Franz Wallner-Basté

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Franz Julius Heinrich Wallner-Basté (born September 13, 1896 in Dresden , † December 24, 1984 in West Berlin ; name extension with his mother's surname to avoid confusion) was a German music , literary and theater critic , translator , non-fiction author , Screenwriter and publicist . In addition, he was the first director of the RIAS Berlin , Senate Council, founded in 1946in West Berlin, the first (acting) general secretary of the local Academy of the Arts and collector of materials on Berlin's theater history.

Life

Franz Wallner-Basté grave site (grave slab)

Franz Wallner-Basté came from a family of writers and actors . His grandfather was Franz Wallner (1810–1876), who founded the Wallner Theater in Berlin. His father Franz Wallner (1854-1940) was also an actor and theater director , his mother, the actress Charlotte Basté (1867-1928) from the active in the 18th century acting dynasty Basté . He attended the König-Georg-Gymnasium in his native Dresden and enjoyed practical music training with Johannes Schreyer and Karl Scheidemantel .

From 1914 to 1917 he participated in the war and fought near Verdun . After the war he majored in musicology in Leipzig and Munich , plus theater studies , German and philosophy . In Erlangen, he received his doctorate in 1925 with a thesis on The Musical-Folk of the 17th century in the secular song to Dr. phil. He went to Berlin and worked for four years as a music, theater and literary critic. He was one of the first to introduce the musical silent film illustration into the daily review. He mainly wrote for the Ullstein -lätter BZ am Mittag and Berliner Morgenpost (from February 1924 to the end of September 1927) and, after the Ullstein contract was terminated, for the Berliner Tageblatt (until the beginning of 1929), as well as for the Norddeutsche Rundschau , Frankfurter Volksstimme , Munich Post , Vossische Zeitung , Berliner Allgemeine Zeitung , Nationale Rundschau Bremen , Dresdner Neue Presse , Neue Leipziger Zeitung , Württemberger Zeitung and the Leipzig satirical magazine Der Drache .

Ernst Schoen , broadcasting director of the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk Frankfurt am Main , became aware of Wallner-Basté's versatility and brought him on December 1, 1928 as the second spokesman for the station. In January 1930, Wallner-Basté replaced the novelist Ernst Glaeser as head of the literary department of the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk. Endowed with far-reaching powers, he developed new series of programs (including a series on literary discovery, Neglected Poets , and the regular interviews with contemporaries of famous personalities, Experienced Time ), whereby it was his concern to combine education with entertainment. He often moderated his programs himself. Occasionally he published essays on specific radio topics in the daily and specialist press (e.g. in Die Sendung ). In June 1932 the nationalist Deutsche Zeitung attacked him by accusing him of giving preference to “ left ” and “un-German” artists in a long article and declaring his station to be “ center - Marxist ”. In April 1933 he was removed from his post.

After 1933 he was dramaturgical assistant to the old master cinema Carl Froelich . His work was not mentioned in the credits , for example in the 1935 film I Was Jack Mortimer . In the mid-1930s he wrote screenplays alone or in cooperation . Many remained unused, for which in part - as with the Jewish-owned production company Cine-Allianz Tonfilm , for which Wallner-Basté had made Treatment Passion - the political circumstances were to blame. For example, the script for the film Das Hofkonzert was realized under the direction of his co-author Detlef Sierck and with Marta Eggerth and Johannes Heesters in the leading roles in 1936 . Wallner-Basté was also active in various fields.

In 1942 he was made compulsory. Until the end of the war he was a laboratory assistant , director and editor of documentaries at the film and image office of the regulatory police . He continued his journalistic activities for various newspapers, especially for the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (DAZ).

In May 1945 he was appointed head of the Berlin-Zehlendorf Cultural Office . In this role he played a key role in rebuilding concert life in Berlin. In October 1945 he was dismissed because of his closeness to National Socialism , which was expressed in the "war reports" (meaning the documentation created during the emergency service) . The allegations turned out to be baseless. On the contrary, he had helped fellow citizens persecuted by the Nazi regime and saved lives with smuggled medicines. For this he was honored twice in later decades.

In December 1945 he took up a newly created position: he became the general manager and broadcasting manager of DIAS (wire radio in the American sector), which began broadcasting on February 7, 1946. The name was changed to RIAS on September 5, 1946. The station name goes back to Wallner-Basté. The Voice of Criticism series, which was started during his tenure and conceived by Friedrich Luft , lasted for several decades. When US agencies installed a "Chief Administration" in July 1947, Wallner-Basté left the broadcaster. He then worked as a radio critic for the Münchner Merkur, among others .

From 1951 until his retirement in 1961 he was Senate Councilor to Joachim Tiburtius, Senator for National Education, Main Office for Art and Literature . In this role he worked on the foundations for the establishment of a new station, which later would be Sender Freie Berlin . In 1953 there was a controversy about the RIAS pause sign : It was assumed that this acoustic signal had been taken from a trio sonata by Karl Fasch , Wallner-Basté and former colleagues asserted that the connection to Fasch was a self-created “mystification “Act, and Wallner-Basté is the sole author. The question of the originator still concerns many later, especially since Paul Höffer , long-time director of the Berlin University of Music , wrote a variation for a wind section , inspired by the tone sequence, and was therefore also considered the composer of the pause sign. And not least because the short melody has become the “sounding landmark of Berlin”.

Wallner-Basté was the first (acting) general secretary of the Academy of Arts (West) from February to May 1956 . Further cultural responsibilities related to the European cultural exchange and advice to ministers of culture . From 1956 to 1960 he was a member of the main committee of the Wiesbaden film evaluation office . From 1958 to 1962 he was president of the German section of the Dante Alighieri Society based in Berlin (“Societá Dante Alighieri Comitato di Berlino”) for two terms in office . In retirement he became increasingly involved in bringing Italian literature to Germany. After the Akademie der Künste had set up a Bonaventura-Tecchi archive at his instigation in the summer of 1969 , he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on November 25, 1969 for his services to German-Italian cultural relations . His collection on Berlin's theatrical history, especially the Wallner Theater, is a valuable cultural contribution.

Franz Wallner-Basté passed away on Christmas Eve 1984 at the age of 88 and was buried in the Berlin cemetery in Zehlendorf (Dept. 31 W 249). The final resting place of the singer Hans Siewert is located in the same field .

Works

Scripts (only realized)

  • 1936: La chanson du souvenir. Concert à la cour ( UFA )
  • 1936: The Court Concert (UFA)
  • 1937: love can lie ( Deka film )

Radio formats (selection)

  • 1930: Waves faded away (radio play)
  • around 1930/31: Neglected poets (series)
  • around 1930/31: Experienced time (series)
  • around 1931/32: The court jester's mirror. A conversation game of foolish wisdom and wise fools (radio feature )
  • around 1931/32: The value and honor of German work. An audio sequence from the great days of the craft (radio feature)
  • 1963: Verdisänger all over the world (radio feature )
  • 1965: Verdi listens to Lohengrin (radio play, 91 min; broadcast by RIAS 2 )
  • from January 1966: Wagner singers of yore (series)

Translations (only extensive)

  • 1942: Gabriele d'Annunzio: Amaranta. The diary of a passion. Karl H. Bischoff, Vienna / Berlin / Leipzig.
  • 1945: Verdi. A biography in letters. Paul Zsolnay Verlag, Vienna.
  • 1965: Diego Fabbri: Theater Blood (Figli d'Arte). A stage play in three acts. G. Riccordi & Co, Stage and Music Publishing, Frankfurt am Main.
  • 1965: Pietro Quaroni (Italy). Veiled by historical prejudice. In: Hermann Ziock (Ed.): Are the Germans really like that? Opinions from Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Horst Erdmann Verlag, Herrenalb, pp. 295-310.
  • 1979: Verdi, up close. A picture of life in documents. Manesse-Verlag, Zurich (= Manesse library of world literature ).
  • Further translations of stories by Alberto Moravia , Dino Buzzati , Bonaventura Tecchi, Roberto Ridolfi and others. a.

Reviews, articles and essays (selection)

  • Example article on the topic "d'Annunzio":
    • 1943: “Pseudonym” d'Annunzio. A clarification. In: National newspaper , Essen, May 4, 1943.
  • Example articles on the topic of "broadcasting":
    • 1948: The Berlin Radio War. In: Hamburger Freie Presse , October 1948.
  • Documentary essay on cultural policy:
    • 1956: Subject: Music Department. From the files of the Zehlendorf Cultural Office. In: Harald Kunz (Hrsg.): Berlin, the city of music between war and peace. Musical balance sheet of a four-power city. Bote & Bock, Wiesbaden, pp. 10-28.
  • Collection of quotes on the subject of film:
    • 1962: 2000 years of film criticism. In: Thoughts on the film. Collected articles by chairmen and assessors of the Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden. Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, pp. 169–174.
  • Since 1965 Wallner-Basté wrote reviews for the Opern Journal and from 1967 to 1971 he also wrote the essay series How Berlin […] got to know . Examples:
    • Sunday fever [sic] . How Berlin got to know Rossini's “Cinderella”. In: Opera Journal. Information. Photos. Essays , No. 2 (October) season 1969/70, pp. 12-14.
    • An old novelty. How Berlin got to know Verdi's “Night of Fate”. In: Opera Journal. Information. Photos. Essays , No. 6 (February) season 1969/70, pp. 2–5.
    • Ochs became acceptable. How Berlin got to know the "Rosenkavalier". In: Opera Journal. Information. Photos. Essays , No. 2 (October) season 1970/71, pp. 13–15.
  • Collection of reviews ( facsimiles ) published between 1926 and 1929 in the newspapers BZ am Mittag (Film-BZ) , Berliner Tageblatt and Leipziger Illustrierte Zeitung :
  • Sample article on the subject of "Verdi":
    • Verdi-as, Verdi-in, Verdi-and. Summary of an international conference - participants from sixteen countries. In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 6, 1972.
  • Cultural policy essay:
    • 1978: On the Art of Art Management. Business correspondence between Dr. Franz Wallner-Basté and Jürgen Fehling 1945 with epilogue 1960. In: Kleine Schriften der Gesellschaft für Theatergeschichte , issue 29/30 ( Theater - the daring enterprise. Prof. Dr. Kurt Raeck on his 75th birthday on July 30, 1978 ), p 156-160.
  • In addition, many newspapers published Wallner-Basté's translations of Italian stories and poems as well as Verdi's letters.

Quotes

“So there we are, dear listeners! And we welcome you! Not with a formal opening address, don't worry. Although we feel a bit solemn at this first meeting. Converting a few bare, less than bare rooms into a complete radio station in the remaining part of a ruin is no small thing these days. "

- Franz Wallner-Basté : Words of welcome in DIAS when broadcasting began on February 7, 1946

“Not everything that is called light music weighs lightly; not everything that is called opus weighs heavily. Taste education begins with light music. Any donkey can be demanding, entertainment programs require a headache. "

- Franz Wallner-Basté : quoted from the magazine Radiowelt , 1948

Awards

  • 1961: Thanks and recognition from the Berlin Senate for granting protection and assistance to those persecuted under pressure during the Nazi tyranny, regardless of their own safety
  • 1963: Golden badge of honor of the German radio
  • 1969: Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class for services to German-Italian cultural relations
  • 1973: Hans Bredow Medal for services to German broadcasting
  • 1979: Unsung hero of the Jewish community of Berlin for selfless work for Jews and those politically persecuted during the Nazi tyranny

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Arnulf Kutsch: Franz Wallner-Basté . In: Studienkreis Rundfunk und Geschichte. Notifications . 7th year no. October 4 , 1981, Notice Board, p. 191–193 ( rundfunkgeschichte.de [PDF; 2.4 MB ; accessed on February 15, 2018]).
  2. ^ Wallner-Basté 60 years . In: Spandauer Volksblatt . September 13, 1956.
  3. ^ The head of the literary department of the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Dr. Franz Wallner has been on leave […] In: Frankfurter Zeitung . 1933 (newspaper clipping without date and page information).
  4. ↑ a b Werner Schuder (Ed.): Kürschner's German Literature Calendar 1981 . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1981, ISBN 3-11-007787-6 , Wallner-Basté, p. 1139 .
  5. ^ Herbert Birett: Silent Film Music. Material collection . Ed .: Deutsche Kinemathek Berlin. Berlin 1970, preliminary remarks on the appendix, p. 159 .
  6. ↑ The editors: Who calls this literary equality? In: German newspaper . June 16, 1932.
  7. ^ A b Franz Wallner Basté Archive. Short biography / history of the institution. In: adk.de. Retrieved February 15, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b c (Tsp.): An agile mind. Franz Wallner-Basté 70 years . In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 1966 (newspaper clipping without date or page indication).
  9. ↑ a b c d Dr. Franz Wallner-Basté . In: Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden (Ed.): Thoughts on film. Collected articles by chairmen and assessors of the Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden . Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden 1962, p. 168 .
  10. ^ Franz Wallner-Basté . In: Münchner Merkur . September 13, 1971.
  11. ↑ Dr. Franz Wallner-Basté . In: film studio . The newspaper for the production specialist. Berlin October 15, 1935.
  12. ↑ a b (dpa) : Franz Wallner-Basté 85 . In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 1981 (newspaper clipping without date and page information).
  13. ↑ Fanita Pfeffer: Two children and a father: The reunion after the war - the most beautiful moment in our life. They are called the "unsung heroes" - the women and men who risked their lives to save strangers from death and persecution . In: BZ The largest newspaper in Berlin. No. 64/1979 , March 16, 1979, pp. 4th f .
  14. ↑ HW: There is chirping and beating on the kettledrum. Radio stations and their pause signs . In: The New Newspaper . Berlin edition. No. 288/1953 . Frankfurt am Main December 10, 1953.
  15. ^ Carl H. Ostertag: Small Mystification . In: The New Newspaper . Berlin edition. No. 296/1953 . Frankfurt am Main December 19, 1953.
  16. ↑ Dr. Franz Wallner-Basté . In: Der Tagesspiegel . January 29, 1960.
  17. ↑ (R): A Bonaventura Tecchi archive . In: Kölnische Rundschau . No. 180 , August 7, 1969, television / features section, p. 6 .
  18. ↑ Michael G. Meyer: DIAS. The forerunner of the RIAS. In: deutschlandfunk.de. February 6, 2016, accessed February 15, 2018 .
  19. ^ Franz Wallner-Basté: The good radio program . In: Radio World . Issue 29, July 18, 1948, p. 6 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wallner-Basté, Franz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wallner-Basté, Franz Julius Heinrich (full name); Wallner, Franz (name before extension)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German translator, author, publicist, broadcast director and Senate councilor in Berlin
DATE OF BIRTH September 13, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH Dresden
DATE OF DEATH December 24, 1984
Place of death West Berlin