Song of the young naturalists
The song of the young naturalists ("The homeland made itself beautiful ...") is a song that was composed by Gerd Natschinski with a text by Manfred Streubel . It was in 1952 for the first DEFA - Documentary blue pennants in the summer breeze written and developed into one of the most famous songs of the pioneer organization Ernst Thalmann (pioneer song) in the GDR .
Emergence
The song of the young naturalists was written for the DEFA documentary Blue Pennant in Summer Wind , which was produced and broadcast in 1952. The melody was composed by Gerd Natschinski , one of the most famous composers in the GDR. The text came from a poem by the poet and children's book writer Manfred Streubel , who was working for the pioneering magazine Fröhlich sein und singen ( FRÖSI ) at the time.
Lyrics of the song
The text of the song by the young naturalists begins with a lyrical description of the beautiful nature of the homeland, which has "made itself beautiful" in order to "delight" the young naturalists. The waves reflect "their splendor like happy eyes clearly" and the fir trees "act mysteriously".
“Home has made itself beautiful and dew flashes in her hair.
The waves clearly reflect their splendor like happy eyes. "
The second stanza also describes nature and the relationship between the young naturalists and it. It continues the style of the first stanza, but also explains that parts of this nature that are currently regarded as worthless are to be converted through research into the production of rich harvests (“we will reap abundantly where swamp and sand are still today”).
In the further stanzas it describes how naturalists investigate this nature. They “break into the darkness, follow calls and leads” and nature will only “submit” to them when they are “knowing”. At the end of the song, the reference to home is restored and thus sets the framework for the text: "Home lifts its face and smiles towards the sun".
“We break into the darkness, follow calls and leads.
And when we first become aware, nature conforms to us.
The flower opens to light, our heart to the future.
The homeland lifts its face and smiles towards the sun. "
reception
The song of the young natural scientists was one of the most famous songs of the pioneer organization Ernst Thälmann and was sung frequently during activities of the young pioneers, the Thälmann pioneers and the Free German Youth (FDJ) and was well known. It was part of the canon of pioneer songs and appeared accordingly in song books of the organization, choir books and other song books of the GDR. According to a contribution by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) in 2007, "Generations of children in the GDR [...] had to learn and sing this song" and it was "one of the most famous pioneer songs ever". It was also sung by various choirs in the GDR and sold as a phonogram.
As with most of the other pioneering songs, interest in and reception of the song declined sharply after German reunification , and today it is viewed as part of the GDR only in an eastern or historical way. As German songs and because of the Transfiguration of the home the song with other songs of the GDR was, however, among other groups of the New Right , such as the Bund Heimattreuer Youth - The Free Confederation picked up and was in issued by this association song book drive pass printed from the 1995th
supporting documents
- ↑ a b The fate of the poet Manfred Streubel: "Let all the flowers bloom ...". Dossier on Manfred Streubel's life at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), 2007
- ↑ a b Works by "GERD NATSCHINSKI" (1928-2015) on deutscheslied.com, website of Hubertus Schendel, who lives in Canada; List of some song books in which "The homeland made itself beautiful ..." was recorded.