Master sextet

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Master sextet
The master sextet appears on April 20, 1936 in the Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen in The Hague and is captured in the picture ready for travel (from left): Erwin Bootz, Robert Biberti, Ari Leschnikoff, Fred Kassen, Walther Blanke and Richard Sengeleitner.
The master sextet appears on April 20, 1936 in the Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen in The Hague and is captured in the picture ready for travel (from left): Erwin Bootz, Robert Biberti, Ari Leschnikoff, Fred Kassen, Walther Blanke and Richard Sengeleitner.
General information
Genre (s) Vocal music
founding 1935
resolution 1941
Last occupation
1st  tenor
Ari Leschnikoff
2nd tenor
Richard Sengeleitner (until 1936)
3rd tenor
Fred Kassen
Walther Blanke (until 1936)
Robert Biberti
Erwin Bootz
Later members
2nd tenor
Alfred Grunert (1900–1982) (from 1936)
baritone
Herbert Imlau (1904–1983) (from 1936)
pianist
Rudolf Zeller (1911–1940) (from 1938)

The master sextet was a successor formation of the Comedian Harmonists that was redesigned according to National Socialist guidelines . It existed from 1935 to 1941.

history

occupation

The members of the group in the first few years were:

Ari Leschnikoff (1897–1978) 1st  tenor
Richard Sengeleitner (1903–1980) 2nd tenor
Fred Kassen (1903–1972) 3rd tenor
Walther Blanke (1902-1986) baritone
Robert Biberti (1902–1985) bass
Erwin Bootz (1907-1982) pianist

Career

The master sextet in the Berlin Scala , 1937

The vocal ensemble was founded in Berlin in 1935 after the inevitable split up of the Comedian Harmonists as a master sextet, formerly Comedian Harmonists . In view of the ordinance issued on November 1, 1933 for the implementation of the Reich Chamber of Culture Act, the National Socialists had made further cooperation between the Comedian Harmonists in their existing composition impossible. The group agreed that a new group should be formed from the two parts. So the group separated, the three so-called Aryans stayed in Germany, the non-Aryans went abroad.

On November 21, 1935, the singers who remained in Germany were given permission by the Reichsmusikkammer to call themselves master sextets, formerly Comedian Harmonists . The remaining members hired replacements for the emigrated singers. The new singers were not, however, equal members of the ensemble, but employees. During the period of its existence, the composition of the master sextet changed frequently.

The first recordings were made by Electrola on August 20, 1935, of which I was a thousand times in my dream with you / over in the home (EG # 3417) was the first to be released. On October 18, 1935, the group had their first concert in the concert and ball house "Tivoli" in Freiberg , and the next day they performed in the Hotel Stadt Dresden in Kamenz .

Walther Blanke and Richard Sengeleitner did not sign a new contract and were then replaced by Alfred Grunert and Herbert Imlau.

The master sextet version of I wanted 'I would be' a chicken (EG # 3723), which was recorded on August 28, 1936 and marketed from September 1936, became known. It was a cover version of the UFA film hit from the film Glückskinder (1936).

At the end of 1938, after artistic differences, especially with Biberti, the pianist and musical director Bootz left the group and switched to the Berlin cabaret as a composer / lyricist and musical director . Rudolf Zeller became the new pianist, with Bruno Seidler-Winkler in particular , who later worked as the conductor of Lale Andersen 's soldier song Lili Marleen .

The decline of the sextet was unstoppable. After a last tour through Italy on May 26, 1939, Electrola refused to publish the songs Bel ami and Penny-Serenade on the grounds: "These recordings lack the liveliness and lecture-like differentiation and balance". As Biberti increasingly articulated himself as the founder and artistic director, the conflicts with the only remaining founding member Ari Leschnikoff and the new members, such as Hans von Bachmayr-Heyda for a short time, grew. After the start of the Second World War , the group's situation became more and more confusing, and in the end Biberti had terminated all contracts. This confused situation was sealed by a performance ban by the Reichsmusikkammer on November 24, 1941 and ended the existence of the master sextet.

All of the previous six members of the Comedian Harmonists survived World War II, but no longer appeared together. In 1998 they were posthumously awarded the Echo Music Prize for their life's work.

Singing style and repertoire

The master sextet belonged to the category of a cappella vocal groups, which managed without instruments except for piano accompaniment and whose singing was tuned to close harmony effects. The ensemble continued the musical style of the Comedian Harmonists.

Discography, catalog no. and date of recording in brackets

  • I was with you a thousand times in dreams (from the Ufa sound film “Amphitryon”) / Over in my homeland (EG # 3417, September 16, 1935), September 1935
  • In Mexico / I would like to be a chicken (EG # 3723, August 28, 1936), September 1936
  • I'm singing my song today 'only for you / Drunt' in Lobau (EG # 3768, November 12, 1936), December 1936
  • What is not, can still be / The Juliska from Budapest (EG # 6072, September 15, 1937), September 1937
  • Oh, I think I fell in love / I ordered a flower pot for you (EG # 6431, May 5, 1938), May 1938
  • Master sextet, formerly Comedian Harmonists , 4-CD box, complete recording of all shellacs, published: July 1st, 2003

literature

Web links

Commons : Master sextet  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. The Story of the Comedian Harmonists , Userpage.fu-berlin.de.
  2. Comedian Harmonists on steffi-line.de, accessed on March 10, 2019.
  3. Andreas Schmauder, Somewhere in the world. The records of the Comedian Harmonists and their successor groups. A. Schmauder, Horben 1999, p. 63 ff.
  4. ^ Master Sextet , Comedian-Harmonists.net, accessed on March 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Master Sextet , Comedian-Harmonists.net, accessed on March 9, 2019.
  6. Horst H. Lange: Comedian Harmonists . In: The German "78er" Discography of Hot Dance and Jazz Music 1903–1958 , Panther Verlag, Berlin 1992, pp. 215–223.