentieth century.”

S. Andrew Granade, professor of musicology at the University of Missouri-Kansas writes, “I find Burrage’s book to be a provocative, well-researched and carefully argued contribution to the literature on American musical life, the impact of World War I on the American cultural scene, and issues of nationalism and identity in the early twentieth century. The Karl Muck Scandal is admirably evenhanded, presenting a complex portrait of Dr. Muck that stands as one of the book’s best features. It will become a new point of departure for future scholars working on the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its conductor.”

Christopher Huggard, professor of history at North West Arkansas Community College write: Burrage’s book is “scintillating” and a “must read for social justice advocates…Muck’s personal response to his unjust incarceration is compelling, and when he conducted his orchestra in jail, in the buff, he revealed his righteous indignation. Great book!”

BOOK LAUNCH:

Harvard Coop, Cambridge, MA June 2019

PLEASE SEE THESE ARTICLES WRITTEN BY MELISSA:

https://www.melissadburrage.com/new-blog/some-thoughts-on-the-spanish-flu-and-the-coronavirus

https://www.melissadburrage.com/new-blog/karl-mucks-nude-performance-of-beethovens-eroica-symphony-no-3-in-e-flat-major

https://www.melissadburrage.com/new-blog/karl-muck-in-1919-america-1

Please SEE MELISSA'S WEBSITE AT: https://www.melissadburrage.com/