An Ox on the Roof

Today, the eighth episode of An ox on the roof  by Thea Derks. In her programme, she loosely follows the arguments of her book Een os op het dak: moderne muziek na 1900 in vogelvlucht (An ox on the roof: a brief sketch on modern music after 1900), an introduction to contemporary music written in everyday language.

episode 7, featured music by Groupe des Six and Kurt Weill. After World War II, composers in both Paris and Berlin embraced the stimulating jazz music by black American soldiers. They also added cabaret and vaudeville elements. German composers motivated the people to stand up against their appalling living conditions, whereas in France people were celebrating life with music which appealed to a broad audience.

The Nazis, who had become increasingly powerful since the 20s did not approve of their communist message. Every form of art that did not fit in their nationalist ‘Blut & Boden’ ideology was marked as ‘entartet’ (degenerate) and included every piece of music which had the slightest touch of jazz, atonality or other modern component and, without any exception, all Jewish composers.

Schönberg, Weill, Eisler and Jewish (progressive) artists fled to the United States, whereas others such as Czech Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942) stayed in Europe. He had been discovered by none other than Anonin Dvorak and studied the piano at the Prague Conservatory. He continued his education in Vienna and Germany where he became a communist.

In 1929, Schulhoff composed Flammen, an opera inspired by the character of Don Juan. Its planned premiere in Berlin in 1932 was cancelled on political and racist grounds; Schulhoff was Jewish and thus ‘entartet’. In 1941, he was run in and transported to a concentration camp in Bayern, where he died of tuberculosis a year later.

Erwin Schulhoff. From Flammen act 1 to 7a

Don Juan: Kurt Westi. Donna Anna: Jane Eaglen. Der Tod: Iris Vermillion. Der Komthur: Johann-Werner Prein. Rias-Kammerchor Berlin (Marcus Creed koordirectie).
Berlin Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Mauceri.

Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942) with dancer Milca Mayerová (1901-1977).

Composition, presentation and technique: Thea Derks.