Not only was Karl Muck dealing with oppressive changes in Boston's public spaces as the country prepared for war, but he was living in a hostile period, as animosity increased toward people of German ancestry in the United States. Trying to do his job and not attract negative attention, Muck hoped that he would get through the war unscathed. His luck would not hold out, however. He became caught in the middle of a rivalry between Boston and New York that would have grave consequences for his future, bringing him into the spotlight at a time when Germans in America needed to keep a low profile. For many decades before the war, Boston's upper classes had embraced German high culture. During the war, however, certain members of New York's elite society railed against that German foundational basis in Boston. Muck found himself in the middle of that conflict. His downfall can tell us something about the way American culture was changing during World War I. History turned on this moment.

Karl Muck and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Envy of New York

Muck was considered one of the finest conductors in the world by the European musical community. He was highly prized by symphonies in US cities, especially New York, that wanted to advance their reputations on the global stage. In 1898, while still in Germany and prior to his initial assignment in Boston, Muck had been offered the lucrative position of conductor of the New York Metropolitan Opera Company for a yearly salary of $27,000, a substantial sum that Muck refused. Opera in New York was a fashionable entertainment form backed by wealthy patrons. German dramatic works, composed by Wagner and conducted by members of the Wagner family's inner circle that included Karl Muck, were particularly coveted. Between 1893 and 1918, the Met gave 3,500 performances of Wagner operas.3 Despite the Met's persistence, the illustrious conductor was drawn to the relatively quiet and intellectual city of Boston.

There are several reasons why Muck chose Boston over New York at the turn of the twentieth century. High culture at that time was more established in Boston. Perhaps in part because of its small size, Boston was committed to classical music and took it very seriously. New York's cultural ascendancy came later, following a different trajectory.