Walls of gray cities

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From gray city walls is a wandering song that was created as part of the youth movement . In view of the emerging urbanization and the increasing focus on experiencing nature, it has quickly become a popular song that is still known today in German-speaking countries.

origin

The first three verses are from Hans Riedel , the fourth verse composed Hermann Lons already 1914. 1920 wrote Robert Goetz , the melody to "the song but apparently until 1932 compiled in one of Robert Goetz himself and published by Günther Wolff published song book of the same name was printed for the first time ”. If, however, the walls of gray cities “was a ' classic ' among youth and hiking groups” or “at times became a kind of hymn of the youth movement ”, it is unlikely that the song will only be heard by singing on trips , on hikes or on Campfire has spread. The Bavarian Songbook for Male Higher Education Institutions (1931; p. 298 or appendix p. 18 f., Song no. 19) gives an indication that the song was printed soon after it was set to music , which is certainly not oral recorded traditional songs. So it remains to be finally clarified in which year Aus Grauer Städtische Wauern first appeared as a score or was included in a songbook. It probably found its distribution by hand; this is indicated in a song book dedicated to Robert Oelbermann from 1927.

song lyrics

Like the song when we walk from 'to side' (by Hermann Claudius , 1914), especially in the second stanza (“One week hammer blow, one week building blocks still tremble in our veins”) the negative side effects of urbanization and industrialization “birch green and Sprouts Green "Face (the first line of the third verse), also takes from gray city walls , the motif of the free landscape , the life-friendly nature , which applies to experience it:" ... we draw through woods and fields. " If the last stanza by Hermann Claudius says “... and the woods resound”, Hans Riedel's text sounds brightly “through mountain and dump”. The turning away from the city and turning to nature “initially corresponded to a general bipolar urban-rural opposition. Hiking was a movement from-away, out-out, leaving the big city behind as a cursed place. "

The refrain “We're going into the world” is to be understood symbolically on the one hand; it is about the - at least temporarily - exemption from labor norms and civil conventions , which is more likely to be realized in the forest and the field than in the (big) city. It is true that the youth movements sing “We are young, the world is open” and “… today it should go far” and set individual groups of the wandering bird and the “ Bündische ” z. For example, with her trips to the north of the country, her focus remains on native nature: “Our longing, our hope goes out into the forest and the field” (text also from 1914). Therefore, “Ein Heil dem Deutschen Walde” ( From gray cities walls , 3rd stanza, 1st line) applies , for which the romantic Eichendorff (1810) wished “umbrella you God, you German forest”.

The cultural scientist Wolfgang Lindner says:

“Probably the best-known Bundisch (!) Stadtflucht song from gray cities walls , in which one ' drives into the world', which essentially consists of 'forest' and 'field', sums up the rather late (early 30s) Life ideological pseudo-religiosity or mythization of the forest experience together ”.

reception

1920 to 1933

It is noticeable that although the song “belonged to the canon of musical youth culture in the 1920s and 30s”, it was not until 1932 in the songbook From gray cities walls we pull through forest and field, published by the composer himself . New songs from a German youth group should have appeared in print (see section Origin). Then it appeared in two other song books: in Das Singeschiff - songs of the Catholic youth (2nd edition 1932) and in Jung-Volker. Songs of the New German Youth (1932, edition unknown).

1933 to 1945

Launched by the Nazis regarded as apolitical song made in the Third Reich soon career. As early as 1933 Baldur von Schirach took the song in blood and honor. Songs of the Hitler Youth on; 1934 followed Us the sun does not set . Other Nazi organizations also adopted the song as their own, such as the Nazi community Kraft durch Freude with Die Fahne hoch (1934) and the German Labor Front with Wir wandern und Singen (1934). Walls of gray cities were also popular in schools . The following are examples of the numerous song books: German song book, 1st part. For the elementary school (1934), freshly sung in the new Germany - fatherland and marching songs for the German school youth (1936), Singkamerad - textbook for the German youth (1937 already in the 8th edition, published by the NS teacher association ) and Die Garbe - From the harvest of German folk songs. Songbook for high school boys. Class 1-8 (1941).

Until about 1935 the song was also found in other song books, e.g. B. in The Singeschiff. Songs of the Catholic Youth (1934, 3rd edition) and in St. Georg - Songs of German Youth , the most important collection of songs for the Bundestag youth. After the ban on the Catholic young men’s associations in January 1938, the search and closure of the Bundisch- oriented publishing house Günther Wolff in April 1938 and the final ban on "the continuation and formation of new associations of the Bundestag groups" by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler in 1939 (decree of 20 June 1939) the toleration of non-National Socialist songbooks was over. One reason why Fritz Jöde had a songbook published in Zurich: The Swiss Musician. Songs for school, for the family and for community groups (4th edition 1937).

However, the reception of the song in Germany was unbroken. And since the 4/4 time melody was easy to march, the song also found its way into the Wehrmacht song books , e.g. As in the soldiers Songbook (ed. NSDAP 1940) and in: singing soldiers. March and Soldier Songs (1942).

From 1945

After the end of World War II , the popularity of From Gray Cities Walls continued . In 1946 it was included in the songbook of (Catholic) youth . More song books followed by 1960, e. B. the trade union youth, the Albverein, the German gymnastics association, the nature friends youth, the German forest youth, the German youth of the east and various scout groups. Right-wing extremist circles also published their own songbooks with the song, e. B. The right song at the right time and We sing - Wij zingen. Songbook for the German and Flemish youth (published by the Wiking Youth, which was banned in 1994). The song also appeared in song books for schools. B. in music in elementary school (Volume 3, 1947), in our songbook for Hesse (in the 5th to 8th school year, 1955), as well as in the songbook for the higher schools (Baden-Württemberg, no year). It was also sung in Austria and South Tyrol Kärntner Singbuch (collection of songs for the youth of Carinthia, 1961), Steierisches Liederbuch (1965), Kommt zum Singen (Südtiroler Liederbuch, 2004) and by the Austrian soldiers ( Austrian soldiers songbook , 1967) as well as in general Komm sing mit uns (Austrian song book, 1980) and folk songs from Austria. Our most beautiful songs (2004). In Switzerland (Zurich), one of the most beautiful children's song books, illustrated by Tomi Ungerer , was edited with 204 German folk songs and children's songs: The great children's song book , which received a great response in all German-speaking countries and was published in large numbers in 1987 by the German Book Association ( Bertelsmann ) was brought out.

Federal German soldiers marched after the song in 4/4 time. At irregular intervals the Bundeswehr published song books with From gray cities walls , z. B. 1958 song book of the Bundeswehr , 1968 and 1976 our songs sound bright , 1988 (new edition) song book of the Bundeswehr and 1991 comrades sing!

The song was most widespread when it was included in the mouth organ , which was first published in 1953 and which sold approx. 10 million and a banknote issue of 4 million. Even the relatively high editions (from 1978) of the Fischer paperback Volkslieder aus 500 Jahre and Das Großes Liederbuch (from 2000) by Club Bertelsmann could not keep up. From the time after 2000, when the number of song books in circulation decreased, the following should be mentioned: Jurtenburg (song book of the Association of Christian Scouts and Scouts , 2007) and the Wandervogel song book (2007). The majority of the song books listed were taken from the Hubertus Schendel archive. A small part comes from the catalog of the German Music Archive .

How popular a song is can also be shown (apart from in parodies or repositioning) by the fact that the first line (so-called incipit ) often serves as the opening story or title of a publication. The following selection shows the extent to which this has happened so far:

  • In 1979, Alfred Hilsberg named the first episode of his three-part series of articles, New German Wave - From gray cities walls, published in Sounds magazine .
  • In 1995 the publishing house for regional history brought out the book Aus Grauer Städtische Mauern by Frigga Tiletschke and Christel Liebold, who are curators of the exhibition Civil Youth Movement in Bielefeld 1900–1933 at the Bielefeld Historical Museum (November 19, 1995 - February 18, 1996).
  • In 1996 the Weinbacher Wandervogel published a songbook of the same name.
  • Under the title From gray cities walls applies to the historical Kornelimünster not published the Aachen history association an online article about the Kornelimünster (undated).
  • In July 2004, at the symposium New Documentary Images of the Ruhr Area, excerpts from Thomas Tielsch's film From Gray Cities Walls (1985) were shown.
  • In 2008, the taz provided an article that dealt with the festivals at Waldeck Castle with the headline “From gray city walls”.

After the Second World War, it took more than 20 years for the Walls of Gray City to appear on sound carriers (apart from a few singles with small editions). It was only after the respectable success of Heinos Sing with Heino (1966) and the folk revival at the end of the 1970s that the German phono industry discovered that folk and travel songs could be marketed lucratively. In 1975 the journey songs album by Heino was released and in 1977 a new edition of Sing mit Heino was released . Also in 1977 the Montanara Choir interpreted the song on the LPs Stargala and Deutsche Volkslieder . In the following years, many choirs took over the song in their repertoire, such as the Regensburger Domspatzen , the Tölzer Knabenchor and once again the Montanara Choir with three LPs Beim Kronenwirt (1983), Das Lied der Berge (1985) and When the colorful flags waved ( 1985), to name a few.

Heino had already followed up in 1981 with the double album The most beautiful German travel songs and in 1983 with Aus Grauer Städtische Mauern . According to the "atmospheric" songs Heinos it was then also "smart": Ernst Mosch and his Original Egerländer musicians gave with a song, three, four. Marching songs lead the way. After 1983 the wave of folk songs slowly subsided. In 1987 Bertelsmann made an attempt with prominent singers such as Hermann Prey , Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau , Günter Wewel and others, with the LP Brothers don't let your head hang when it comes to wanderlust and homesickness to liven up the wave, but afterwards Aus dove grayer Cities only sporadically on sound carriers , e.g. B. 1999 on the CD Wohlauf die Luft goes fresh and pure of the girls choir Helmstedt and the Helmstedter Kammerchor, 2005 with the Dresdner Kreuzchor on the CD Volkslieder - Folksongs and 2011 on the CD Die Mundorgel, 2nd part a . a. with the Schedrik choir.

To market driving songs , the Nazi Documentation Center wrote the City of Cologne in the project "Youth! Germany 1918–1945 ":

There were "... traveling songs that were created in the individual frets ... [that] radiated far beyond their own fret, including Alf Zschiesche with When the colorful flags are blowing . Today, the song has either received the status of a popular hit (as interpreted by Heino and the Fischer Choirs ) or a march (as interpreted by the Bundeswehr ), a fate that it shares with other travel songs such as Aus Grauer Stadt Wauern . In the 1920s and 30s, however, these songs were part of the canon of musical youth culture and were heard on hikes and in the evenings around the campfire ”.

If the adaptation on sound carriers is also declining, one considers the singing of the song by choirs, in schools and successor groups of the former youth and wandering bird movement as well as the further inclusion in song books, such as B. in December 2012 in the large volume of the mouth organ , From gray cities walls remained popular to the present day.

literature

  • Wolfgang Lindner: Youth movement as an expression of ideological mentality . Publishing house Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8300-0886-4
  • The great songbook . 204 German folk and children's songs from the 14th to 20th centuries with original notes and text. Selected by Anne Diekmann and illustrated with over 150 watercolors by Tomi Ungerer . Diogenes, Zurich 1975, ISBN 3-257-00947-X .

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b Martin Rüther, Jan Ü. Krauthäuser, Rainer G. Ott: From Navajos and Edelweißpiraten - Unadjusted youth behavior in Cologne 1933-1945. Exhibition documentation of the NS Documentation Center Cologne, Cologne 2004, museenkoeln.de
  2. ↑ Robert Götz in the information collection Scout-o-Wiki
  3. ↑ a b c d e Archive Hubertus Schendel, Deutsches Lied - A home for the German song and folk song on deutscheslied.com
  4. ↑ p. 31 f., Provided as facsimile by Hubertus Schendel
  5. ↑ Songbook for our creative youth. Ed .: Federal Executive of the German Trade Union Confederation, Essen 1948, p. 18.
  6. ↑ Wolfgang Lindner: Youth movement as an expression of ideological mentality . Publishing house Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8300-0886-4 , p. 264 ( full text ).
  7. ↑ Song title, 1st and 2nd line of the first and 5th line of the third stanza of the text by Jürgen Brand (pseudonym of Emil Sonnemann )
  8. ↑ Last line of the 3rd stanza of the poem set to music by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in 1841 Who hath you, you beautiful forest, built up so high up there?
  9. ↑ In the text We want to go out on land across the corridors of the wandering bird Hjalmar Kutzleb (also created in 1914), the meaning of the forest is sung romantically: “In the forest deep inside the blue flower blooms fine; to win the flower we draw into the world ”.
  10. ↑ Wolfgang Lindner: Youth movement as an expression of ideological mentality . Publishing house Dr. Kovac, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8300-0886-4 , p. 271 ( full text ).
  11. ^ Youth in Germany 1918–1945 - Project of the NS Documentation Center of the City of Cologne jugend1918-1945.de
  12. ↑ The online archive "Deutsches Lied - A home for the German song and folk song " refers as the first print to the "Bavarian songbook for male higher education" published in 1931.
  13. ↑ Youth in Germany 1918–1945 - Project of the NS Documentation Center of the City of Cologne, Chronicle Archive Link ( Memento of the original from July 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jugend1918-1945.de
  14. ^ A b German National Library - German Music Archive, Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main. ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. German music archive @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dnb.de
  15. ↑ The technical term is: making the incipit independent.
  16. ↑ Neue Deutsche Welle on indiepedia.de
  17. ↑ Neue Deutsche Welle From gray city walls on highdive.de
  18. ^ Exhibition archive of the Historisches Museum Bielefeld
  19. ↑ Online contributions / kornelimuenster-aus-grauer-staedte-mauern
  20. ↑ Program of the Lichtenburg Essen on 30 June 2004
  21. ^ Out of gray city walls , in the taz of April 26, 2008
  22. ↑ The audio carriers listed above are taken from the catalog of the German Music Archive .
  23. ^ Youth in Germany 1918–1945. Section travel songs. “Youth in Germany 1918–1945” is an online project of the NS Documentation Center of the City of Cologne with an exhibition of the same name in 1995 jugend1918-1945.de