LEADER 03958ctm a2200421Ia 4500001 90728 005 20240621174316.0 008 040128s2000 xx rb 000 0 eng d 035 (OCoLC)ocm47234674 035 90728 049 LHMA 040 MBB |beng |erda |cMBB |dLHM 090 ML1528 |b.K629 2000 100 1 Koehler, William S. |q(William Sterling) 245 14 The politics of song : |bthe German Workers' Choral Association as a cultural and sociopolitical entity in comparative perspective, 1918-1933 / |cby William S. Koehler. 264 0 |c2000. 300 viii, 285 pages 336 text |btxt |2rdacontent 337 unmediated |bn |2rdamedia 338 volume |bnc |2rdacarrier 500 "UMI:9967590." 502 Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brandeis University, 2000. 504 Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-285). 520 This dissertation examines the sociopolitical implications of the activities, membership patterns, choral material, policies, and members' self perception of the German Workers' Choral Association (DAS). This centralized organization of nearly 6,000 choruses and 500,000 Germans dedicated to choral singing exemplified the broader movement for proletarian cultural and educational advancement. Like the Workers' Gymnastic and Sport Association, the DAS was closely affiliated with the German Social Democratic Party and Free Trade Unions and defined itself in its statutes, rhetoric, and actions as a Socialist organization. Through the primary comparison with the rival German Choral Association, and secondary comparisons with other workers' organizations, Communist and Nazi singers, and sister associations in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Switzerland, this work examines the DAS's development within the framework of German Social Democracy. Local studies in Augsburg and Solingen and hundreds of worker-singer autobiographies provide compelling views of the mentalities of these "Red Singers", and their integration of politics and music. The study draws upon primary archival sources from Solingen, Augsburg, Plauen, Bonn, Cologne, Berlin, Feuchtwangen, and Dortmund, contemporary periodicals, and firsthand accounts and remembrances to analyze the twin developments of the Weimar-era DAS. The first, its artistic advancement, earned the DAS the cultural establishment's acclaim. The second, its depoliticization through 1928, engendered both widespread disaffection and Communist-led splintering. The dissertation argues that the DAS's dramatic shift from a political to an artistic focus undermined the commitment of many members, who considered themselves Socialists first and singers second. Moreover, this successful top-down struggle for artistic excellence and social assimilation was reflected in the broader disintegration of German Socialism and resulting collapse of the Weimar Republic and rise of National Socialism. The case of the DAS thus points to workers' disenchantment with the compromises of Social Democracy in the Weimar Republic and illuminates the impotence of the working-class parties and organizations in the face of the Nazis' rise to power. 530 Electronic version(s) |bavailable internally at USHMM. 533 Photocopy. |bAnn Arbor, Mich. : |cUMI Dissertations Services, |d2004. |e23 cm. 590 Dissertations and Theses 591 Record updated by Marcive processing 21 June 2024 650 0 Choral societies |zGermany. 650 0 Choral music |xPolitical aspects |zGermany. 610 20 Deutscher Arbeiter-Sängerbund. 651 0 Germany |xPolitics and government |y1918-1933. 856 41 |uhttp://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=731926321&sid=7&Fmt=6&clientId=54617&RQT=309&VName=PQD |zElectronic version from ProQuest 956 41 |u http://dc.ushmm.org/library/bib90728/9967590.pdf |z Hosted by USHMM. 994 E0 |bLHM 852 0 |bstacks |hML1528 |i.K629 2000 852 |bwww 852 |bebook