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About this book

The book, "A Tonally Well-Organized Society or Anarchy? Aesthetical and Social Aspects on Swedish Art Music 1945–1960", is a study of the intellectual history of Swedish art music which focuses on discourses and debates between 1945 and 1960, and analyzes the relationship between collectivism and tonality on one hand, and individualism and atonality on the other. ”The Tonally Well-Organized Society” implies that it is traditional art music which is ”modern”, rather than the atonal modernistic music. Arvidson breaks with a specific music historical narrative, i.e. it breaks with the traditional chronological-historical narrative, and focus instead on historical contingencies (a discourse-centered narrative) in order to uncover aspects of Swedish art music history that otherwise wouldn't be possible. The book is the first one to get a grip on a rather infected period on Swedish art music due to the fact that certain musicologist that previously has written on the subject matter shared some non unchallenged values and views with some actors (composers) in that same period. The book is well written and is a must for those interesting not only in Swedish art music, but also in subject matters regarding historical narrativity.