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Forms of German music include Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW),
krautrock, hamburger schule, volksmusic, German hip hop, Schlager
and multiple varieties of folk music. Classical composers
include Richard Wagner and Johann Sebastian Bach, while Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart was among many opera composers who created
the field of German opera.
The beginning of what is now considered German music could
be traced back to the 12th century compositions of mystic
abbess Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote a variety of hymns and
other kinds of Christian music.
Minnesingers and meistersingers
After Latin-language religious music had dominated for centuries,
in the 12th century to the 14th centuries, minnesingers (love
poets), singing in German, spread across Germany. Minnesingers
were aristocrats travelling from court to court who had become
musicians, and their work left behind a vast body of literature,
Minnelied. The following two centuries saw the minnesingers
replaced by middle-class meistersingers, who were often master
craftsmen in their main profession, whose music (meistergesang)
was much more formalized and rule-based than that of the minnesingers.
Minnesingers and meistersingers could be considered parallels
of French troubadours and trouvères.
Among the minnesingers, Hermann, a monk from Salzburg, deserves
special note. He incorporated folk styles from the Alpine
regions in his compositions. He made some primitive forays
into polyphony as well. Walther von der Vogelweide and Reinmar
von Hagenau are probably the most famous minnesingers from
this period.
Classical music: 16th century to the present
At the beginning of the 15th century, German classical music
was revolutionized by a man named Oswald von Wolkenstein.
Wolkenstein travelled across Europe learning about classical
traditions, spending time in countries like France and Italy.
He brought back some techniques and styles to his homeland,
and within a hundred years, Germany had begun producing composers
renowned across the continent. Among the first of these composers
was the organist Conrad Paumann.
Chorale
Beginning in the 16th century, polyphony, or the intertwining
of multiple melodies, arrived in Germany. Protestant chorales
predominated; in contrast to Catholic music, chorale was vibrant
and energetic. Composers included Martin Luther, leader of
the Protestant Reformation, as well as Dietrich Buxtehude
and Heinrich Schütz.
Opera
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute (1791) is usually
said to be the beginning of German opera, which was further
advanced in the 19th century by composers like Ludwig von
Beethoven and Richard Wagner.
An earlier starting date for German opera, however, could
be Heinrich Schütz's Dafne from 1627. Schütz is
said to be the first great German composer before Johann Sebastian
Bach, and was a major figure in 17th century music.
Baroque Period
Baroque music, which was the first music to use tonality in
the modern sense, is also known for its ornamentation and
artistic use of counterpoint. It originated in Northern Italy
at the end of the 16th century, and the style migrated quickly
to Germany, which was one of the most active centers of early
Baroque music. Early German Baroque composers included Heinrich
Schütz, Michael Praetorius, Johann Schein, and Samuel
Scheidt. The culmination of the Baroque era was undoubtedly
in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach in the first half of
the 18th century. Bach wrote numerous Baroque works, including
preludes, cantatas, fugues, concertos for keyboard, violin
and wind, orchestral suites, the Brandenburg Concertos, The
Passion of St. Matthew, The Passion of St. John and the Christmas
Oratorio. Bach's contemporaries included Georg Philipp Telemann
and George Frideric Handel, the latter best known for the
oratorio Messiah.
Classical era
By the middle of the 18th century, the cities of Vienna, Dresden,
Berlin and Mannheim had become the center for orchestral music.
The Esterházy princes of Vienna, for example, were
the patrons of Joseph Haydn, a German who invented the classic
format of the string quartet, symphony and sonata. Later that
century, Vienna's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart emerged, mixing
German and Italian traditions into his own style.
Romantic era
The following century saw two major German composers come
to fame early -- Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.
Beethoven, a student of Haydn's in Vienna, used unusually
harmonies and composed numerous pieces for violin concerto,
symphonies, chamber music, string quartets and an opera. Schubert
created a field of artistic, romantic poetry and music called
lied; his lieder cycles included most notably Die schöne
Müllerin (1823).
The later 19th century saw Vienna continue its elevated position
in European classical music, as well as a burst of popularity
with Viennese waltzes. These were composed by people like
Johann Strauss the Younger. Other German composers from the
period included Albert Lortzing, Johannes Brahms, Robert Alexander
Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner, Max Bruch, and
Gustav Mahler. These composers tended to mix classic and romantic
elements.
Opera
In the 19th century, two figures were paramount in German
opera: Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Wagner introduced
devices like the leitmotiv, a musical theme which recurs for
important characters or ideas. Wagner (and Weber) based his
operas off German history and folklore, most importantly including
the Ring of the Nibelung (1874). Into the 20th century, opera
composers included Richard Strauss (Der Rosenkavalier) and
Engelbert Humperdinck, who wrote operas meant for young audiences.
Across the border in Austria, Arnold Schoenberg innovated
a form of twelve-tone music that used rhythm and dissonance
instead of traditional melodies and harmonies, while Kurt
Weill and Bertold Brecht collaborated on some of the great
works of German theater, including Rise and Fall of the City
of Mahogany and The Three-Penny Opera.
The Nazis came to power in Germany during the 1930s, and
many musicians fled the country. Following the war, German
composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Hans Werner Henze
began experimenting electronic sounds in classical music.
Folk music
Germany has many unique regions with their own folk traditions
of music and dance. Much of the 20th century saw German culture
appropriated for the ruling powers (who fought "foreign"
music at the same time), and thus it remained decidedly "unhip"
until later in the century. Most recently, the East German
regime promoted folk music as long as it was what they saw
as an expression of pure German tradition, and a tool for
spreading party propaganda.
In both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder
were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic,
and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions.
Inspired by American and British roots revivals, Germany underwent
many of the same changes following the 1968 student revolution
in West Germany, and new songs, featuring political activism
and realistic joy, sadness and passion, were written and performed
on the burgeoning folk scene. In East Germany, the same process
did not begin until the mid-70s, when folk musicians began
incorporating revolutionary ideas in coded songs.
Popular folk songs included emigration songs from the 19th
century, work songs and songs of apprentices, as well as democracy-oriented
folk songs collected in the 1950s by Wolfgang Steinitz. Beginning
in 1970, the Festival des politischen Liedes, an East German
festival focusing on political songs, was held annually and
organized (until 1980) by the FDJ (East German youth association).
Musicians from up to thirty countries would participate, and,
for many East Germans, it was the only exposure possible to
foreign music. Among foreign musicians at the festival, some
were quite renowned, including Inti Illimani (Chile), Billy
Bragg (England), Dick Gaughan (Scotland), Mercedes Sosa (Argentina)
and Pete Seeger (United States), while German performers included,
from both East and West, Oktoberclub, Wacholder and Hannes
Wader.
Oom-pah
Oom-pah (German Blasmusik) is a kind of music played by brass
bands; it is associated with beer halls.
Bavaria
Bavarian folk music is likely the most well-known outside
of Germany. Yodeling and schuhplattler dancers are among the
stereotyped images of German folk life, though these are only
found today in the southernmost areas, and to cater to tourists.
Bavarian folk music has played a role in the Alpine New Wave,
and produced several pioneering world music groups that fuse
traditional Bavarian sounds with foreign styles.
It was around the turn of the 20th century, across Europe
and especially in Bavaria, many people became concerned about
a loss of cultural traditions. This idea was connected to
the Heimatschutz movement, which sought to protect regional
identities and boundaries. What is considered Bavarian folk
music in modern Germany is not the same as what Bavarian folk
music was in the early 1900s; like any kind of folk or popular
music, styles and traditions have evolved over time, giving
birth to new forms of music.
The popularity of the Volkssänger (folksinger) in Bavaria
began in the 1880s, and continued in earnest until the 1920s.
Shows consisting of duets, ensemble songs, humor and parodies
were popular, but the format began changing significantly
following World War I. Bally Prell, the "Beauty Queen
of Schneizlreuth", was emblematic of this change. She
was an attractive tenor who sang lieder, chanson and opera
and operetta.
Swabia
Swabian folk music is most popularly represented by acts like
Saiten Fell and Firlefanz and the singer-songwriter (and player
of the hurdy-gurdy and guitar) Thomas Felder.
Sorbs
The beginning of a Sorbian nationalist music scene can be
traced back to the first sorbian song festival. Held in Lausitz
in 1845, and directed by Korla August Kocor, the festival
helped revitalize Sorbian folk music. The same period saw
the publication of more than five hundred Sorbian songs by
Smoler and Haupt in the collection Folksongs of Upper and
Lower Sorbs.
Danish-Germans
Ethnic Danes living in Germany are clustered in the state
of Schleswig-Holstein. Danish folk music is typically based
around a fiddle and accordion duo.
Early Pop Music
Between World War I and World War II, German music developed
very independent.
Cabaret
The first form of German pop music is said to be cabaret,
which arose during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s as the
sensual music of late-night clubs. Marlene Dietrich and Margo
Lion were among the most famous performers of the period,
and became associated with both humorous satire and liberal
ideas. "Wenn die beste Freundin" (1928) was an early
lesbian-themed song.
Swing Movement
The strict regimentation of youth culture in Nazi Germany
through the Hitler Youth led to the emergence of several underground
protest movements, through which adolescents were able better
to exert their independence.
One of these consisted mainly of upper middle class youths,
who based their protest on their musical preferences, rejecting
the völkisch music propagated by the Party for American
jazz forms, especially Swing. While musical preferences are
often a feature of youthful rebellion - as the history of
rock and roll shows - jazz and especially Swing were particularly
offensive to the Nazi hierarchy: not only did they promote
sexual permissiveness, but they were also associated with
the American enemy and worse, with the inferior African race.
To the Nazis, jazz was "Negro music."
After War Pop Music
After World War II, German Pop Music was much influenced by
music from USA and Great Britain. Except of Schlager and Liedermacher,
it has to be distinguished between Pop Music in West Germany
and Pop Music in East Germany which developed in different
directions. Pop Music from West Germany was often heard in
East Germany, had more variety and is still present today,
while East German music had only litte influence.
In West Germany, English language Pop Music became more and
more important, and today most songs in Radio are English.
Nevertheless there is a big diversity of German language Pop
Music. There is also English language Pop Music from Germany,
some with International Success (for instance The Scorpions),
but little with enduring broad success in Germany itself.
German and English language music develope very independent,
so they are handled separately. There was hardly any English
Pop music from East Germany.
Schlager
Schlager is a kind of vocal pop music, usually in the form
of sentimental ballads sung in German. It is popular in Germany.
It has extremely simple compositions and lyrics and is played
at other stations than "normal" pop music.
An important part of Schlager is volkstümliche Musik,
a Schlager-like interpetation of traditional German Volksmusik
that is very popular among older people in Germany.
Liedermacher
Liedermacher (song maker) is a typical German style. It has
sophisticated lyrics and is sung to few instruments, for instants
only acoustic guitar. Some make very polical songs. It's related
to American folk and French Chanson.
Famous West German Liedermacher are Reinhard Mey and Hannes
Wader. Famous East German Liedermacher are Gerhard Schöne
and Barbara Thalheim.
Very popular in Germany is also Herman van Veen from the
Netherlands.
Most Liedermacher make special records for kids.
English Language Pop Music from West Germany
Rock
German rock first appeared in about 1968, just as the hippie
countercultural explosion was peaking in the US and UK. At
the time, the German musical avant-garde had been experimenting
with electronic music for more than a decade, and the first
German rock bands fused psychedelic rock from abroad with
bizarre electronic sounds. The next few years saw the formation
of a group of bands that came to be known as krautrock groups;
these included Popol Vuh, Can, Neu! and Faust.
Techno
Germany has a huge electronic music scene. Well known but
not accepteby the reyt of the scene are controversial Scooter.
German Language Pop Music from West Germany
Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW)
Neue Deutsche Welle is an outgrowth of British punk rock and
New Wave which appeared in the mid-to late 1970s. It was the
first successful unique German music but was limited to its
stylistic devices (funny lyrics and surreal composition and
production). Though it was a huge success in Germany itself
in the 1980s, it did not survived them due to over-commercialization.
Some artists became famous internationally:
- Nena
- Falco (from Austria)
Solo artists
In the 80s, besides NDW most German Language music was sung
by male solo artists. There are few singers, who are very
popular:
- Udo Lindenberg
- Herbert Grönemeyer
- Marius Müller-Westernhagen
- Peter Maffay
Only Grönemeyer managed to mantain his success until
today. Maffay developed from rock to Schlager and has a large
but delimited Fan base - he is seldom played at Radio.
Bands
There are only few German language bands who managed to be
sucessful for a longer period. The best known are the rival
punk bands Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen. Both were formed
in the early 1980s but have very different approaches to punk.
Very popular above all Germany are also BAP, who sing in
the hard-to-understand dialect of there hometown Cologne.
Hamburger Schule
Hamburger Schule (School of Hamburg) is a underground music-movement
that started at the late 1980s and was still active til around
the mid 1990s. It has similar traditions as Neue Deutsche
Welle and mixed all that with punk, grunge and experimental
pop music. Hamburger Schule is (and was) an important part
of Germany's youth and gave pop a new definition, as now it
was "ok" (or "cool") to sing in German
language. Hamburger Schule is also about intellectual lyrics
with postmodern theories and social criticism.
German Language Pop Music from East Germany
There were some bands that were very popular in East Germany:
Only Am Fenster from City and Über sieben Brücken
from Karat became hits abroad.
There was also a diversity of underground bands. Out of this
scene grew later the international successful band Rammstein
(see above).
German Language Pop Music from Reunified Germany
Hip hop
Outside of the United States, Germany generates the most sales
for recorded hip hop, and has one of the more vibrant scenes
in the world. Hip hop arrived in the early 1980s, and graffiti
art and breakdancing became well-known quickly, with hip hop
crews appearing soon thereafter.
The huge commercial success started in 1992 with the hit
Die Da from Die Fantastischen Vier from Stuttgart. This band
makes rather funny and sophisticated hip hop. The Rödelheim
Hartreim Projekt tried to establish a more USA-like "gangsta"
rap, but Gangsta rap became an important and controversial
part of German music and youth culture just as late as 2004
with Aggro Berlin.
New German music
In the 90s, German language pop group had only limited popularity,
and only few artists managed to be played in radio:
- Rammstein
- Rosenstolz
- Die Prinzen
(all from East Germany)
This changed in 2002 with the success Wir sind Helden, an
East German band with a new musical self-confidence. This
success was followed by several other bands and a broader
acceptance of existing German language bands:
- Sportfreunde Stiller
- Juli
- Silbermond
Special Kinds of music
Klezmer
Germany has become a hotbed for klezmer music since about
the 1980s, and has produced many of the most popular bands
in the field since then. Controversially, many or most of
the German klezmer bands are not, in fact, Jewish.
Before World War II and the Holocaust, Jews in Germany had
not taken much interest in klezmer, at least compared to Jews
in places like the United States. During the Cold War, East
German Jews like Lin Jaldati and Perry Friedman tried to establish
a German Jewish musical scene, but failed due to interference
by the Communist Party.
As a result, the East German klezmer scene didn't take off
until the arrival of Aufwind in 1984. The West German klezmer
scene, on the other hand, got started soon after the student
revolutions of the late 1960s. Among some of the intellectual
activists, guilt over the Holocaust turned into extreme admiration
for anything Jewish. The tour of Kapelye, an American klezmer
band, in 1984 also added some energy to the scene, which soon
began thriving.
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