Fall 2004, M 510 Section 8882,  MWF 11:15 – 12:05, Room MA 452,
Instructor:  Dr. Joanna Biermann

Music in Germany During the Third Reich

Course Description:

A time of unprecedented musical experimentation following Germany's
defeat in WW I was brought to an abrupt halt with the Nazi takeover
of power in 1933, when nationalistic, racist and chauvinistic
elements which had been present for decades took the helm. Some of
the topics this course will look at include the varieties of
musical "Modernism" which were competing with each other in the 20s,
as well as the countervalent trends which ultimately won out. The
Nazi takeover of institutions (and the creation of new ones) is
examined. The diverse aesthetic goals and possible models which were
posited as fitting the new music for the "new German" form a central
part of this course as does the question of what is "German" in
music. But not just the claimed aesthetic goals, but also the actual
uses to which the Nazi rulers put music, their instrumentalization of
art for purposes of mobilizing and molding the "Volk"
can be seen in compositions and in films of the time. This included
the use of folk music and the attempted co-opting of composers of the
past such as Beethoven.  Richard Wagner’s posthumous role in Nazi
musical aesthetics and politics will be examined in depth, and we
will have the privilege of a visit to class by Wagner’s great-
grandson, Gottfried Wagner.  The niches which were to be found in
this not-so-monolithic system, which allowed some unwanted persons to
still be active and unwanted repertory to survive are discovered.
What trying to live within the new system meant musically and
personally is exemplified by three case histories: Richard Strauss,
Wilhelm Furtwängler and Paul Hindemith. Living parallel to the
system, as was the case with the Jüdische Kulturbund (Jewish Cultural
League), and living outside the system, in either internal or
external exile, and in the concentration camps will also be studied.