Heinz Gerlach (musician)

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Heinz Gerlach (born March 4, 1910 in Berlin ; † October 25, 1943 ) was a German musician and composer in the genre of dance music popular at the time . His harmonica polka "Dancing Fingers" became world famous.

Live and act

Gerlach, who came from a Berlin working-class family, was a precision mechanic by trade, but also a passionate musician. He played three dozen instruments and composed about 60 pieces, mainly polkas , waltzes and foxtrots . He pressed the compositions he recorded himself onto red shellac records in his own studio workshop .

A group of young musicians gathered around Gerlach in Berlin-Wedding who were enthusiastic about the swing style, which was officially undesirable and discredited as Negro music at the time . These included above all his childhood friend Heinz Munsonius , who was also musically close to him , as well as - in addition to a few lesser known musicians - the accordion virtuoso Horst Wende and the jazz violinist Helmut Zacharias .

In the Second World War Gerlach was drafted into the Wehrmacht and shortly afterwards fell on the Eastern Front . During the bombing raid on Berlin his apartment and workshop, his phonograms and all documents were destroyed; only the notes of a few pieces survived. However, some of his pieces such as “Dancing Fingers”, “Mascot”, “Luftschlösser” or “Gemstones” had long since entered the repertoire of Will Glahé , Johnny Meijer , Heinz Musonius, Horst Wende and other accordionists.

Works

  • 1939 Fresh and cheerful
  • 1941 Radiant mood
  • 1943 Have fun
  • 1943 Key Magic
  • 1943 Dancing fingers
  • 1943 Sparkling champagne
  • 1943 mascot
  • 1943 Funny pranks
  • 1943 Leprechaun Games
  • 1943 dreams of happiness
  • 1943 A breath of fresh air
  • 1943 gemstones

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Karl Valentin, Piper Verlag GmbH, 1997, p. 170 [1]
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Literature by and about Heinz Gerlach in the catalog of the German National Library
personal data
SURNAME Gerlach, Heinz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH March 4, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH October 25, 1943