Evaluations
Given the vast amounts of literature about the radical changes in 20th century art and Germany’s pre-eminence in music, the scarcity of academic material on musical life during the Reich is surprising. There is much more written on music in the Soviet Republic as well as the visual arts, film and architecture during the Reich. Music under the Nazis seems to have been overlooked, and it is thus difficult to paint a balanced picture of musical life then. It is often assumed that music during the Reich was only alive in the form of propaganda, and thus inferior, un-modernistic and detached from surrounding musical developments of the 20th century, a barren wasteland to be judged and disregarded in isolation. Although this project only focuses on two composers and is thus still incomplete, investigation into the cultural life and Nazi policies at the time reveals complexities and dismisses the common assumption that music entered a ‘dark age’.
Besides the difficulties articulating the relationship between music and politics due to the abstract and elusive nature of music, there are historical factors too. After the war, musicologists were eager to push aside the involvement of those who prospered under the Nazis, and more attention was paid to those who immigrated. This was further exacerbated by the denazification process put in place by the Western powers that took over West Germany, as painting a bleak picture of art during the Reich would create a more drastic contrast against the relative liberty and vibrancy of the West’s culture. It would have been easier for society to move on towards something better, rather than dwell on past horrors. In this process, works which were written during the war were pushed into obscurity regardless of their political content or the composers' allegiances. This was, of course, an even bigger issue for composers who were persecuted and did not survive the war, as many works would have been lost or destroyed. Those that were preserved were not always published or performed till many decades later, as was the case for Ullmann's music.
It is perhaps because of such scarcity in scholarly discussion that even now, the accepted standpoint regarding Hartmann’s stance during the war is not without traces of doubt. The evidence regarding how he functioned with regards to the authorities and within his social environment is not complete or reliable. In the book Composers during the Nazi Era – Eight Portraits, Michael Kater raises an alternate, cynical perspective regarding Hartmann’s ‘internal exile’. Kater suggests that Hartmann’s internal exile became one of exhibitionism, depending excessively on foreign contacts, and exaggerating his suffering to make up for his lack of recognition and isolation in his home country.[34]
With regards to Hartmann, we may never know his true motives and actions throughout the war. Cynics may consider his emergence from the war relatively unscathed while remaining staunchly anti-Nazi suspicious, and some may even consider his ‘internal exile’ insignificant, as it did not lead to any tangible oppositional actions against the Nazis. Though historical revisionism is always welcome regardless of the popularity of the views that emerge, one must remember that we live in relatively peaceful times. Therefore, it is easy to be dismissive towards the immense courage involved for any individual to not take the convenient path and work for the regime, or to flee to another country. It was composers like Hartmann and Ullmann, amongst others also branded ‘degenerate’, and not opportunists like Egk, who kept the voice of German music alive. In particular, Hartmann’s output contributed to the rehabilitation of German music after the war. Ullmann’s works ensured that regardless of his personal survival, Hitler failed in his attempt to silence the voice of the Jews.
Besides the difficulties articulating the relationship between music and politics due to the abstract and elusive nature of music, there are historical factors too. After the war, musicologists were eager to push aside the involvement of those who prospered under the Nazis, and more attention was paid to those who immigrated. This was further exacerbated by the denazification process put in place by the Western powers that took over West Germany, as painting a bleak picture of art during the Reich would create a more drastic contrast against the relative liberty and vibrancy of the West’s culture. It would have been easier for society to move on towards something better, rather than dwell on past horrors. In this process, works which were written during the war were pushed into obscurity regardless of their political content or the composers' allegiances. This was, of course, an even bigger issue for composers who were persecuted and did not survive the war, as many works would have been lost or destroyed. Those that were preserved were not always published or performed till many decades later, as was the case for Ullmann's music.
It is perhaps because of such scarcity in scholarly discussion that even now, the accepted standpoint regarding Hartmann’s stance during the war is not without traces of doubt. The evidence regarding how he functioned with regards to the authorities and within his social environment is not complete or reliable. In the book Composers during the Nazi Era – Eight Portraits, Michael Kater raises an alternate, cynical perspective regarding Hartmann’s ‘internal exile’. Kater suggests that Hartmann’s internal exile became one of exhibitionism, depending excessively on foreign contacts, and exaggerating his suffering to make up for his lack of recognition and isolation in his home country.[34]
With regards to Hartmann, we may never know his true motives and actions throughout the war. Cynics may consider his emergence from the war relatively unscathed while remaining staunchly anti-Nazi suspicious, and some may even consider his ‘internal exile’ insignificant, as it did not lead to any tangible oppositional actions against the Nazis. Though historical revisionism is always welcome regardless of the popularity of the views that emerge, one must remember that we live in relatively peaceful times. Therefore, it is easy to be dismissive towards the immense courage involved for any individual to not take the convenient path and work for the regime, or to flee to another country. It was composers like Hartmann and Ullmann, amongst others also branded ‘degenerate’, and not opportunists like Egk, who kept the voice of German music alive. In particular, Hartmann’s output contributed to the rehabilitation of German music after the war. Ullmann’s works ensured that regardless of his personal survival, Hitler failed in his attempt to silence the voice of the Jews.