Indoctrination: poetry & music (5/6)
Walter Felscher (walter.felscher@UNI-TUEBINGEN.DE)
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 18:17:43 +0100
7. The hymns
By a hymn, or anthem, I understand a song of praise, of adoration
and of prayer. The tune of hymn is slow and solemn, it is
definitely not a marching song. (Those 'national anthems',
therefore, which are marching songs, do not fall under this
description). In the context of section 1 , the hymn's tunes
were most important in creating an emotional appeal supporting
that of the text.
I shall now present a number of texts of such hymns; there is
not hope to translate their lyrical form whose force to impress
rests at least as much on their metrum as on their rhyme.
Regrettably, the limits of this electronic medium make it
impossible for me to reproduce their music; for (19) I present
an attempt of doubtful success. In any case, replaying the
tunes on a piano will reproduce only a limited impression of
their persuading emotional appeal; they are to be performed by
a male choir, in one voice only (similar to a schola chanting
Gregorian hymns).
I begin with Rudolf Alexander Schro"der's
(16) Heilig Vaterland ! In Gefahren
Deine So"hne sich um dich scharen.
Von Gefahr umringt, heilig Vaterland !
Alle stehen wir Hand in Hand !
Bei den Sternen steht, was wir schwo"ren.
Der die Sterne lenkt, wird uns ho"ren.
Eh' der Fremde dir deine Kronen raubt,
Deutschland, fallen wir Haupt bei Haupt !
Heilig Vaterland, heb zur Stunde
Ku"hn dein Angesicht in die Runde !
Sieh uns all entbrannt, Sohn bei So"hnen stehn.
Du sollst bleiben, Land, wir vergehn !
This was written in 1914, at the beginning of WW1, and it is a
splendid example of the patriotic mystifications cultivated by
the German 'Jugendbewegung' as mentioned at the end of the last
section. (Schro"der never supported the NS movement, and during
the 1930ies wrote poetry on Christian themes distinguished by
its formal perfection.) The tune is from Heinrich Spitta 1933 ,
and there is an ironical twist to it. Gustav Mahler was Jewish,
and so he was never performed during the NS years. When, about
1952, for the first time I heard his 1st symphony, and the
orchestra started the slow tune of its second movement, it
immediately was obvious that its beginning coincided (almost) with
Spitta's tune for the first two lines of these verses (for the
other two lines, Spitta transposed his tune for the first two,
setting its keys upwards). Now what Mahler had done was to take
the French folk tune of "FrŠre Jacques" and to transform it by
slowing it down (taking two intervals in place of one). Had
Spitta, a learned musicologist (editor of the last volume of
Heinrich Schu"tz' compositions), been aware of this background ?
(0) Nichts kann uns rauben
Liebe und Glauben
Zu unserm Land;
Es zu erhalten
Und zu Gestalten,
Sind wir gesandt.
Mo"gen wir sterben,
Unseren Erben
Gilt dann die Pflicht:
Es zu erhalten
Und zu gestalten:
Deutschland stirbt nicht !
The author, Karl Bro"ger, is said to have written this in 1925,
in reference to the Ruhr district, occupied then by the French.
When I passed through the town of Lu"beck last year, it still
could be read there in letters affixed to the Southern wall of
the building now used by the 'Landeszentralbank'.
(17) Du, Deutschland, wirst bleiben,
wenn wir auch vergehn,
du wirst dich entfalten,
wir werden verwehn.
(18) Deutschland, heiliges Wort,
du voll Unendlichkeit,
u"ber die Zeiten fort
seist du gebenedeit.
Heilig sind deine Seen,
heilig dein Wald und der Kranz
deiner stillen H”hn
bis an das grne Meer.
The author, Eberhard Wolfgang Mo"ller, was a praised NS poet.
The verb "benedeien" means to benedict; it occurs [otherwise]
only in liturgical texts of mediaeval origin: gebenedeit seist
Du, Maria.
(19) Nun lasst die Fahnen fliegen
in das grosse Morgenrot,
das uns zu neuen Siegen
leuchtet oder brennt zum Tod.
Denn m”gen wir auch fallen -
wie ein Dom steht unser Staat.
Ein Volk hat hundert Ernten
und gehr hundertmal zur Saat.
Deutschland, sieh uns, wir weihen
dir den Tod als kleinste Tat,
gru"sst er einst unsere Reihen,
werden wir die grosse Saat.
Drum lasst die Fahnen fliegen
in das grosse Morgenrot,
das uns zu neuen Siegen
leuchtet oder brennt zum Tod.
music :
2 4+ 8 8 4+ 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 4 8 8 4+ 8 4
o
o o
o o
o o o
o o o o o
o o o
o o
o
Nun lasst die Fahnen flie------- gen in das gro--sse Mor--gen---rot
das uns zu neuen Sie-------- gen leuchtet o---der brennt zum Tod
Text and tune are by Hans Baumann. He, ironically enough, did
survive the end of the war, and afterwards he started a new
career as a prose author of children books which been
universally praised.
(20) Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen,
denn wir sind das Reich
und wir sind der Deich
um Volk und Arbeit und Freiheit zugleich,
Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen.
Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen,
denn wir sind der Staat
und wir sind die Saat
fr Zukunft, Leben, Ehre und Tat,
Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen.
Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen,
des Fu"hrers Gebot
getreu bis zum Tod,
sind wir im Kampf fu"r Arbeit und Brot,
Wir tragen das Vaterland
in unseren Herzen.
Text and tune by Willi Decker.
(21) Erde schafft das Neue,
Erde nimmt das Alte,
deutsche heil'ge Erde,
uns allein erhalte !
Sie hat uns geboren,
ihr geh”ren wir,
Treue, ew'ge Treue
ku"ndet das Panier.
Wir Jungen schreiten gla"ubig,
der Sonne zugewandt,
wir sind ein heil'ger Fru"hling
ins deutsche Land.
Glaube schafft das Neue,
Glaube tilgt das Alte,
deutscher heil'ger Glaube
nie in uns erkalte,
neu ist er geboren
in der Dunkelheit,
Wimpel wehend ku"nden:
Deutschland ist befreit !
Wir Jungen schreiten gla"ubig,
der Sonne zugewandt,
wir sind ein heil'ger Fru"hling
ins deutsche Land.
Wille schafft das Neue,
Wille zwingt das Alte,
deutscher heil'ger Wille
immer jung uns halte,
himmlische Gnade
uns den Fu"hrer gab,
wir geloben Hitler
Treue bis ins Grab.
Wir Jungen schreiten gla"ubig,
der Sonne zugewandt,
wir sind ein heil'ger Fru"hling
ins deutsche Land.
Text and music are by Heinrich Spitta. The 'sacred spring',
mentioned in the refrain, refers to the Roman and Italic custom
to call up a 'ver sacrum' if the gods seemed to particularly
disfavor their nation. This meant that all the youth born in
the spring of that year, consecrated now to the gods, were made
to leave the country 21 years later - to acquire new homes by
fighting the neighbours. In even earlier times, rumours said,
the newborns had been sacrificed instead.
(22) Wo wir stehen, steht die Treue,
unser Schritt ist ihr Befehl.
Wir marschieren nach der Fahne,
so marschieren wir nicht fehl.
Wenn wir singen, schweigt die Treue,
sie ist gro"sser als das Lied,
sie tra"gt schweigend unsre Fahne,
dass sie keiner wanken sieht.
Wenn wir strmen, singt die Treue,
und ihr Singen zu"ndet an,
und wir glu"hen wie die Fahne,
dass ihr jeder folgen kann.
Text and tune are by Hans Baumann.
(23) Lobet der Berge leuchtende Firne,
rauschenden Wald und blinkenden Born;
lobet das Meer im Glanz der Gestirne,
lobet die Traube, das Erz und das Korn.
Lobet der St„dte schimmernde Bauten,
rauchende Essen und betenden Dom,
lobet der Felder fruchtbare Rauten,
Bauern am Pflug und Schiffe im Strom.
Lobet das Land, dar"uber wir schreiten,
hoch zu den Sternen die Stirn gewandt,
lobt es in alle Ewigkeiten,
Deutschland, du unser Mu"tter Land.
The text is by Thilo Scheller.
(24) Hohe Nacht der klaren Sterne,
Die wie helle Zeichen steh'n
U"ber einer weiten Ferne
Dru"ber uns're Herzen geh'n
Hohe Nacht mit grossen Feuern,
Die auf allen Bergen sind,
Heut' muss sich die Erd' erneuern,
Wie ein junggeboren Kind !
Mu"tter, euch sind alle Feuer,
Alle Sterne aufgestellt;
Mu"tter, tief in euren Herzen
Schla"gt das Herz der weiten Welt !
Text and tune are by Hans Baumann 1936 . As is clear from the
second verse, the song refers to the night of the winter
solstice. The appearance of 'mothers' in the last verse has the
reason that (i) the solstice occurs immediately before
Christmas; (ii) Christmas by its theological explanation is
completely non-national, with a universal proclamation of peace
on earth; (iii) the NS ideologues, being fixed on their nation
and hesitant about peace, would have preferred to suppress the
Christian celebration of the Saviour's birth, but felt they could
not afford to do so, in view that a celebration with Christmas
trees, family gatherings and presents for the children was too
deeply ingrained a custom; (iv) therefore they attempted to
replace the Christian content of the celebration, making it
into one of the newborn children and their mothers generally.
Again, there is an ironical twist to the tune in that it is
closely related (j) to a popular movie tune from the same
years, sung by Hans Albers
Good bye, Johnny, good bye Johnny,
scho"n war's mit und zweien,
Good bye, Johnny, good bye Johnny,
s' hat nicht sollen sein.
and to (jj) the first part of the tune of the DDR's "national
anthem"
Auferstanden aus Ruinen
Und der Zukunft zugewandt,
Lass uns dir zum Guten dienen,
Deutschland, einig Vaterland.
composed 1946/47 by Hanns Eisler to Becher's text. Eisler, of
course, having been an emigrant in the USA, probably did not
know these backgrounds, and neither knew them Becher or the
communist leaders of the DDR who had spent the Hitler years in
Moscow (not in Idaho !).
- - -
The ro^le which death plays in many of these texts may deserve
another consideration. The occasional phrases, that men keep on
fighting 'until death', and that they are faithful 'until
death', are familiar in heroic poetry. They are not so much
realistic reflections that a soldier's life has, after all, a
risk to come to its end: they are promises to disregard that
risk for the sake of victory. While such promises usually
remain implicit, and may be accompanied by regretfully
mentioning what will be lost, here in (16) they become
explicit: "Eh' der Fremde dir deine Kronen raubt, Deutschland,
fallen wir Haupt bei Haupt !". And in (0) and (17), the promise
is expanded further by detailing what comes after such death:
our heirs will continue even though "wir werden verwehn".
But the most gruesome of these hymns is (19). Its twelve lines
mention the possibility of victory only once, but paint the
picture of death in detail. The text's speakers/singers
consecrate to 'Deutschland' their own death (and that as their
'smallest offering' !), describing themselves as one of the
hundreds of generations, 'seeds', which a 'Volk' does have.
It is a cult of death which is celebrated here (and a cult
which, it turned out soon, was fittingly terminated by Hitler's
and Goebbel's own suicide).