Klarinet Archive - Posting 001100.txt from 2000/12

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: Wlach the Nazi
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 19:28:37 -0500

I have to say I have no 'proof' (documents or such) in front of me relating
to Wlach's party affiliation.

I guess what disturbs me is that accusing Wlach to be an anti-semite is of
being a nazi is some kind of slander, but accusing him of being anti semetic
is not a big deal. Well, I don't see how one is worse than the other, but
perhaps someone can explain.

Furthermore, regarding all those 'good' Germans and Austrians who claimed not
to know what was happening to their Jewish neighbors (and co-workers): what
did they think was happening? Or did they not care?

Finally, I enclose an excerpt from a long article by William Osborne about
the history of the VPO and its racism and sexism. Judge for yourself.

"Due to the Vienna Philharmonic's long history of racial and ethnic
ideology, it was easily appropriated and transformed into one of of the
most active orchestras for the support of National Socialism. In 1938
Austria was made part of Germany through the "Anschluss", which was
euphorically greeted by a wide spectrum of Austrian society. A program
was set in motion to "Aryanize" Austrian culture. As a result, Wilhelm
Jerger, who was a contrabassist in the orchestra and a Lieutenant
in the SS, became the chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Forty-seven percent of the Vienna Philharmonic's members belonged to the
Nazi party, and many were members well before 1938 when it was still
illegal in Austria to be a party member.(9) Six members of the orchestra
were Jewish and died in the concentration camps, and another eleven were
able to save their lives by timely immigration. Nine additional members
were found to be of "mixed race" or "contaminated by kinship"
("Versippte") and reduced to secondary status within the orchestra.(10)
Since 47% of the members belonged to the National Socialist Party, and
since 26 non-Aryans were either murdered, exiled or reduced in status, the
strongly fascist tendencies of what remained of the orchestra are clear.

The orchestra's many activities in the service of National Socialism began
only days after the Anschluss. They began with a trip to Berlin to
perform a concert under the direction of Furtwaengler especially for
Hitler. The Anschluss euphoria continued when they performed the
"Meistersinger von Nuermberg", again with Furtwaengler, at the Nuermberg
Party Days in 1938. Hitler was so taken with their performance and their
show of devotion that he promised the orchestra his personal protection
and concern.(11) The Vienna Philharmonic was asked to be a yearly fixture
at the Nuermberg party rallies(12). They thus became part of the central
paradigm of National Socialist cultural ritual.

In this capacity and many others, the orchestra became one of the most
important propaganda instruments for the Party. For example, they made
many tours of the occupied areas where it was considered most essential to
"Germanize" the conquered peoples. These tours included cities such as
Krakow, Copenhagen, Den Haag, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dijon.

The Vienna Philharmonic's centennial fell in 1942 and was commemorated
with a book entitled _Erbe und Sendung_ (_Inheritance and Mission_) by
Wilhelm Jerger. The book very clearly documents the ideologies of the
orchestra and how ideally suited they were to appropriation by National
Socialism. For example, the book includes the genealogies of several
prominent father and son generations that filled the ranks of the
Philharmonic, and every "non-Aryan" in the tables has a special asterisk
by his name. Jerger explains that the Aryan stock of these Philharmonic
families was so "tough" that the purity of their "blood" wasn't notably
damaged by the "dysgenic" influences:

"And here it is demonstrated, that in spite of manifold influences of
blood from elsewhere, this Mind [Geist] continues to implant itself with
great toughness through the ancestral lineage, and that it is often very
sharply imprinted. It is understandable, that such an inheritance must
beget outstanding musicians, who in their stylistic education and in their
experience of orchestral playing are already extraordinarily schooled.
This is Mind from Old Mind, which helps tradition and inheritance, an
overcoming investment [ueberkommene Anlage] to a special development and
fulfillment."(13)

After the war the de-nazification of the Vienna Philharmonic was conducted
in a disinterested, half-hearted and careless manner. The reasoning was
that due to the war there were not adequate replacements for the many
National Socialists in the orchestra, and that due to its special
qualities the Vienna Philharmonic deserved special treatment.(15) The
orchestra argued with singular logic that it had lost so much through
"Aryanization" that it could not afford to lose anymore quality through
"de-nazification".

The government offered its "complete agreement for the position" and said
"the current condition would be bearable, since it was the view that in
the interest of the cultural mission of Austria, artists in general, and
especially the Vienna Philharmonic, would be subject to a different
evaluation than other professional groups."(16) Only five of the many
Nazis in the orchestra were fired. Later ten others were given an early
retirement whose ages were between 54 and 66. And of the 5 who were
actually fired 3 soon returned to the orchestra due to the Philharmonic's
common administration with the Volksoper where they had obtained work.
Thus only 2 National Socialists of some 60 in the orchestra were really
fired. These were Wilhelm Jerger, and a violist who the orchestra
resented, not because he was a National Socialist, but because he obtained
his position during the war without auditioning.(16)

The lax de-nazification of the Vienna Philharmonic had an affect on
orchestral policy. Toscanini refused to work with them because of the
Nazis who remained in the orchestra. In 1947 he was asked to conduct, but
said he would only do so if certain fascists were removed from the
orchestra. The Vienna Philharmonic refused.(17)

In 1949 the Vienna Philharmonic voted to take a pay cut in order finance
an apartment, pension, and chauffeur for Hans Pfitzner, a composer who is
considered to have been one of the most active anti-semitic spokesmen in
the music-world of the Third Reich. Among his many National Socialist
activities, he advised the regime on racial cleansing. In the horrific
language of National Socialism this was referred to as the "Entjudung"
("de-Jewing) of culture. Fulfilling a function similar to the Vienna
Philharmonic's, he was widely performed in the conquered countries in
order to "Germanize" them. He was held forth to the subdued peoples an
example of the "most German" [deutschester] composer. Nazi officials
"celebrated Pfitzner as one of National Socialism's most
related-in-character [wesenverwandten] German fighters and exhorters of
music."(18) It is thus informative that in 1949 the Vienna Philharmonic
elected Pfitzner to be an honorary member of the orchestra.(19)

In 1953 the orchestra caused international concern when it elected a
former SS Sargent and member of the the Sicherheitsdienst (which included
the Gestapo) as its Executive Manager (Geshaeftsfuehrer).(20) Actions such
as these made it difficult for the Vienna Philharmonic to leave behind its
reputation as a "Nazi Orchestra" in spite of its fine music-making. That
they continue to express the belief that gender and ethnic uniformity give
them aesthetic superiority has not helped their image.

(9) Hellsberg, 1992, 464. See also his endnote number 17, page 672.
(10) Ibid. 505.
(11) Ibid. 464.
(12) Ibid. 464.
(13) Jerger, Wilhelm, _Erbe und Sendung_ (Wien: Wiener Verlag Ernst Sopper
& Karl Bauer, 1942) 87. Copies of this book are rare. Thanks to Manuela
Schreibmaier for finding and making a copy available to me.
(14) Ibid. 57.
(15) Hellsberg, 510.
(16) Ibid. 510.
(17) Ibid. 518.
(18) Ibid. 549-551

---------------------------------------------------------------------
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