The "Solidaritätslied" ("Solidarity Song") is a

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

working song written between 1929 and 1931 by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

, and set to music by Hanns Eisler. It was written against the background of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the Great War (1914–18), and the social issues caused by the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

that were explored in Brecht's 1932 film ''

Kuhle Wampe ''Kuhle Wampe'' (full title: ''Kuhle Wampe, oder: Wem gehört die Welt?'', translated in English as ''Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?'', and released in the USA as ''Whither Germany?'' by Kinematrade Inc.) is a 1932 German feature film abou ...

'' in which the song also appeared.

History

Two versions of the text exist, both written by Brecht. The better known version is the second, written during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, which is more abstract and ideological. The first version is more closely tied to the film ''Kuhle Wampe''. In 1932, the song was first performed with the collaboration of several working-men's choirs. The song spread quickly in the final months of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, particularly at sporting events.

Structure and score

The begins with the following verse: : In Eisler's arrangement, the first four syllables of the word "

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...

" are repeated on the same pitch (a "D" above a

subdominant In music, the subdominant is the fourth tonal degree () of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the tonic as the dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdomina ...

G minor chord), while the final syllable is sung one semitone (half step) lower, a C over a dominant

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

chord. The final four bars of the song repeat this chord change, ending on the dominant instead of the more natural return to the tonic, leaving the end of the song open, both musically and textually: : The melody follows the

BACH motif In music, the BACH motif is the motif, a succession of notes important or characteristic to a piece, ''B flat, A, C, B natural''. In German musical nomenclature, in which the note ''B natural'' is named ''H'' and the ''B flat'' named ...

. The four notes are heard in the bars 1, 2, 5, and 6; the "D" and "C" in bars 9 and 10 continue the sequence.

Versions

The text has been translated into multiple languages. The best known version was performed by Ernst Busch, who also appeared in ''Kuhle Wampe''. In 1961, a group of noted East German composers produced the joint composition ("Orchestral variations of Eisler's Solidarity Song"). Among these were

Andre Asriel Andre Asriel (22 February 1922 – 28 May 2019) was an Austrian-German composer. Life Born in Vienna, Asriel first attended the Akademisches Gymnasium and then the Bundesgymnasium IX ( Gymnasium Wasagasse) in Vienna, where the later Oscar ...

Fritz Geißler Fritz Geißler (or Geissler) (16 September 1921 in Wurzen, Saxony – 11 January 1984 in Bad Saarow, Brandenburg) was one of the most important composers of the German Democratic Republic. The son of Elsa and Walther Geißler, he was raised in m ...

, Herbert Kirmße,

Günter Kochan Günter Kochan (2 October 1930 – 22 February 2009) was a German composer. He studied with Boris Blacher and was a master student for composition with Hanns Eisler. From 1967 until his retirement in 1991, he worked as professor for musical comp ...

, Siegfried Köhler, ,

Joachim Werzlau Joachim Werzlau (5 August 1913 – 23 October 2001)Walk, InesJoachim Werzlau(in German) DEFA, retrieved 10 August 2021. was a German pianist, radio consultant and composer. He belonged to the first generation of composers in the GDR, where he was ...

and Ruth Zechlin, some of whom were students of Eisler.

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

's 1975 composition for piano ''

The People United Will Never Be Defeated! ''The People United Will Never Be Defeated!'' (1975) is a piano composition by American composer Frederic Rzewski. ''The People United'' is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song " ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and ...

'' cites the "Solidaritätslied" at Variation 26. The final two bars were used as an

interval signal An interval signal, or tuning signal, is a characteristic sound or musical phrase used in international broadcasting, numbers stations, and by some domestic broadcasters, played before commencement or during breaks in transmission, but most comm ...

by the East German broadcaster .

References

External links

*
Text of the "Solidaritätslied"

– Complete recording of the "Solidaritätslied" with Ernst Busch (

RealAudio RealAudio, or also spelled as Real Audio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks and first released in April 1995. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fid ...

-file under "Creative partnership with Bertolt Brecht") {{DEFAULTSORT:Solidaritatslied Political songs Songs with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht Compositions by Hanns Eisler 1931 songs

History

Structure and score

Versions

See also

References

External links