How Music Was Used For Personal Expression; Music in the Third Reich

Germany was the country rich for musical talents and the names of the world famous composers like Mozart, Wagner or Bach contributed to the development of the culture of the country and the whole world. Special attention was paid by the Nazies to music in the ghetto life. The ghetto songs were the reflection of suffering and human will to survive. Adolf Hitler used the music by Richard Wagner for the aim of creation of national identity for the Germans. The Nazi party had their SS bands, which played in ghettoes, and they also used Charlie and His Orchestra for the aims of propaganda. Music has occupied its strong and meaningful positions during the times of the Third Reich, it was played for the Nazis for entertainment and propaganda purposes.

Ghetto songs were had several subdivisions. Street songs, as subgenre of ghetto music, were devoted to the themes of corrupt administration and desire for freedom. “A majority of ghetto street songs were sung to preexisting melodies, a technique known as contra fact. Contra fact became necessary because composers couldn’t generate new music fast enough for all of the lyrics being written.” (Levi 1994). Domestic ghetto songs were associated with traditional Jewish homes, where a music used to be a part of their family life. One of the most widespread ghetto songs was the Song of the Partisans by Hirsh Glik. It was finally used as hymn of the Eastern European partisan brigades and was translated into many languages.

Wagner was one of the outstanding German composers and his music had profound impact upon Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. “Even though he was already dead when the 12-year-old Hitler heard his music live for the first time, when he attended a production of “Lohengrin” in the Austrian city of Linz in 1901.” (Levi 1994). It is difficult to imagine, but Hitler managed to connect two absolutely different things- beautiful music and terrifying experience of Holocaust. Hitler had taken the ideas about anti-Semitism from Wagner’s essay “Judaism in Music”. Wagner’s perceptions of both music and politics have reshaped the meaning of national identity for the Germans. Wagner himself was a German nationalist and anti-Semite and thus there is no wonder that he became the favorite composer of Adolf Hitler.

The attitude of the Nazis to jazz music was generally negative; however they were ready to ignore the “degenerate” agenda for the sake of propaganda. Weimer Germany heard the first sounds of jazz and swing after the First World War. However, along with seizing the power in the country by the Nazis American-style music was referred to as “degenerate”. Soon jazz and swing were officially prohibited by Goebbels. “Goebbels wasn’t daft, though. While officially condemning the music, he was quietly plotting to hijack its debauched appeal to peddle Hitler’s message abroad.” (Levi 1994). The result of this was creation of Charlie and his Orchestra, which was a swing band sponsored by the Nazis and playing the American hits. The aim was to undermine the morally of Allies. The major message of their music was to prove that the Aryan nation was supreme. The words of the famous jazz songs were changed so that they had the corresponding meaning, for example “A parody on the standard ‘I’ve Got A Pocketful of Dreams’, for example, went like this: “I’m gonna save the world for Wall Street / Gonna fight for Russia, too / I’m fighting for democracy / I’m fighting for the Jew.” (Levi 1994)

Development of innovative technologies definitely has impact upon music. The music nowadays is more accessible and more convenient to listen to. In addition it is less expensive. Most probably technology will continue to change the music industry, but the meaning of music would hardly deteriorate along with this.

Works cited:

Levi, E. Music in the Third Reich, London: Macmillan, 1994

Nicholas Vazsonyi. Marketing German Identity: Richard Wagner’s ‘Enterprise’. German Studies Review, 2005

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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