Skip to content
1981
Volume 16, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1750-3159
  • E-ISSN: 1750-3167

Abstract

This article examines the development of operetta and musicals in East and West Germany from 1949 until the reunification in 1989–90. It focuses on the special ideological requirements of popular musical entertainment in the socialist east, discusses how works by Offenbach and Strauss were adapted, considers how works from the Soviet Union were imported and examines how new works were created to fulfil the ideal of ‘socialist realism’. The arrival of Broadway musicals in East Germany in the 1960s were typically made to fit into the system of state subsidized theatre.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/smt_00084_1
2022-04-01
2024-09-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Antosch, Georg. ( 1986;), ‘ Bettstreik als Mittel zu gutem Zweck: Musikalische Komödie in Leipzig uraufgeführt. ’, Neue Zeit, Zentralorgan der Christlichen-Demokratischen Union Deutschlands, 119: May, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bliss, Pierre, and Luhn, Rainer. ( 2021), in-person conversation with the author, Berlin, 4 June .
  3. Bote, David A., and Paehler, Katrin. ( 2015), A Nazi Past: Recasting German Identity in Postwar Europe, Lexington, KY:: The University Press of Kentucky;.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Bratby, Richard. ( 2020;), ‘ The art of operetta. ’, Gramophone, 15 January, https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/the-art-of-operetta. Accessed 20 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Clarke, Kevin. ( 2007), Glitter and Be Gay: Die authentische Operette und ihre schwulen Verehrer, Hamburg:: Männerschwarm Verlag;.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Clarke, Kevin. ( 2020;), ‘ A revived interest in “Heiteres Musiktheater der DDR”? It’s not just about nostalgia. ’, Operetta Research Center, 28 December, http://operetta-research-center.org/heiteres-musiktheater-der-ddr-interview-maria-malle-metropoltheater/. Accessed 20 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Clarke, Kevin. ( 2021a;), ‘ Operette und Musicals in der DDR: Ein Gespräch mit Werner P. Seiferth vom Metropoltheater. ’, Operetta Research Center, 7 February, http://operetta-research-center.org/operette-und-musicals-der-ddr-ein-gesprach-mit-dem-metropoltheater-intendanten-werner-p-seiferth/. Accessed 20 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Clarke, Kevin. ( 2021b;), ‘ Musicals und Operetten in der DDR: Der freie Wind. ’, Neues Deutschland, 19 February, https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1148534.musicals-und-operetten-der-ddr-der-freie-wind.html. Accessed 23 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Damies, Kurt. ( 1972;), ‘ Operettenstatistik 1964–1971. ’, Material zum Theater, Heft 14, Berlin:: Verband der Theaterschaffenden (VT);, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Dippel, Roland. ( 2011;), ‘ Heiteres Musiktheater: Operette in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (1949–1989). ’, in M.-T. Arnbom,, K. Clarke, and T. Trabitsch. (eds), Welt der Operette: Glamour, Stars und Showbusiness, Vienna:: Brandstätter;, pp. 22939.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Dippel, Roland. ( 2020;), ‘ Theaterdirektor Striese ist ein feiner Kerl: Die MuKo Leipzig glänzt mit DDR-Parademusical. ’, Neue Musikzeitung (NMZ) 20 September, https://www.nmz.de/online/theaterdirektor-striese-ist-ein-feiner-kerl-die-muko-leipzig-glaenzt-mit-ddr-parademusical. Accessed 20 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Gänzl, Kurt. ( 2020;), ‘ Popular music theatre under socialism: Operettas & musicals in the Eastern European states 1945–1990. ’, Operetta Research Center, 5 December, http://operetta-research-center.org/popular-music-theatre-socialism-operettas-musicals-eastern-european-states-1945-1990/. Accessed 24 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Grun, Bernard. ( 1967), Kulturgeschichte der Operette, Berlin:: VEB Lied der Zeit;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Hahn, Ines. ( 2001;), ‘ Die alten Operetten vergessen machen: Erneuerungen des unterhaltenden Musiktheaters. ’, in S. Stadtmuseum. (ed.), ‘ … daß die Musik nicht ohne Wahrheit leben kann’: Theater in Berlin nach 1945: Musiktheater, Berlin:: Henschel;, pp. 11215.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Hadamowsky, Franz, and Otte, Heinz. ( 1947), Die Wiener Operette: Ihre Theater- und Wikrungsgeschichte, Vienna:: Bellaria Verlag;.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Hanssen, Frederik. ( 2021;), ‘ VEB Belcanto: Musiktheater in der DDR. ’, Der Tagesspiegel, 21 February, https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/musiktheater-in-der-ddr-veb-belcanto/26935704.html. Accessed 22 February 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Hofmann, H. P.. ( 1972;), ‘ Mein Freund Bunbury. ’, LP cover, Germany:: Nova and VEB Deutsche Scallplatten, Berlin DDR;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Horkheimer, Max, and Adorno, Theodor W.. ( 2013), Dialektik der Aufklärung: Philosophische Fragmente, , 21st ed.., Frankfurt am Main:: Suhrkamp;.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Jansen, Wolfgang. ( 2020), Popular Music Theatre under Socialism: Operettas and Musicals in Eastern European States 1945 to 1990, Berlin:: Waxmann;.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Lehne, Jost. ( 2006), Admiralspalast: Die Geschichte eines Berliner ‘Gebrauchs’ Theaters, Berlin:: Be.bra;.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Louis, Petra. ( 2001;), ‘ Oper als eine gültige Form des Theaters: Die Komische Oper war nicht nur Felsenstein. ’, in S. Stadtmuseum. (ed.), ‘…daß die Musik nicht ohne Wahrheit leben kann’: Theater in Berlin nach 1945: Musiktheater, Berlin:: Henschel;, pp. 5667.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Opernsänger DDR ( 2018;), ‘ Die schöne Galathée/Die Insel Tulipatan (StO Berlin 1982). ’, Youtube, 18 April, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv5Cu2zWmHk. Accessed 22 September 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Pitra, Hans. ( 1978–79;), ‘ Quoted from Spielzeit. ’, Metropoltheater, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Savran, David. ( 2020), e-mail correspondence with the author, 12 December .
  25. Schneidereit, Otto. ( 1955a), Operettenbuch, Berlin:: Henschel;.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Schneidereit, Otto. ( 1955b;), ‘ So wie Offenbach: Aber wie?. ’, Theater der Zeit, 9, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Senelick, Laurence. ( 2017), Jacques Offenbach and the Making of Modern Culture, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Siegmund-Schultze, Annette. ( 1986;), ‘ Die Chefin heißt Melissa. ’, Theater der Zeit, Heft 8, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Stöck, Katrin. ( 2020;), ‘ “Don’t laugh and forget the world, [but] recognize it and yourself with laughter”: Operetta and light music theatre in the GDR. ’, in W. Jansen. (ed.), Popular Music Theatre under Socialism: Operettas and Musicals in Eastern European States 1945 to 1990, Berlin:: Waxmann;.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Stöck, Kathrin. ( 2021), in-person conversation with the author, Berlin .
  31. Ziegler, Hans Severus. ( 1939;), ‘ Zum Geleit!. ’, in W. Mnilk. (ed.), Reclams Operettenführer, Leipzig:: Reclam;, pp. 34.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Clarke, Kevin. ( 2022;), ‘ Musicals, operettas and Heiteres Musiktheater in East Germany 1949–89. ’, Studies in Musical Theatre, 16:1, pp. 2151, https://doi.org/10.1386/smt_00084_1
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/smt_00084_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/smt_00084_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error