GDR Music Research - A little extra History

Hi Friends,

Now that I've shared my goals and resolutions for the new year, I'm diving back into my Violin Music of East Germany project and research. It occurred to me that I need to back up a little bit and dive into some of the general history and facts about East Germany before and after World War II. This land has been the home to some of Classical Music's most beloved composers and performers throughout history, so it is crucial to understand this project's context beyond the forgotten composers of an era.

I've compiled a few YouTube videos that highlight different elements of East Germany, including Rick Steve's overview of some important monuments and history in Leipzig and Dresden, to a walking music tour of Berlin. It also includes a playlist of East German Music, a discussion of the Wall, propaganda footage, and historical documentation of life on the "other" side. All this to paint a picture of the musical climate that has captured my attention. 

I've begun exploring music from decades before East Germany became the GDR (or DDR) and will be weaving together programs that intertwine the vast and immense history of a region with the voices of forgotten musical creators. 

Enjoy! I hope you find this both interesting and informative.

1.     As much as his cheesiness makes me want to roll my eyes sometimes, Rick Steves points out some of the reasons why two of my favorite cities in Germany are so culturally significant, iconic, and beloved throughout time. These cities and their musical significance were the impetus for me to start wondering why there were no famous and iconic composers from this region after World War II 

2.     Check out this Musical walking Tour of Berlin. This film was recorded at the beginning of coronavirus and geographically organized musically significant city locations. It is incredible how close together some of these important places and musical performances happened to one another. Fascinating and worthwhile. There isn't much about East Germany specifically, but you learn so much about the city and Germany's music and geopolitical environment at large.

 3.     A brief animated history of Life in East Germany 

4.     Fascinating footage of East Germany, propaganda, and more 

 5.     The rise and fall of the Wall 

 I love this quote, "Any barriers we put up to impede freedom, we can also take down."

6.     A fascinating cultural documentary about life in East Germany with historical footage 

 7.     Life Behind the Berlin Wall, from The Economist 

8.     I've been to this place on the Wall. The Berlin Wall Museum is now housed there on the West Berlin side.  We also walked through the cemetery and into the Church of Reconciliation (which looks very different now). Can you imagine seeing this every day? This is haunting and eye-opening

 9.     Last but not least, an hour of East German (GDR/DDR) Music – but NOT violin music…because that's the project I'm working on right now.