Angst

**Angst** means fear or anxiety (*anguish* is its Latinate equivalent, and *anxious,* *anxiety* are of similar origin). The word *angst* was introduced into English from the Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word *angst* and the Germanword *Angst*. It is attested since the 19th century in English translations of the works of Kierkegaard and Freud.[1][2][3] It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or inner turmoil.

In German, the technical terminology of psychology and philosophy distinguishes between *Angst* and *Furcht* in that *Furcht* is a negative anticipation regarding a concrete threat, while *Angst* is a non-directional and unmotivated emotion. In common language, however, *Angst* is the normal word for "fear", while *Furcht* is an elevated synonym.[4]

In other languages having the meaning of the Latin word *pavor* for "fear", the derived words differ in meaning, e.g. as in the French *anxiété* and *peur*. The word *Angst* has existed since the 8th century, from the Proto-Indo-European root *\*anghu-*, "restraint" from which Old High German *angust* developed.[5] It is pre-cognate with the Latin *angustia*, "tensity, tightness" and *angor*, "choking, clogging"; compare to the Ancient Greek ἄγχω (*ankho*) "strangle".

## Existentialism

In Existentialist philosophy the term *angst* carries a specific conceptual meaning. The use of the term was first attributed to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). In *The Concept of Anxiety* (also known as *The Concept of Dread*, depending on the translation), Kierkegaard used the word *Angest* (in common Danish, *angst*, meaning "dread" or "anxiety") to describe a profound and deep-seated condition. Where animals are guided solely by instinct, said Kierkegaard, human beings enjoy a freedom of choice that we find both appealing and terrifying.[5][6] Kierkegaard's concept of angst reappeared in the works of existentialist philosophers who followed, such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, each of whom developed the idea further in individual ways. While Kierkegaard's angst referred mainly to ambiguous feelings about moral freedom within a religious personal belief system, later existentialists discussed conflicts of personal principles, cultural norms, and existential despair.

## Music

Existential angst makes its appearance in classical musical composition in the early twentieth century as a result of both philosophical developments and as a reflection of the war-torn times. Notable composers whose works are often linked with the concept include Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss (operas *Elektra* and *Salome)*, Claude-Achille Debussy (opera *Pelleas et Melisande*, ballet *Jeux*, other works), Jean Sibelius (especially the Fourth Symphony), Arnold Schoenberg *(A Survivor from Warsaw*, other works), Alban Berg, Francis Poulenc (opera *Dialogues of the Carmelites*), Dmitri Shostakovich (opera *Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District*, symphonies and chamber music), Béla Bartók (opera *Bluebeard's Castle*, other works), and Krzysztof Penderecki (especially *Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima*).

Angst began to be discussed in reference to popular music in the mid- to late 1950s amid widespread concerns over international tensions and nuclear proliferation. Jeff Nuttall's book *Bomb Culture* (1968) traced angst in popular culture to Hiroshima. Dread was expressed in works of folk rock such as Bob Dylan's *Masters of War* (1963) and *A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall*. The term often makes an appearance in reference to punk rock, grunge, nu metal, and works of emo where expressions of melancholy, existential despair or nihilism predominate.