The Fredösphere

Well, I was trying to be smart and crack a joke on Friday, and I realized belatedly that I may have sounded more negative than I intended about someone's opinion.

The blogger at Promethean Antagonist links atonality with nihilism, and offers Stockhausen as an example.  He could have also mentioned the events surrounding Schoenberg's decision to abandon tonality (his wife's infidelity).  On the other hand, he could have tried to explain what was going on with people like Webern or Boulez:  were they nihilists too?  Or was mere cultural boredom to blame in some cases?  (Or is that a species of nihilism?)  How could Boulez have ever dreamed that atonal music would ever become popular?  (Considering some of movie scores being written today, can we say for sure that it didn't?)

I guess I can't blame Promethean Antagonist for not answering all these questions in one post; heck, I'm not going to do it.  He's right that things went seriously south there for a while in the second part of the 20th century.  And any day he wants to pick on Stockhausen, I say, go right ahead.