Music of the Third Reich During the Nazi regime, Hitler and his party members used propaganda as an integral method to promote the philosophies of the Third Reich. Due to Hitler’s lifelong passion for it, music became one of the essential avenues of Hitler’s propaganda messages. Bruckner, Beethoven and most Notably Wagner were just a few of the many composers whom were glorified by Hitler. Through a discriminant handpicking of composers, the Nazi regime was able to rewrite German music history and efficaciously promote and produce music that paralleled the ideas of the party. Prior to the Nazi Regime music had an extensive record of tradition and success in Germany. This success is most famously represented by the timeless pieces of Mozart,
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Beethoven was German born and then moved to Vienna in his twenties to study with Haydn. Beethoven served as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras in western art. But where does Beethoven fit into the Regime’s repurposing of German music? Beethoven once said “strength is the morality of the man who stands out from the rest” representing a German spirit that Hitler identified with. This attitude accompanied with an overwhelming love of Beethoven by the German people made him a member of the elite group of Hitler’s glorified …show more content…
Hitler had a clear and concise opinion on the purpose of propaganda: to implement Nazi policies and ideals, maintain power, appeal to the feelings of the German people, and to justify the extermination of Jews and other inferiors. Music for the Nazi’s had the same purpose in achieving the goals of the party, and because of its rich history, could be used more effectively than other methods of propaganda. The Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels summarized this by saying, “music affects the heart and emotions more than the intellect. Where then could the heart of a nation beat stronger than in the huge masses, in which the heart of a nation has found its true home?” (Gilbert,
Beethoven was German born and then moved to Vienna in his twenties to study with Haydn. Beethoven served as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras in western art. But where does Beethoven fit into the Regime’s repurposing of German music? Beethoven once said “strength is the morality of the man who stands out from the rest” representing a German spirit that Hitler identified with. This attitude accompanied with an overwhelming love of Beethoven by the German people made him a member of the elite group of Hitler’s glorified …show more content…
Hitler had a clear and concise opinion on the purpose of propaganda: to implement Nazi policies and ideals, maintain power, appeal to the feelings of the German people, and to justify the extermination of Jews and other inferiors. Music for the Nazi’s had the same purpose in achieving the goals of the party, and because of its rich history, could be used more effectively than other methods of propaganda. The Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels summarized this by saying, “music affects the heart and emotions more than the intellect. Where then could the heart of a nation beat stronger than in the huge masses, in which the heart of a nation has found its true home?” (Gilbert,