Placing das Volk: Music, Nazi Volksgemeinschaft and the Construct of ‘Place’ (original) (raw)

Abstract

AI

The paper explores the concept of 'Volksgemeinschaft' as adopted by the Nazis, tracing its roots from early Germanic romantic conservatism and Wagnerian thought. It examines how the Nazis manipulated this notion to promote a collective identity focused on racial purity, community over individuality, and unyielding loyalty to their leader, Adolf Hitler. The analysis includes the significance of music, particularly folk songs, in reinforcing this ideology and shaping a distorted cultural narrative during the Third Reich.

Key takeaways

AI

1. The Nazi construct of Volksgemeinschaft linked ethnic identity with collective sacrifice and loyalty to the community.
2. Music served as a tool for Nazi propaganda, shaping identity and constructing an idealized sense of place.
3. Volksgemeinschaft's origins trace back to early nineteenth-century völkisch-nationalist thought, not solely a Nazi invention.
4. Adorno criticized the stagnation of music under Nazi rule, arguing it blinded individual thought and reality recognition.
5. The notion of 'blood and soil' in Nazi ideology manipulated cultural narratives to foster obedience and unity.

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

References (16)

1. Michael Meyer, 'The Nazi Musicologist as Myth Maker in the Third Reich' Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 10, No. 4 (1975), pp. 649 -665 (p. 650).
2. Koonz, p. 14. 13 ibid., p. 4. 14 ibid., p. 10.
3. Welsh, p. 219.
4. Places', in which he examined music's ability to sentimentalise 'place', thus furthering its ability to construct 'place', and govern its control. 24 Bohlam, in his study of the Deutsches Volksliedarchiv [German Folk-Song Archive] and the forty-four volume series LV -a journal offering an ethnographic landscape of German regions and beyond -recognises this musical sentimentalised construction of 'place' in the volumes that appear from 1934 to 1944. He notes, 'These are museumed, even ahistorical folk-song landscapes that gather traces from the past and present it as evidence for a new Germany'. 25 Reflecting on Volume 32 'Bukovina' and Volume 35 'Central Poland', Bohlan argues German musicologists were 'remapping' Europe as German, 26 essentially constructing a new German 'place' by presenting ethnographic material that signified Germanness. Also of interest in these 'museumed, even ahistorical folk-song landscapes', was that they were rural landscapes, failing to reflect modernity and it bedfellows industry, hybridity, and 'Otherness'. As Bohlan notes, 'The folk songs of the LV project are secure, even frozen, in a timeless, mythological world and to a quite remarkable degree', 27 he continues, 'Time is everywhere in the songs, but its omnipresence marks timelessness; its immediacy lies in its constant yearning to recover the unrecoverable past'; 28 song examples noted by Bohlan include 'Dorfastrase Gottschee', 'O Strasburg' and 'Abschied des Soldaten'. This yearning is reflective of what Stokes regards as the constructing of 'place' through music, in hope of devolving a sentimentalised engagement with its past, and possible future, as Stokes notes, nostalgia for a future 'place' is also possible. 29 Hence, the future becomes worth fighting and sacrificing for, as a constructed 'place' awaits the Nazi Volksgemeinschaft, a future free from 'Other' signifiers, like, 24 The International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) Annual Conference 2014, 'Music, Place and Community'. Hosted by Comhrá Ceoil and the Centre for Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway.
5. Bohlman, p. 114. 26 ibid. 27 ibid., p120. 28 ibid.
6. ICTM Bibliography  Adorno, Theodor W., 'What National Socialism Has Done to the Arts ' in Essays on Music, ed. by Richard Leppert (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002), 373 -390
7.  Applegate, Celia and Pamela Potter, 'Germans as the ''People of Music'': Genealogy of an Identity', in Music & German National Identity, ed. by Celia Applegate and Pamela Potter (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2002) 1 -35
8.  Bohlman, Philip V., 'Landscape -Region -Nation -Reich: German Folk Song in the Nexus of National Identity' in Music & German National Identity, ed. by Celia Applegate and Pamela Potter (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2002) 105 -127
9.  Kant, Immanuel, The Critique of Practical Reason (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997) p. 473.
10.  Kershaw, Ian, The 'Hitler Myth': Image and Reality in the Third Reich (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1987)
11.  Koonz, Claudia, The Nazi Conscience (Cambridge and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003)
12.  Levi, Erik, Music in the Third Reich (London: MacMillan press, 1994)
13.  Meyer, Michael, 'The Nazi Musicologist as Myth Maker in the Third Reich' Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 10, No. 4 (1975), 649 -665
14.  Meyer, Michael, 'The SA Song Literature: A Singing Ideological Posture' , Journal of Popular Culture; 11 (1977)
15.  Stokes, Martin, 'Introduction: Ethnicity, Identity and Music', in Ethnicity, Identity and Music: The Musical Construction of Place (Oxford: Berg Publishers, 1994), 1 - 27
16.  Stokes, Martin, 'Sentimentalised Place', The International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) Annual Conference 2014, 'Music, Place and Community'. Hosted by Comhrá Ceoil and the Centre for Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway  Welch, David, 'Nazi Propaganda and the Volksgemeinschaft: Constructing a People's Community', Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 39, No. 2, Understanding Nazi Germany (2004), 213 -238 Word count: 2892

FAQs

AI

What role did music play in the Nazi construct of Volksgemeinschaft?add

The study reveals that music constructed a 'place' for the community within the Nazi Volksgemeinschaft, blinding them to contemporary horrors by idealizing the past. This manipulation was a powerful tool for the Nazis, evidenced by their use of the canon to create a supportive environment for their ideological goals.

How did the concept of Volksgemeinschaft originate historically?add

The paper finds that the roots of Volksgemeinschaft extend back to late 18th and early 19th centuries, linked to romantic conservative völkisch-nationalist thought. Kershaw delineates its earlier appearances alongside Bismarck's Second Reich, showing its deep historical foundations.

What was the impact of Nazi propaganda on musical canon formation?add

The analysis indicates that Nazi propaganda, particularly under Goebbels, systematically shaped a musical canon to reinforce the ideals of Volksgemeinschaft. This canon served to emphasize racial and cultural norms, which were manipulated to support the regime's oppressive narratives.

How did the perception of sacrifice manifest in Nazi ideology?add

The research highlights that Nazi rhetoric positioned individual sacrifice as essential for the collective, framing it as a duty to the Volksgemeinschaft. This contributed to a constructed identity centered on loyalty, behind which lay manipulative ambitions through fear and propaganda.

In what ways did music reflect or distort societal relationships during this period?add

The findings suggest that music served not merely as a reflection of society but as a transformative force within it, negotiating and reshaping hierarchies. Stokes posits that rather than simply marking social space, music actively constructed an ideological framework that served the interests of the regime.