5 German Communist Music Recommendations
An Armchair Revolutionary’s Guide to Haute Culture
The Berlin Wall comes to mind as a lasting reminder of what the Eastern Bloc was, but the Weimar communist movement that preceded it and its rich musical traditions are often ignored in favour of politicised symbolisms. Most, if not all music of this particular genre had political messages, subliminal or not — hence, I repeat the very message thousands of YouTubers before me sought to convey in vain: petty political quarrels aside, enjoy the music!
1. Solidaritätslied
Though unqualified to stand in solidarity with proletarians in my comfy little armchair, I present to you an ode to unity and, as eponymously suggested, global solidarity. With internationalist undertones, this stirring tune was conjured by the same mastermind behind the East German anthem. The first images that are inevitably invoked when listening to this are that of militant workers. Indeed, a call to arms (which I will politely decline). Its inspirational lyrics end abruptly, and so does the music, in the form of a provocative open-ended question and a dominant chord, respectively. Just as its chorus repeatedly exhorts people to “move forward”, so shall I.
2. Auferstaden aus Ruinen
Et voila! The East German national anthem itself, composed in 1949, expressing a wish for a united Fatherland that wasn’t realised, ironically, until the state’s last months. Its soothing tune is complemented perfectly by powerful pacifist lyrics, an emotional escape from the horrors of the Third Reich; memorable are its metaphors and references to brotherly unity. In the poetically (and perhaps oddly) translated words of the second stanza, let all paths be lighted by peace, so that no mother shall again mourn her son in woe!
3. Arbeiter von Wien
Wikipedia fails spectacularly when it comes to information pertaining to the Erich-Weinert Ensemble (click here for another of their beautiful recordings); nonetheless, this tune is a particularly notable one adopted from another Soviet revolutionary classic (White Army, Black Baron), set to German lyrics written after the bloody events of the Viennese July Revolt (1927), where 89 demonstrators were killed after police opened fire. Typical worker-ist themes such as gaining rightful possession of the future dominate the anaphoric, memorable lyrics.
Contextually, the revolt bears some similarities to the 2014 Ferguson protests — fortunately, beyond the scope of this article.
4. “Vorwärts, du junge Garde!”
A fourth song! It wasn’t an easy task keeping the number of songs down to cope with short attention spans. Voyage through this potpourri of classic tunes ranging from adaptations of Soviet songs to sentimental pieces written by German communists-in-exile, and relish in the sheer preponderance of musical variety!
Here’s a link to the original video, and for the more enthusiastic ones amongst you, here’s a bonus playlist.
5. Unsere Grenzerkompanie
This jovial tune reminiscent of school choral music belies the dark history of border troops preventing Republikflucht: an oft-retold tale of bygone days, and as mentioned at the beginning, an unnecessarily magnified piece of history. The lyrics, unsurprisingly, make no reference to this at all, focusing instead on protecting tourists and keeping themselves in “the best condition”. Engineers indeed!
“Workers of the world, unite!” I exclaim, clenching my fists tenaciously as I take another sip of champagne in my spacious living room. Revolution today? Nope, probably later.
