Figure 1.--Germany was for four centuries the Europwan leader in the development of music. No country played a greater role than Germany and Bach, Bethoven, Brahms are at the heart of the Western musical tradition. Generartions of German boys like this boy in the 1930s learned to play musical instrumenys, often a family tradition. The NAZIs attempted to control German music, controling who could pursue music and the type of music produced. Suddenly after World War II, Germany role in the music world changed. Today music is important in music, but is mo longer at the heart of western music. We suspect that this is one of the many consequences of NAZI rule.

Hitler was convinced that he had refined artistic tastes. As a youth he tried to become an artist in Vienna. And as dictator of Germany he dabbled in the arts. Under NAZI rule, music had to meet certain certain standards defined as "good" German music. This was adminisdtered by the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber). The regime also suppressed individual artists and their works. The impact was to limit creativity, but because the German music tradition was so strong, it did not destroy creativity. A lot of people with moderate talents were able to get jobs in the industry if they were Party members. On the other hand, very gifted Jewish artists were not allowed to perform in public and their music supressed. This included the music of historic masters like Mendelssohn. Musicians who expressed anti-NAZI ideas were if not arrested not allowed to perform. Hitler determined that the three master composers upon who the work of modern composers should be judged were: Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. All three composers lived prior to the 20th century. Hitler in typical style actually identified himself with Beethoven as possessing the heroic German spirit. His favorite music was Wagerian operas and the Wagner family had great status in the Third Reich. Hitler hated jazz, considering in uncivilized. Here not on dischordent music was at play, but race. Jazz was created by Afro-Americans--the first truly American music form. The Gestapo was employed to root out jazz which many young people loved. There was alo He also like marshal music. I think I recall reading in Mein Kampf that Hitler wrote that the martial nature of the German people could be revived simply by the passing of a military band. As the Hitler Youth expanded and began to monoplize the time of youths, this affected the time available for children to learn musical instrucments. There were musical positions within the HJ, especially for drum and buggle players.

German Musical Tradition

Germany is perhaps more famed for music than any other country. Many of the most beloved classical compsers were German. The list is huge including Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Handel, Mendelson, Mozart, Strauss, and many other famed composers. Germany is a country of music. Not only has every sizable city an opera (Berlin has three opera houses) and a symphony orchestra, nearly every town has a brass band. It is wonderful to notice that many players in these bands are quite young. Then there are numerous choirs everywhere (no instruments required. except the human voice). There are now rock, pop, and metal bands or the more civilized dance orchestras. We are unsure just why the German musical tradition is unparalleled. Surely the education system is at least partially responsible. Hopefully our German readers will provide some insight here.

Adolf Hitler

Hitler was convinced that he had refined artistic tastes. As a youth he tried to become an artist in Vienna. And as dictator of Germany he dabbled in the arts. Hitler in typical style actually identified himself with Beethoven as possessing the heroic German spirit. His favorite music was Wagerian operas and the Wagner family had great status in the Third Reich.

Reichsmusikkammer

Under NAZI rule, music had to meet certain certain standards defined as "good" German music. This was adminisdtered by the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber). The regime also suppressed individual artists and their works. The impact was to limit creativity, but because the German music tradition was so strong, it did not destroy creativity. A lot of people with moderate talents were able to get jobs in the industry if they were Party members. On the other hand, very gifted Jewish artists were not allowed to perform in public and their music supressed. This included the music of historic masters like Mendelssohn. Musicians who expressed anti-NAZI ideas were if not arrested not allowed to perform. Hitler determined that the three master composers upon who the work of modern composers should be judged were: Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. All three composers lived prior to the 20th century.

Supression

The NAZI book burnings are well known. But music as well as books were supressed. Jewish musicians were fired and banned from performing publically. Their records were removed from record stores and no longer broadcast. A CIH reader has provided some information. "Many of the great German Wagnerian singers were Jewish and continued to perform during the early days of the Nazi regime. Many performed in the presence of Hitler. At one of the Bayreuth Festivals Hitler ordered Winnifred Wagner to get rid of Freidrich Schorr, a Jew who portrayed Wotan, head of the Nordic Gods. To her credit, she stood up to Hitler, saying that Schorr was irreplaceable. Even one of the Nazi newspapers lamented the fact that Schorr, a Jew was the greatest Wotan of the era. Eventually Schorr and many other Jewish singers fled the country. Many other non Jewish opera singers such as Lauritz Melchior and conductors such as Bruno Walther left Germany due to their opposition to Hitler. Kirsten Flagstad, one of the greatest Wagnerian sopranos, a Norwegian, went home during the War to be with her husband, a prominent industriallist. He had business dealings with the Nazis and after the War was considered a collaborator. Flagstad was invited to perform in Bayreuth during the War but refused. After the war she was not invited to sing at the Metropolitan Opera until 1951 even though she did not sing for the Nazis." Many other producers and directors would have like to stand up to the NAZIs. But they would have been fired or even arrested. And of course they had their families to consider. Winnifred Wagner was different. Short of treason, there was no way that Hitler would have taken any serious action against her. Rather Hitler publicized his association with the Wagner fmily part of establihing his cultural credetias. No other individuals in the art world were in the same position as the Wagner family. Paul Hindemith and Richasrd Strauss were two promimant compposers who struggled to continue working during the NAZI era. [Petropoulos] The music of Jewish composers was also supressed. One German composer who suffered under Hitler was Erwin Schullhoff (1894-1942) He composed and played Jazz in the early 20s when electric recording was first available. He wrote in a Jazz style. His style of music was classified by the NAZIs as 'Entartete (degenerate) Musik'. It was not considered 'German'. He did not manage to emigrate and like many other Jewish artists perished in the concentration camps. There is a movement in Germany today to recover and record these lost works. They include serious works such as operas, and well as the the modern music of the day. Another consequence of the campaign against Jews was that many talented muscicans fled Germany and the NAZIs. The long term consequences of this are still to be measured.

Music in in the Third Reich

A Dutch reader writes, "No matter what has been written and said about the sudden decline of German art during the Nazi area. the musical scene was an exception. Indeed, the great composer Felix Mendelssohn was Jewish and his music was 'verboten', but it is interesting to note that none of the super composers Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Wagner or Weber was Jewish. Actually they were blacklisted in 1917, making the American music hall performances a lot poorer. That did not happen in World War II, when on the contrary Beethoven's famous opening bars of his 5th symphony were used to start the newscasts in the USA as well as by the BBC. The German musical tradition is so enormous that it did not matter whether Mendelssohn or Mahler were performed or not. Many painters, sculptors and architects got into trouble with their work that was considered 'entartet' (degenerate), but music was something else. Jazz and popular music was not encouraged by the Nazis, but also here German composers and band leaders tried to come as close as they dared to their American examples. Musical life in Nazi Germany was flourishing and on a high level. Famous composers like Richard Strauss and Franz Lehar did not leave the country, also the conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler or Herbert von Karajan stayed. Every Sunday the Germans broadcasted a 'Wunschkonzert' (request program) from Berlin that was heard all over Europe throught during the War. I was a boy during the War. It was one of the few German programs we listened to during the occupation. These concerts with beloved opera singers like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Wilhelm Strienz were beautiful and heard by millions of listeners. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra kept playing while the Russians were entering the city." Another reader writes, "It is a mistaken belief that Germany turned into a musical desert after the Nazis came to power in 1933' A country with such an enormous musical tradition was not expected to be silenced overnight. Music was made, concerts were staged, operas performed ( until most of the great houses were destroyed during WW2) Not every composer or musician had left. Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf to name just a few of the most famous ones, stayed. Carl Orff composed his "Carmina Burana" in 1935, Strauss, Lehar, and many minor composers never stopped writing beautiful music. Even among some Nazis were talented music makers: the "Horst Wessel Lied" that the Nazis had attached to the national anthem was a stirring melody. The text was awful like all other Third Reich poems. Herbert von Karajan became music director of the Aachen Philharmonic Orchestra & Opera at a young age. As soon as possible the opera houses were rebuilt after 1945 and it is interesting to note that many young talented American singers went to those places to study in spite of all the hardships. Every Sunday the German National Radio would broadcast a classical concert, heard in all of occupied Europe (the Netherlands included). We listened, because most works were by the great German composers as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Händel, Schumann, Wagner, Weber, etc. There always were some "modern" compositions in the program, and popular music. Of course, contacts with the rest of the musical world was limited, but it had been a bigger problem during WW1 when music by German composers was "verboten" in the United States."

Jazz

Hitler hated jazz, considering in uncivilized. Here not on dischordent music was at play, but race. Jazz was created by Afro-Americans--the first truly American music form. By the time of the NAZIs, jazz had begun to enter the music main stream with boogie-woogie/swing variants. The Gestapo was employed to root out jazz which many young people loved. There is no doubt that Hitler captured the imagination of many German youth. The Hitler Youth was arguably the most successful youth movement of all time. Yet there were young people who opposed Hitler, both before and after the NAZI movement. And interestingly, jazz was often involved in their opposition. A Hollywoo\d film adressed this--Swing Kids.

Marshall Music

There was alo He also like marshal music. I think I recall reading in Mein Kampf that Hitler wrote that the martial nature of the German people could be revived simply by the passing of a military band. There were musical positions within the HJ, especially for drum and buggle players.

Music Instruction

One topic that interests me is to what extent the teaching of music was affected by the NAZI era. The campaign against the Jews much have affected the number of talented music teachers. And the HJ affected how children used their free time. As the Hitler Youth expanded and began to monoplize the time of youths, this must have affected the time available for children to learn musical instrucments. The values promoted by the HJ were much more physical than artistic. We wondered to what extent this may have affected traditional German values. There of course were always families that propted the phusical as opposed to the artistic, but before the NAZIs, these were values that were largely determinted and promoted by the family. Part of the puropse of the HJ was take control of young people away from the family. We know that they suceeded in many ways to mold the thinking of a generation of German youth. We wonder about the impact on music. The Hitler Youth did have a music component. HBC units often had drum and buggle corps. Other instruments were sometimes used. Some artistically inclined boys found the physical aspect of the HJ demanding and/or boring. They could sometimes avoid unpleasant activities through participation in musical activities.

NAZI Impact on German Music

I have it in my mind that the German role in the music world was much more important before the war than after the war. That is certainly the case of popular music. I can't say about classical music, I don't know enough about it. But it seems to me that before the War, German was the leading country in the War and since the War, Germany it just one of many countries with important music traditions. Because of my limited musical knowledge, this is more a question than a statement. We would be very interested in insights our readers more knowledgeable about music might have.

Creativity

Our belief is that there are huge costs to a society that sets out to discourage or limit creativity. This can be see in many areas, perhaps nowhere better than in science. You know this was the case in other areas, such as science. The German strength in science was shown in the development of futuristic weapons, cruise missiles, ballistic missile, poison gas of unprecedented lethality, etc. The reason of course is that they were using scientists who were trained in the imperial/Weimar era. Thee NAZIs lasted only 12 years, the long term impact I think would have been to weaken German science. This can partially be seen in the Nobel prize awards. Germans before the War dominated areas like chemistry and physics. Since the War, Germans have received awards, but Germany is no longer dominate. And think of the ground breaking science that has reshaped out modern world. How many innovations in electronics, transistors, computers, the internet, major new drugs, biopharma, ect. have come from Germany?

Sources

Petropoulos, Jonathan. Artists Under Hitler: Collaboration and Survival in Nazi Germany (2014). 424p.

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Created: 7:26 AM 8/13/2010
Last updated: 12:02 AM 10/23/2015