The book publishes the works of one of the founders of the sociology of music, Theodor W. Adorno (1902-1969), a major German philosopher and sociologist who spent many years in exile in America (“Introduction to the Sociology of Music. Twelve Theoretical Lectures,” “Anton von Webern", "Musical Moments"). An outstanding music critic, who listened sensitively to the development of music of modern times, the music of the 20th century, who said a significant and new word about the ways of its development, its insights and justification in the face of a tragic era, Adorno also foresees the dangers inherent in its depths, in its search for a way out of the limits of the possible... Thomas Mann used Theodor Adorno’s advice when creating the “book of pain,” the tragic novel “Doctor Faustus.” The volume also includes four articles by the first Russian researcher of Adorno’s work, a researcher of the deep and subtle, Alexander Viktorovich Mikhailov (1938-1995), who believed Adorno “a musical critic of extraordinary, grandiose proportions.” The book is interesting and accessible not only to specialists, but also to a wide range of readers interested in the problems of modern European culture. (c) S.Ya. Leviticus, compilation of the series, 1999 (c) M.I. Levin, translation, 1999 (c) A.V. Mikhailov, translation, 1999 (c) University book, 1999ISBN 5-7914-0041-1