Out of tune: The rise and fall of modernistic music in Brussels, 1919-1939

► Research on new genres often studies successful genres and overlooks how broader ideological processes shape their rise. ► We argue that genres characterized by fragmentation lose appeal and that ideological contention resulting from the rise of nationalism exacerbates the effect of genre fragmentation. ► We study modernistic music in Brussels in the inter-war period and find support for both arguments.