Friedrich Wilhelm Herzog (30 March 1902 – 3 November 1976) was a German writer and

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

Life

Born in

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

, Herzog joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party in 1931 and became head of the music department of the Militant League for German Culture. Ernst Klee: ''Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Who was what before and after 1945.'' S. Fischer, Frankfurt 2007, , . After the

Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

by the Nazi, he and 87 other writers signed the

Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft The Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft (variously translated from German to English as "vow of most faithful allegiance", "proclamation of loyalty of German writers" or "promise of most loyal obedience") was a declaration by 88 German writers and poe ...

to Adolf Hitler in October 1933. In 1934, he published the book ''Was ist deutsche Musik'' in which he wrote: "We want music that is filled with the expressive power of the National Socialist idea." In the same year on 1 July, he became editor of the magazine ''Die Musik, Organ der NS-Kulturgemeinde''. At the end of August 1935, Herzog was briefly held in Gestapo custody because, according to the diary entries of

Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...

, he had seriously insulted his wife Magda.Ernst Klee: ''The Cultural Encyclopaedia on the Third Reich. Who was what before and after 1945.'' S. Fischer, Frankfurt 2007, . This only harmed him in the short term, however, because in 1936 he was promoted from editor to editor of the journal ''Die Musik'' by the editor-in-chief. However, he was later replaced by Herbert Gerigk. The latter judged thus Herzog: "Herzog made ''Die Musik'' into an uncompromisingly managed organ of National Socialist culture.“ After the Second World War Herzog worked as a music teacher. He died in his hometown Oldenburg in 1976 at the age of 74.

Work

* '' Wilhelm Backhaus. Der Pianist der Totalität'', Berlin 1935 (Musikalische Schriftenreihe der NS-Kulturgemeinde, H. 8)''Wilhelm Backhaus Der Pianist d. Totalität''
on WorldCat

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herzog, Friedrich Wilhelm 20th-century German writers German music critics Nazi Party members 1902 births 1976 deaths People from Oldenburg (city)