Six Songs appeared in the January 1942 edition of New Music, a quarterly journal devoted strictly to the publication of modern music. It was started by American composer Henry Cowell in 1927. Prior to this journal, there were very few outlets in which American composers could publish their works, because most publishing firms were reluctant to invest resources that would result in little or no financial gain. With the inauguration of New Music, American (and some European) composers were not only afforded an opportunity to publish modern works, but were guaranteed that their works would be distributed to the publication’s subscribers. As a result, composers now had a venue for sharing their compositional creations, as well an avenue for income, because any profits made were divided among the contributing composers. Among the composers who benefited by having works included in the issues of New Music were Ruth Crawford, Charles Ives, Wallingford Riegger, Carl Ruggles, and Virgil Thomson.

–Library of Congress