Neue Sachlichkeit
Definition
New Objectivity. The aesthetic movement that emerged in Weimar Germany in the early 1920s as a reaction against the excesses of Expressionism. In music, it prized clarity, irony, economy of means, and references to popular dance forms (jazz, ragtime, foxtrot), deliberately replacing Romantic sentiment with cool precision. Hindemith's Suite \"1922\" is its defining piano document.
Interpretive Guidance
Approach Neue Sachlichkeit music with intellectual clarity and rhythmic precision rather than expressive warmth. The irony is structural, not theatrical — underplay it rather than oversell it. When Hindemith provides satirical performance instructions (e.g. \"disregard what you have learned at school\"), follow the underlying rhythmic character, not a random caricature.