The Weimar republic, established after World War I, lasted up until the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. For most of this time a flourishing of different arts and sciences was had throughout Germany and its capital, Berlin. This of course included a huge boom in musical talent throughout the country, “the German musical tradition had been firmly established in Berlin, and Berlin, had in turn established itself as a city of international musical renown. The [Berlin] Philharmonic was just one of the shining stars in the city’s brilliant musical constellation. Berlin in the 1920s was home to numerous symphony orchestras, three opera houses, prestigious institutions for musical education, and hundreds of amateur music ensembles thriving among all segments of the population.” (Janik, 49)
While much of the political and economic situation of Germany during the Weimar years was array, (inflation, unemployment, debt and poverty, etc…) the music scene was on a rise. Names like Schoenberg, Weill, Eisler, had established or were in the process of establishing their popularity around this time, yet these very same names would later be shunned by Hitler’s Third Reich.
Schoenberg was just one of many who lived a venerated (and sometimes spurned) lifestyle during Weimar Germany. Having already made himself known in the music scene since the first decade of the 20th century, he used the surge of interest in the arts following World War I to begin experimenting with new styles of musical composition. While this pushed the boundaries and in some case, alienated him from the more traditionalist musical circles of the time, Schoenberg looked to change the conformity that music had faced for some time. “By 1923, Schoenberg had outlined a new twelve-tone system of composition, discarding the functional, diatomic harmony which had characterized the German musical tradition since its inception. While a small circle of students and supplicants saw Schoenberg as the next great German master, most established ensembles shied away from performing his works, not wanting to alienate loyal audiences content with 19th-century classics and the less threatening contemporary works by composers like Richard Strauss, Hans Pfitzner, and Max Bruch.” (Janik, pg. 54)
A division between the traditionalist music scene that had existed and the more “experimental” underground scene that was emerging (think Schoenberg) became very real. This split did not just reflect the music itself, but the attitudes of German citizens as well. While the music traditionalists were often seen as the Bourgeois, content with life, politics, and music of what was then present day Germany, there also existed those who thought that change was necessary in order for Germany to remain on top of the world in musical composition. This diversity in attitudes, to a great extent, could be seen in any other aspect of German culture; cinema, art, and of course, politics. Terms like “musical bolshevism” and “cultural bolshevism” started floating around Germany, tying together completely the concepts of music and politics as being somewhat hand in hand. For those (like Schoenberg himself) who did not view the upcoming changes as radical or revolutionary, they did not concern themselves with the similarities that music and politics shared during this era. But for others, this was the beginning of a long, arduous trek for Berlin in discovering its cultural and political identity.
By the end of the 1920’s, threats to German national identity and its heritage was a concern for many groups. National Socialists, the Avant-garde, Communists, and Conservative religious fanatics began to clash with one another over what would or would not help the development of Germany as a country in the upcoming years. While many did not feel that a shift in the music scene was detrimental to society as a whole, others saw the prominence of Jewish and non-German composers as threatening to the growth of the nation. This of course would lead into huge political ramifications later on, however now it served solely as a means of arguing the true importance of music and how if left to develop on its own accord, could serve to shape and mold the German nation in a way many feared. Already trying to reclaim a sense of national pride following the events of World War I, Berliners found themselves in the middle of much political instability that was proving to be more and more effected by the music scene than many had originally thought possible. The connection between the two; Music and Politics, was very real, and becoming more of widely accepted notion. It would not be until World War II that we truly see how vital a role music has on people and how through manipulation, and coercion, it can be used as a means of controlling the masses.
