“This insightful book is clearly organized and elegantly written. . . . Engaging, authoritative . . . poised to become required reading for all historians and musicologists interested in cultural rebirth amidst the postwar ruins of occupied Germany.” — American Studies
“This important book has provided a framework and a methodology that will help to guide others.” — European History Quarterly
“Offers a long-awaited analysis of the American Military Government’s precarious navigation in the music world. . . . Highly readable and engaging history.” — Central European History
“Settling Scores is a thorough and valuable work that complicates the existing picture of the early years of American influence on the musical world of postwar Germany.” — Current Musicology
“Monod thoughtfully addresses the seemingly contradictory situation of overall policy failure with grassroots success and unexpected levels of Americanization and democratization. Overall, the book is written with genuine understanding of the place of music in German society, and adds a useful cultural dimension to the current body of literature of postwar Germany.” — CHOICE
“Settling Scores is a remarkable book. It is one of the best works on the cultural history of the American occupation of Germany, reflecting an exceptional understanding for the policy processes of the U.S. military government. It is thoughtful, incisive, and wise in its treatment of the sensitive question of the responsibility of German musicians for their response to the Nazi state. A brilliant achievement!” — Thomas Alan Schwartz, Vanderbilt University
“David Monod’s study of American efforts to regulate and revive German musical life after 1945 gives us a satisfyingly complex view of what he calls 'one of the more peculiar elements in Germany’s post-war military administration.' He provides important insight into such broad issues as how culture contributes to political legitimacy and how, in turn, cultural life changes in periods of major political crisis. His analysis of why denazification couldn’t and didn’t really work illuminates the whole course of post-war musical development in the west.” — Celia Applegate, University of Rochester
