Jazz's influence in Germany

    1919, a war would be memorialized in the history books. The first World War would finally come to an end and a new landscape would devour the German state. The war had cost the country a great amount, more than they could pay leading to borrowing, and suspension of the gold standard. Reparations would not help the matter, as Germany owed more money than they could think of possessing at the time. The solution to the Weimar Republic was to print more money, a solution that would lead to the detrimental effects. A depression was about to sweep over the country, the Mark, currency of WWI Germany, was worth nothing in the global market. 42 billion marks would equal a single American cent, which meant that commerce and goods would also rise in price. The everyday German person was under a lot of pressure and stress to provide for themselves and their families, this period would not last long, as Allied interference would try to rebuild the country's economy, but it would leave a gruesome mark. 

    Any person in such a situation would look for ways to cope with or even escape for a miniscule amount of time from. This was very evident in the musical form that would take charge in the German community. Jazz, a form associated with its upbeat, fast, and danceable tones would be a favorite genre of music for the German populous. The infamous group Tiger Rag would be the first Jazz group to be introduced to the German population, due to their enormous population and recording availability. Tiger Rag would be the catalyst for the Jazz craze within post WWI Germany. Leading to German based artists taking charge behind the influence of Tiger Rag. Eric Borchard's small combo and Stefan Weintraub's Syncopators in specific would be the first popular German Jazz artists, increasing in popularity as the economy stabilized.

    Eric Borchard’s Jazz style can be characterized in a similar fashion to that of the early American Blues. An aerophone is used to create a distinct high pitch throughout the piece, a piece that is fairly repetitive. Though, there are parts which can be heard that are similar to the main melody, but are almost improvisation upon the baseline. It could be compared to the vocal improvisation that happens in American Blues with their 12-bar verses. Actually, in accordance with vocals, Eric Borchard does not use any, at all. At least from the pieces that I have heard, he lets the instrumentation speak for the music rather than a distinct voice.

    In very similar fashion in the early 1920’s Stefan Weintraub’s Syncopators would let the instrumentation do the work for their Jazz form. Though, the group would have a more organized and structured melody line with, from what I can hear, very little true improvisation. The high steps in the music are done in coordination with each other, with the basic melody line disappearing for this moment. Right around the 1930’s is where the group would incorporate vocals into their art form. The vocals would follow along with the melody adding to it, rather than having its own. Though, vocals were far and few inbetween for this group as well.

    Jazz would explode in popularity throughout the 1920’s to the 30’s, but it would not last long. The association with Jazz and the African American cultures would not be forgotten as the music continued to surge throughout the country. A correlation which was not appreciated by Wilhelm II and his regime. In 1930, Wilhelm’s regime would release an official law that banned the influence of “Negro Culture for German Nationhood.” It did not directly address the influence of Jazz, but a heavy focus of the policing of the law was on the listening and playing of Jazz in public. The Great Depression would not help in keeping Jazz alive either, as Germany began to struggle financially without the help of the United States, less people had the disposable income to go out and consume Jazz. An activity and music form that is dependent on the musical environment.

    The death of Jazz in Germany would come almost immediately after Hitler’s ascension to power. Hitler had an agenda, to purify the Areian race which meant that all other “inferior races” and cultures would take a back seat to Hitler’s reign. Though Jazz would not be outright banned, there were many efforts by the minister of propaganda to suppress the music. In return the Nazi party promoted and often praised classical music, a modest art form that was in-line with Nazi ideals, and a bonus being an artist named Beethoven.

    Beethoven was born in Germany and was the ideal child to Hilter, as he saw Beethoven as proof of the Areian superiority. A man who was completely deaf by the age of 44, but continued to compose music at such an exquisite level. In a twisted way, Beethoven gained the fame and popularity he has today due to the constant promotion and praise Beethoven received from the Hitler regime. 

This would be the musical culture for Germany during the entirety of WWII and the Hitler regime. Jazz would live within German society, but only if it was performed by the German people in the native language. Therefore, many of the artists that took charge during the Jazz period in Germany were forced out either by political pressure or economic ones.

Beethoven as Nazi propaganda. The Wire. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://thewire.in/the-arts/beethoven-as-nazi-propaganda. 

Blakemore, E. (2019, June 27). Germany's World War I debt was so crushing it took 92 years to pay off. History.com. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://www.history.com/news/germany-world-war-i-debt-treaty-versailles. 

Hitler's inconsistent jazz policy ... - jmu scholarly commons. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1056&context=madrush. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 19). Music in Nazi germany. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_Nazi_Germany.