|
Today in the
history of music
September 6, 1962,
political composer Hans.The life of Hanns Eisler (1898-1962) ended in
East Berlin.He was born in Leipzig, educated in Schoenberg in Vienna,
and worked with Brecht in Berlin;He fled Hitler's iron fist to Hollywood
and senator McCarthy to the GDR, where he wrote the national anthem.
Hans Eisler (German: Hanns Eisler, 6 July 1898 -- 6 September 1962) was
an Austrian anti-Fascist composer, musicologist and social activist. He
was a Jewish composer of the German Democratic Republic's national
anthem, "Rise from the Ashes".
Hans Eisler was born in Leipzig, Germany, on July 6, 1898. He was
educated at the Vienna Conservatory from 1919 to 1923 in Schoenberg.He
taught in Berlin from 1924 to 1933, where he collaborated with Brecht on
revolutionary songs and worker's songs.Hitler came to power in 1933 and
went into exile.He went to the United States in 1938, went to Hollywood
in 1942 and was engaged in film score creation. He was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Original Music twice in 1944 and 1945, and was
deported by the US government in 1948.He settled in the German
Democratic Republic in 1950 and died in East Berlin on September 6,
1962.
Early career
Eisler loved music from an early age, but his family was too poor to pay
for school, let alone a piano, so he taught himself how to compose.In
1910, the Eisler family moved to Vienna.In high school, Eisler was
exposed to revolutionary ideas and studied the works of Marx and Engels.
In 1916, Eisler was recruited into the Hungarian legion of the
Austro-Hungarian army. He was wounded several times during World War I
and returned to Vienna after being discharged in 1918.In January 1919,
Eisler supported an armed workers' uprising in Berlin, Germany, but the
uprising failed.
From 1919 to 1923, Eisler studied composition at the Vienna
Conservatory, where he studied twelve-tone music under Schoenberg. He
was schoenberg's favorite student.In 1924, Eisler taught at the Berlin
Music Academy and wrote works in the style of the twelve tone system.In
1925, Eisler moved to Berlin, during which time he was influenced by
Marxism, he joined the German Communist Party in 1926.In 1927, he began
to participate in various activities of the workers' chorus and took the
teaching job.1929 eisler started cooperation with dramatist brecht,
songs, and write a large number of revolutionary songs and workers
protest weimar Germany's political situation at that time, and writing
music drama, movie, including brecht drama "decision" (1930), "mother"
(1932), etc., become well-known left-wing musicians, two artists
cooperation is lifelong.
In exile
In 1933, when Hitler came to power and established the Fascist regime,
eisler and other progressive artists were banned.Forced into exile, he
passed through Austria, France, and the Netherlands before settling
temporarily in Denmark in 1934, where he continued to work with
Brecht.Then he went to England to write film music and to America to
perform on tour.He wrote combat songs for the International Column in
support of the Spanish anti-Fascist campaign in 1937.
After moving to the United States in 1938, he taught at the New Social
Studies School in New York and the University of Southern California.In
1942, he was engaged in film music writing in Hollywood. He once worked
as the music assistant of comedy master Charlie Chaplin.Eisler has
scored eight Hollywood films and a number of documentaries, including
"The Death of the Executioner" and "Lonely Hearts," which were nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Original score for A Drama in 1944 and
1945, respectively.The film score is also an important part of Eisler's
music.
In 1940, Eisler began working on a project called "The Relationship
between music and film," which was supported by the Rockefeller
Foundation, film director Joseph Losser, and the school where Eisler
taught.In 1947, Eisler and Theodore Adorno published a book called
composing Music for Motion Pictures.
During this period eisler put his musical knowledge into full play and
produced a great number of excellent works."Fourteen Ways to Describe
Rain," which he composed for his mentor Schoenberg's 70th birthday, is
considered the pinnacle of his genre.These works also established
Eisler's reputation.
deportation
Eisler's flourishing career in the United States was interrupted by the
outbreak of the Cold War.He was accused of being "Hollywood's leading
Soviet spy" for his progressive activities and revolutionary songs, and
in 1947 he was arraigned by the Committee for African American
Activities (HUAC) and sentenced to prison for refusing to answer
questions.
After international progressives Charlie Chaplin, Picasso and others
formed a rescue committee to protest to the US government, Eessler was
sentenced to deportation in 1948.[7]
On March 26, 1948, Hans Eisler and his wife, Louise Chu, left Laguardia
Airport for Prague.Before leaving, he said: "I leave this country in
great pain and anger.In 1933, when I was offered a reward by the evil
Hitler, I accepted it because I knew it was an evil time and I was proud
to be expelled.But now That I have been so absurdly expelled from this
beautiful country, my heart is broken! '
Settled in Berlin
In 1948, Eisler returned to his native Austria.After the founding of the
German Democratic Republic, he settled in East Berlin and continued to
work with Brecht. He continued to work in composition and music theory
and became a famous social activist.In 1949, he composed the song
"Auferstanden Aus Ruinen," the National anthem of the German Democratic
Republic.[8]
During this period, although Eisler was well known in the GDR, some of
his avant-garde music was not recognized by the government.Eisler had
ambitions to write the opera John Faust.It tells the story of an
indecisive man who turns his back on the working class by refusing to
fight in the German peasant war.In 1952, he finished the play's script
and lyrics, but the work was criticized by the GDR government after it
was published.Eisler was so devastated that he failed to complete the
composition of The opera John Faust and suffered from depression as a
result.
Hans eisler was awarded the Nationalpreis der DDR twice in 1950 and 1958
for his musical achievements.
In 1956, Eessler's best friend, Brecht, died, grieving and his health
deteriorated.On September 6, 1962, Hans Eisler died of a heart attack in
East Berlin at the age of 64.He was buried in the Dorothea Stadt
cemetery in Berlin's Mitzvich district, where his dear friend Brecht
also rests.
Today's video: 1. Hans.Eisler East German national anthem: Rise from the
Ashes;2. String Quartet by Hans Eisler (2018);3. Spartacus by Hans
Eisler;4. The Swamp Soldier by Hans Eisler |
|
|
|
|
Eisler was one of
the most prolific musicians of the 20th century.
Music works
More than 600 songs, including "Rise from the Ashes" (Auferstandenaus
Ruinen, national anthem of the GDR, with music by Hans Eisler and lyrics
by poet Johannes Bessel, later to become minister of Education), "Anthem
of the Blue Flag", "Comi International", "Cradle Song of The Worker
Mother", etc.
There are many orchestral chorus songs, the famous are: Against the War,
Lenin's Memorial, the Children's Song.
There are two operas, Goliath and John Faust (not all finished) [12],
and operetta Roundhead and Pointe Head.
The instrumental music includes 8 orchestral suites, 2 symphonies and
various small instrumental pieces.
In addition, there are more than 40 film music and 30 drama music
(mainly cooperated with Brecht, such as Mother, Galileo, etc.).
Theoretical work
"Crisis of Bourgeois Music Culture", "The Road to the Development of
Socialist Music" [13], "Music and Politics" and other published works
and a large number of papers.
In 1968, the German Democratic Republic published three volumes of
Eisler's works, including one volume each of acoustic music,
instrumental music and literary treatise. |
|
|
|