muke. It is significant that in AlbannBerg’s Wozzeck, one of the more successfijlnatonal works, when the composer,ntowards the end, wishes to drawna musical moral from the operaticnproceedings, he drops the serial stylencompletely and writes in powerful,ntragic D minor.nIn a way, the achievement of thenmodern American Romantics is evennmore impressive than that of theirnEuropean predecessors. During then19th century, ethics was only in a statenof turmoil—in the present century, itnis practically extinct. For a composernto stick by the idea of music as a moralnforce is in these times an act of heroism.nRoy Harris was much ridiculednfor the high-flown descriptions he attachednto some of his works. Of hisnSeventh Symphony of 1955 he said:n”In this work I have hoped to communicatenthe spirit of affirmation as andeclaration of faith in Mankind.” Itnmay sound silly, but in an amoral age,nthe attachment of such ideas to anmusical work may indicate nothingnmore than a composer’s attempts tonkeep his artistic bearings—to keep innfocus his responsibility to prevent thendisintegration of the “art of arts” intonmere formulaic note-spinning.nIt is to their credit that the majornAmerican composers have upheld thatnresponsibility despite the enormousnpressure of critics and theorists tonabandon it; the best makers of modernnmusic have had the brains to ignorenmodern musical esthetics. This hasnbeen the case from Ives to the present,nwhich is why I consider the phrasen”New Romanticism” as superfluous.nThe music of George Rochberg,nDavid Del Tredici, and John Adams isnin the mainstream of our best modernncomposers, owing as much to Barbernand Hanson as to the “Old Romantics.”nThe thread of modern AmericannRomanticism has never really beennbroken. The very term “New Romanticism”nis in fact only a gimmick, annarthritic gesture on the part of critics tonattempt to convince listeners that somennew-old stuff has temporarily sup­nplanted the more historically importantnmusic of the serial school.nActually, Romanticism’s comingnout of the closet is one of the healthiestnsigns in American culture in years. Innthe end, the public will have thenmusic it wants, and what it wants isnRomanticism. The devotees of seriousnmusic, strangely enough, have nevernabandoned their need of Romanticnmusic as a moral guide in the modernnworld, which is why Beethoven,nBrahms, Wagner, and Verdi retainntheir central places in the standardnrepertoire.nI make no claims that the “NewnRomantics” are fully conscious of thenmoral meaning of music. The collapsenof ethics and esthetics has probablynadvanced too far for any immediatenrecognition of the vital philosophicalnpotency of music. The impulse towardsnRomanticism seems to be largelyna subconscious one at present.nDel Tredeci, while intentionallyngrounding his music in the Romanticncentury (specifically in Victorian En-nINTERNATIONALnCONSERVATIVE INSIGHTnstrategic, Political and Economic News & Conservative CommentarynThe INTERNATIONALnCONSERVATIVE INSIGHT hasnsubscribers in 22 foreignncountries. Our subscribersninclude Foreign Embassies,nMembers of Parliament, UnitednStates Congressmen and UnitednStates Senators, WesternnBusiness Leaders, Leadership innThe “INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATIVE INSIGHT”nISSN 0831-4268, is a bi-monthly publication containing the finest ofnanalysis of current international and national strategic, politicalnand economic issues. The INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATIVEnINSIGHT is an authoritative and comprehensivenconservative publication.nplease clipnEDITOR: William A.B. CampbellnI D Please send me a one year subscription for $25.00nI D I prefer a two year subscription (12 issues) for $40.00nn My cheque is enclosed (payable to The International Conservative Insight)nInInInInSignature .nName (Please Print) .nAddressnSuite/Apt. # .nProvince/State .nI City.nZip/Postal Code _nI Country D Please . send ICI information package to names that are attachednPLEASE SEND WITH REMITTANCE TO:nINTERNATIONAL CONSERVATIVE INSIGHTnBox 8200, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6B 4E8n3*^nnnin1nthe Clergy, Educators and thenMedia. Institutional Subscribersninclude the Canadian FederalnParliamentary Library, manynprovincial and state libraries,nmany public libraries andnprestigious public policyninstitutions.nJUNE 1987/49n