How the Nazis laced propaganda in their music
Following the 30th of January 1933, Hitler was appointed Germany’s chancellor (1). The policy of ‘Gleichschaltung’ (coordination) meant everything had to follow nazi beliefs, and music was one of them. From here he placed a ban to restrict certain forms of music, especially Jewish music/composers, and would promote any music that advertised nazi beliefs. This ban still allowed musicians to have limited creative freedom, this was done to create a balance for the German population.
In the Eighteen and Nineteenth centuries, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner and Johannes Brahms were all extremely influential composers during this period and still are today, this lead some to believe that music was “the most German of all the arts (3)”. Hitler on the other hand believed Richard Wagner’s work was “personified Nazism (2)” and was devoted to his music. Because of this, Wagner’s work was played a lot in Nazi Germany. The three composers that Hitler and Goebbels believed represented good german music were Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner.
Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda throughout the Nazi reign. He was responsible for the censorship discussed so far and until the end of this blog.
In November 1933, the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber) was initiated. This was an organisation that required a membership card to be musically employed.
Examples of how they used propaganda in music
The website “Holocaust Music” has many examples of how the Naizs perverted and manipulated music for propaganda. Below are three examples from their website.
Jonny Spielt Auf (Jonny Strikes Up)
This opera was made by the Austrian composer Ernst Krenek in 1927. It toured all over Europe and the United States. Under Nazism, this song was changed to promote theories of musical degeneracy. It was started in Entartete Musik, a music event which was advertised with a black musician resembling a monkey, playing the saxophone and wearing a Jewish star. It’s important to note that this was considered degenerate music as this was a Jazz opera (Link)
An Den Kleinen Radioapparat (To The Little Radio)
This song was composed by German composer Hanns Eisler in 1942. Hanns was a communist and fled nazi Germany to America, he believe he could use music to promote his political beliefs. Ironically, his music became famous in America, eventually being taken by nazi Germany and played on their stations. The lyrics speak of a German in exile carrying a radio to listen to the news from Nazi Germany. (Link)
Horst Wessel Lied (Horst Wessel Song)
Horst Wessel was born on September 9, 1907, in Germany. He dropped out of law school and joined the Nazis. Whilst quite intelligent, he was also extremely aggressive, planning attacks on the local headquarters of the Communist Party in Berlin, during which four workers sustained serious injuries. This created tension between the fascist nazis and communist parties, where the communists started beating nazis whenever they could. Wessel got into a heated debate with his landlord, and the landlord wanted him gone. But because a prostitute was living with him at the time, an illegal job at the time, the landlord asked the communists to help. Because of what Wessel did to them, they went into his house and on February 23, 1930, shot him in the head. The nazis used this as the perfect tool, turning Wessel into a martyr. Goebbels was given a large funeral, which was interrupted by communists throwing stones at him. With this murder, communist reaction and Goebbels’s clever tactics, the public opinion of communists turned to hatred. Wessel continued to be a martyr for the rest of the Nazi’s reign.
Some months after Wessels’s death, a poem he wrote was turned into Horst Wessel Lied. This was performed by Stormtroopers first, of which he was formerly one. This was recorded and became the anthem of the Nazi Party. Later, becoming the unofficial national anthem of Germany.
The lyrics are extremely patriotic and promote nazi beliefs. Speaking of sacrifice, freedom and saving the country. (Link) (Link)
Charlie and his Orchestra
Before fully banning jazz, they used it for propaganda. The Nazi propaganda department created a jazz/swing band. They played famous American music with pro-nazi lyrics. “Their idea was to enthral listeners with a swing and then hit them with messages of Aryan supremacy, Churchill’s hopelessness, and Jewish conspiracies” This propaganda band became the most famous jazz/swing band in Germany and would play 5 days a week. While their lyrics changed throughout the war, they continued until 1945, when Nazi Germany lost. (Link)
Instrumentation
Good german music was anything similar to Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. As this was the romantic period, any orchestras, operas and beautiful symphonies focusing on harmony and melody was good german music. Jazz, on the other hand, focused more on rhythm, taking inspiration from black history and America. Because of the lack of german history with jazz, and its linkage to minorities, this was a form of degenerate music.
Because jazz is made by a small number of musicians who are normally in a minority, jazz has a history of speaking about real-world issues, such as racism, politics and other important issues. When the Nazis censored this genre, they weren’t just censoring the instruments, they were censoring the voice.
Music affects the heart and emotions more than the intellect. Where then could the heart of a nation beat stronger than in the huge masses, in which the heart of a nation has found its true home? – Joseph Goebbels, Nazi’s Minister of Propaganda. (4)