This Week in Classical Music: July 6, 2026. 250th Anniversary, Alex Ross, Gustav Mahler (and Henze will have to wait). Fourth of July two days ago was a momentous event: the US turned 250. Classical music came rather late to this country, which, in its early years, was much more concentrated on fighting wars, building itself up, absorbing new immigrants, and growing in every way possible. There were few prominent American composers in the 19th century and none of the caliber of the Europeans of that time. Louis Moreau Gottschalk was one of the earliest, but he spent much of his life overseas and was more famous as a pianist than a composer. Arthur Foote, Victor Herbert, and Edward MacDowell wrote some interesting music, and of course, Amy Beach. Charles Ives was probably the first world-class composer born in the US. While there was a dearth of native composers, by the mid-19th century civic society had organized itself to create an environment conducive to public music-making. The oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, was created in 1842. Many more followed closer to the end of the century: St. Louis Symphony in 1880, Boston Symphony a year later, then Detroit Symphony (1887), Chicago Symphony (1891), Cincinnati Symphony (1895), Pittsburgh Symphony (1895), and Philadelphia Symphony in 1900. By the 20th century, the US, and New York in particular, became central to classical music. It was also a haven for musicians and composers fleeing turmoil in Europe, first the Russian Revolution of 1917, and then the Nazi takeover of Germany. We’re not going to recount the history of 20th-century music in America; suffice it to say, it was brilliant.
We’re afraid things are not as auspicious these days. Even though there’s a plethora of very talented musicians, classical music itself is in decline. The distance between the days when hundreds of thousands of pianos were sold every year to today, when sales of acoustic pianos are less than 1,800, is enormous. But it’s the loss of place in our culture that classical music has suffered in the last several decades, a loss that accelerated since 2020. It is a most consequential development, and this brings us to Alex Ross. Till last week, Ross was the music critic of The New Yorker magazine, probably the best music critic in the country, and clearly, the most famous one, especially now that the New York Times doesn’t have a permanent classical music critic on staff. Ross resigned his position on June 29th, citing his desire to stay closer to home (he lives in LA). He’ll continue with the magazine, writing about other cultural matters. Unfortunately, we don’t buy Rr. Ross’s explanation. We think that if he felt that his writings were still relevant, that they’re needed, he would’ve stayed. This is no longer the case. There was a time when musical events were displayed on the front page of the NY Times. Today, even the best concerts don’t register. We’ve written about the decline of classical music many times and shouldn’t beat a dead horse, but Alex Ross’s resignation is highly symbolic. It closes a chapter.
Gustav Mahler, who was born on July 7th of 1860, is one of the greatest and most consequential composers in the history of music. For no fault of his own, he also became one of the most politicized figures. During the epidemic of wokeness/DEI that took over the country in 2020, his music practically disappeared from stage and radio waves. In a sign that wokeness is on a descent, his music reappeared and is being played again. Why Mahler’s music turned into such a litmus test is a mystery to us. Not that it was attacked directly, while even Beethoven himself was, but there’s something in his music that is incompatible with the woke establishment’s taste and perception.
If you want to listen to some of his music, please browse our library.
US 250, Ross, Mahler_2026
This Week in Classical Music: July 6, 2026. 250th Anniversary, Alex Ross, Gustav Mahler (and Henze will have to wait). Fourth of July two days ago was a momentous event: the US
turned 250. Classical music came rather late to this country, which, in its early years, was much more concentrated on fighting wars, building itself up, absorbing new immigrants, and growing in every way possible. There were few prominent American composers in the 19th century and none of the caliber of the Europeans of that time. Louis Moreau Gottschalk was one of the earliest, but he spent much of his life overseas and was more famous as a pianist than a composer. Arthur Foote, Victor Herbert, and Edward MacDowell wrote some interesting music, and of course, Amy Beach. Charles Ives was probably the first world-class composer born in the US. While there was a dearth of native composers, by the mid-19th century civic society had organized itself to create an environment conducive to public music-making. The oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, was created in 1842. Many more followed closer to the end of the century: St. Louis Symphony in 1880, Boston Symphony a year later, then Detroit Symphony (1887), Chicago Symphony (1891), Cincinnati Symphony (1895), Pittsburgh Symphony (1895), and Philadelphia Symphony in 1900. By the 20th century, the US, and New York in particular, became central to classical music. It was also a haven for musicians and composers fleeing turmoil in Europe, first the Russian Revolution of 1917, and then the Nazi takeover of Germany. We’re not going to recount the history of 20th-century music in America; suffice it to say, it was brilliant.
We’re afraid things are not as auspicious these days. Even though there’s a plethora of very talented musicians, classical music itself is in decline. The distance between the days when hundreds of thousands of pianos were sold every year to today, when sales of acoustic pianos are less than 1,800, is enormous. But it’s the loss of place in our culture that classical music has suffered in the last several decades, a loss that accelerated since 2020. It is a most consequential development, and this brings us to Alex Ross. Till last week, Ross was the music critic of The New Yorker magazine, probably the best music critic in the country, and clearly, the most famous one, especially now that the New York Times doesn’t have a permanent classical music critic on staff. Ross resigned his position on June 29th, citing his desire to stay closer to home (he lives in LA). He’ll continue with the magazine, writing about other cultural matters. Unfortunately, we don’t buy Rr. Ross’s explanation. We think that if he felt that his writings were still relevant, that they’re needed, he would’ve stayed. This is no longer the case. There was a time when musical events were displayed on the front page of the NY Times.
Today, even the best concerts don’t register. We’ve written about the decline of classical music many times and shouldn’t beat a dead horse, but Alex Ross’s resignation is highly symbolic. It closes a chapter.
Gustav Mahler, who was born on July 7th of 1860, is one of the greatest and most consequential composers in the history of music. For no fault of his own, he also became one of the most politicized figures. During the epidemic of wokeness/DEI that took over the country in 2020, his music practically disappeared from stage and radio waves. In a sign that wokeness is on a descent, his music reappeared and is being played again. Why Mahler’s music turned into such a litmus test is a mystery to us. Not that it was attacked directly, while even Beethoven himself was, but there’s something in his music that is incompatible with the woke establishment’s taste and perception.
If you want to listen to some of his music, please browse our library.