The Merry-Go-Round

The Merry-Go-Round by Carl Van Vechten spins a dazzling carousel of essays on music, theatre, and taste from the charged cultural moment after the Great War. Across sharp, witty pieces written for magazines of the day, Van Vechten mixes criticism, anecdote, and personal impression to probe what makes music modern—and what makes taste fashionable. He ranges from defenses of "bad taste" and portraits of singers and playwrights to lively reflections on American music, European composers, and the changing art of performance. Steeped in the post‑World War I debates about modernism, popular culture, and artistic authority, these short nonfiction essays reveal a critic who delights in overturning snobbery while championing new voices. Part cultural history, part music criticism and literary commentary, The Merry-Go-Round offers brisk, opinionated writing that illuminates early 20th‑century artistic life. Ideal for listeners who love essay collections, music lovers curious about historical perspectives, and readers of literary criticism, this audiobook rewards anyone interested in how art, society, and taste collided during a pivotal era.