Creating Folksongs of Thier Time: Song Production and Cultural Performance in the Early German Democratic Republic
,
Volkslieder ihrer Zeit: Liedproduktion und kulturelle Performativität in der frühen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik
Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky
Erscheinungsjahr:
2024
Medientyp:
Text
Schlagworte:
East Germany
Folk Revival
Song
Music Discourse
Folksongs
Vocal Performance
Performativity
Massenlied
Hanns Eisler
Liedschaffen
943: Geschichte Deutschlands
24.61: Vokalmusik
Musikgeschichte
Musikgeschichte <Fach>
Musikgeschichtsschreibung
Deutschland <DDR, Motiv>
Folk music
Volkslied
ddc:943:
Musikgeschichte
Musikgeschichte <Fach>
Musikgeschichtsschreibung
Deutschland <DDR, Motiv>
Folk music
Volkslied
Beschreibung:
This dissertation examines the role of Liedschaffen—the efforts to produce politically and culturally impactful songs—in shaping East German society during the Aufbau period (1949–1965). Central to this study is the Bitterfelder Weg, a 1959 cultural-political initiative aimed at bridging the gap between intellectuals and the working class through the promotion of amateur artistic creation. By analyzing primary sources such as committee records, song texts, and archival documents, the dissertation reveals how cultural policymakers sought to legitimize these songs within East German musical culture through a process of “folksongization.” This examination of the production and performance of mass songs (Massenlieder) as “folk songs of their time” uncovers a complex negotiation between the imperatives of socialist realism and the ideals of German musical heritage (Erbe), ultimately presenting song and communal singing as vehicles for collective expression and social cohesion. The concept of Wirkung (impact) is crucial to understanding these efforts, emphasizing the belief that music—particularly song—could directly influence social behavior and collective consciousness. Further evidence of performative concepts of singing and song in the GDR emerges from a historiographical analysis of vocal performances of Hanns Eisler’s art songs. The findings challenge recent attempts to define a static “authentic” style and suggest that authentic performance requires singers to engage with the material in ways that reflect evolving social contexts, rather than adhering to predetermined aesthetics or past models. By integrating musicology, performance studies, sociology, and cultural history, this research calls for a dynamic understanding of music as a socially engaged practice, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of East German musical culture and its role in shaping a “nation of song.”