Klarinet Archive - Posting 000679.txt from 2000/10

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Swing Music in the Nazi Era (redux)
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 13:37:20 -0400

Daniel Leeson quoted someone on another list, who wrote,
>>Listmembers may remember the thread called "Regulations against swing
>>music in the Nazi era". Dan Leeson posted this set of 10 rules signed by
>>a Baldur von Blodheim, Reichsmusicfuhrer und Oberscharfuhrer SS, saying
>>that he thought the whole thing was dubious. These rules are quite well
>>known in the Jazz community - the list Dan posted is more or less a word
>>for word transcription of a list that appears in Joseph Skvorecky's _Red
>>Music_ - with the addition of this Baldur von Blodheim.

Referring to Michael H. Kater as authority for the assertion that the rules
are a hoax, the person from the other list continued,
>>This bemused me somewhat and I wrote to Professor Kater privately. He
>>told me in reply that he had not specifically disproven the list of
>>Skvorecky's instructions - because there simply were too many lists to
>>set them all straight. But that *if I read his three books carefully* it
>>would be clear why he thought they were a hoax. I just wanted to make
>>that clear to people - That while Dan correctly intuited the falsity of
>>the list and Professor Kater, because of his command of the material,
>>understands that Skvorecky's instructions are fake - To *see* that they
>>are fake the non-specialist must read Professor Kater's books closely.
>>As I say the falsity of the list is not known in the Jazz world (at
>>least not the part I belong to), though the list itself is.

Dan, thanks for the follow-up. I'm confused: Does Professor Kater believe
that Joseph Skvorecky (a splendid satirist!) invented this hoax and wrote the
list himself, as original creative work? Or did Skvorecky knowingly
perpetrate a hoax begun by someone else? Or did Skvorecky believe this list
was genuine?

I'm a great fan of Joseph Skvorecky, especially his novella, "The Bass
Saxophone". I've also seen the list, or something worded almost identically
(the differences could be attributed to variant translations) reproduced
elsewhere, as factual, without reference to Skvorecky. Recently I even
quoted that list on a saxophone site, in the belief that the list was
genuine. Therefore, your information interests me a great deal and I'm glad
you're setting me (and a lot of other people) straight. Thank you for taking
the trouble.

Skvorecky is still alive, I believe, and may still teach literature in his
adopted country, Canada. If anyone knows how to contact him, it might be
possible to ask him directly.

Lelia

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org