# Hanns Eisler (1898-1962)



## Morimur

*Excerpt from the article "Hanns Eisler"
by Johannes C. Gall
in Komponistenlexikon (second edition, Metzler, 2003)*

The works of Hanns Eisler encompass an extremely wide variety of musical styles. Attempts to detect the 'real Eisler' in one specific musical style or only in particular works will therefore - necessarily - miss the point.

Towards the end of the 1920s Eisler distanced himself from the aesthetic of 'art for art's sake' and subordinated his musical works to social goals. As a Marxist he saw these goals in the class struggle, in the interests of the proletariat, and in the construction and safeguarding of a socialist, and ultimately communist, society. Eisler considered adapting the musical means to such goals, and indeed the discovering of these means in the first place, as his foremost compositional priority.

Eisler's societal aspirations and the musical solutions he devised are, more than anything else, responsible for his position in the history of twentieth century music under the umbrella of 'political music'. Ironically, however, those who took up the political cause which Eisler advocated often approached him with an all too narrow conception of his work. If he was valued above all as the composer of influential mass music in the late 1920s and early 1930s, as a kindred spirit of Brecht, and as the musical originator of the National Anthem of the GDR and other vocal works with texts by Johannes R. Becher - and was for the same reasons denigrated by his critics - he was just as often the victim of attempts to subject exemplary works to aesthetic categories such as 'realism' or 'anti-formalism', these being categories which Eisler sceptically opposed as doctrinaire and whose unproblematic applicability to music he doubted. It was for this reason that, during his lifetime, a considerable part of Eisler's compositional achievement had already sunk into obscurity. […]


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## Triplets

He was featured in some of the "degenerate art" recordings. I thought his Music was interesting but not memorable. He is more important historically than musically.


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## joen_cph

The _piano music _with Keller on Accord, the _Deutsche Sinfonie _ (definitely has something extra-musical to say) & the _Chamber Symphony _ are among the highlights, IMO.
.


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## elgar's ghost

I like him - I have numerous orchestral, ensemble, chamber and vocal works of his. Brecht's texts, whether satirical or deadly serious, dovetailed marvellously with Eisler's music as they did with Weill's before him. I'd have thought that some of his chamber works might be of interest to Schoenberg fans, especially the one he dedicated to him - "Fourteen Ways to Describe the Rain", a variations work for wind quintet.


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## brotagonist

I have one of the CPO releases of his orchestral works that is very nice, as well as a reading of his Hollywood Songbook. I agree with elgars ghost: I wouldn't mind getting a few more :tiphat:


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## starthrower

Berlin Classics has released a lot of Eisler's music, and much of it was compiled into a 10 CD box by Brilliant Classics. http://www.brilliantclassics.com/articles/h/hanns-eisler-edition/


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## brotagonist

I might buy one or two of those Berlin Classics releases individually :tiphat: I have scanned them with an interested eye in the past, but I am not currently on an Eisler campaign.


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## starthrower

I bought the box set. So far I've listened to the first four CDs. I've enjoyed most of the music so far.


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## GreenMamba

I'll confess I've never to listened to him (will come back later to hear the OP's links), but Woody Guthrie wrote lyrics about the political attacks on him ("Eisler in the Go") that he never recorded. Billy Bragg and Wilco finished it up half a century later for the album Mermaid Avenue.


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## starthrower

Tricky Dick Nixon went after Eisler. Eisler's East German colleague Paul Dessau, also wrote a lot of music. Brilliant has a 12 CD box of his music.


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## brotagonist

starthrower said:


> I bought the box set. So far I've listened to the first four CDs. I've enjoyed most of the music so far.


I ended up getting one of the discs from the box


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## SiegendesLicht

I just got to know Eisler's music yesterday (apart from "Auferstanden aus Ruinen" that is), having listened to _Vierzehn Arten den Regen zu beschreiben_, _Kammer-Symphonie_, _Sturm-Suite_ and some other pieces. I don't have much experience with modern classical at all, so it is all new and strange to me, but I like him already. Even though he was a darn commie


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## Mahlerian

SiegendesLicht said:


> Even though he was a darn commie


Hey, America kicked him out. That's gotta score sympathy points with you.


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## SiegendesLicht

Another man who had his life screwed up by politics - but also by German politics to be fair. And seriously, I don't care what his own beliefs were - as long as his music is good. It's just the tiniest bit cringeworthy to hear something like _Lenin Requiem_.


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## brotagonist

^ I haven't heard that one, but Deutsche Symphonie is excellent! I am not aware of any other composer who tackled that subject when he did.


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## starthrower

Having to deal with the fascists in Germany and America, I can understand his socialist sympathies. At the time it probably seemed like the least of political evils. Germany is doing fine these days (save for Volkswagon) but America is a sham.


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## SiegendesLicht

brotagonist said:


> ^ I haven't heard that one, but Deutsche Symphonie is excellent! I am not aware of any other composer who tackled that subject when he did.


Tell me, does Beethoven's "Gott, welch Dunkel hier" really belong in the middle of it?


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## brotagonist

I don't know that piece, but, going by the title, wie könnte es sonst sein?


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## SiegendesLicht

Actually no. It seems to be some conductor from Bonn who allowed himself "creative liberty" with Eisler's symphony and inserted an aria from Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" right in the middle of it. You can hear it somewhere after 20 minutes into the symphony in the YouTube video that is in the first post of this thread. Sounds nice actually, but it is not originally a part of the piece. 

I have just finished listening to the Deutsche Symphonie. It seems, this is one of the pieces that take several listens for it to "click". I'll get back to it some day, but not today... and probably not tomorrow...


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## brotagonist

That version from Bonn is a work by the composer HK Gruber. I am not sure how much resemblance it has to the original work by Eisler. He seems to have inserted a lot of other material and I was not able to detect any of Eisler's symphony in it. Don't let that work influence your opinion of Eisler's. I suggest you listen to this one (the only Eisler original version I could locate-and a very fine one, too!):


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## SiegendesLicht

Thanks a lot! Otherwise I would be still confused. I guess I will give it a second try right now.

Edit: I gave it another listen, and this version is really much better. It is still not on a par with the "Teutonic gods" of music from the 1800s, but I like it. It reminds me of Mahler somewhat. There were a couple cringeworthy lines in there: something "vom Wesen des Klassenfeinds", but hey, this is also a part of history after all.


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## elgar's ghost

Potential Eisler fans should also check out this album where Gruber's vocal style perfectly suits the post-Weill elements of Eisler's work with Brecht.


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## brotagonist

SiegendesLicht said:


> Thanks a lot! Otherwise I would be still confused. I guess I will give it a second try right now.
> 
> Edit: I gave it another listen, and this version is really much better. It is still not on a par with the "Teutonic gods" of music from the 1800s, but I like it. It reminds me of Mahler somewhat. There were a couple cringeworthy lines in there: something "vom Wesen des Klassenfeinds", but hey, this is also a part of history after all.


I think Eisler's is an exceptional work. He was a student of Schoenberg and some of that comes through in this work, which is another reason why I love it so much and you are less willing to let yourself go with it  but I am glad you were able to appreciate it. Also, the material is politically very sensitive for the time and he did an amazing job. This work is one for posterity: it's message and depiction of the events have not dated. Yes, it is very cringeworthy, which is one reason, being German, that I was reticent to hear it-fear of more German-bashing.


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## brotagonist

elgars ghost said:


> Potential Eisler fans should also check out this album where Gruber's vocal style perfectly suits the post-Weill elements of Eisler's work with Brecht.


I have a different one of Gruber as conductor that I can also recommend (although it is not Eisler):










These are dance band (swing) arrangements of Weill's music authorized by Weill himself, here performed by the Palast Orchester and their lead singer, Max Raabe, who have specialized in music of the era.


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## SiegendesLicht

brotagonist said:


> I think Eisler's is an exceptional work. He was a student of Schoenberg and some of that comes through in this work, which is another reason why I love it so much and you are less willing to let yourself go with it  but I am glad you were able to appreciate it. Also, the material is politically very sensitive for the time and he did an amazing job. This work is one for posterity: it's message and depiction of the events have not dated. Yes, it is very cringeworthy, which is one reason, being German, that I was reticent to hear it-fear of more German-bashing.


German-bashing is what sometimes goes on in those Wagner threads; what Eisler does is self-flagellation 

And yes, by now, after listening to this symphony four times I can say with certainty that I like it, even like it very much. I guess I should start exploring Schoenberg next. But the ultimate German symphony is still the Alpine Symphony


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## brotagonist

The Alpine is one I should start getting into more  It's one of my favourite Strauss works, but I haven't paid as much attention to Strauss as I ought to have  Actually, I want to hear more Eisler!


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## Becca

SiegendesLicht said:


> But the ultimate German symphony is still the Alpine Symphony


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## SiegendesLicht

Becca said:


>


And what would the meaning of these smileys be in regard to my statement?


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## SiegendesLicht

brotagonist said:


> The Alpine is one I should start getting into more  It's one of my favourite Strauss works, but I haven't paid as much attention to Strauss as I ought to have  Actually, I want to hear more Eisler!


And I want more Eisler, more Strauss, more Wagner, more Alps, more Germanness - more of everything!

Brotagonist, have you ever been in the Bavarian Alps at the time you lived in Germany? Say, Berchtesgaden or Garmisch-Partenkirchen? If yes, than you should understand why I love the Alpine so much. But I am getting off-topic...


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## brotagonist

Since I lived in Deutschland for about 10 years, I have seen a whole lot, particularly the south, central and capital regions, but I know the north some, too.

The Alpine regions remind me very much of home, here in the Rocky Mountains of western Kanada


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## SiegendesLicht

Western Canada? O gosh, and I thought all this time you were in the US. Where is the facepalm smiley when you need it?.. 

I've been to about half of those places you mention, and the only place in Germany I would claim to know very well, is Hamburg. The other half is on my "to visit someday" list. It's just like with music - so much to explore and so little time!

I've been to the Rockies too - Colorado Rockies, not Canadian Rockies, I'd love to return there some day too and explore them - not out of a car window mostly, as I did back then, but with my own two feet and in the company of a very fit, determined and adventure-loving German 

Just so this post would have at least something to do with the topic: for now the Eisler piece I like best is _Vierzehn Arten, den Regen zu beschreiben_.


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## SiegendesLicht

I've got back home from a day of battling customers and had another listen (of the Deutsche Sinfonie that is). Sehr, sehr schön!


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## ptr

As if it has not been said before, anyone who dig songs should sample his "Hollywood leiderbuch", show Eisler as one of the best Art-song composers of the 20th century! Matthias Goerne's set in Decca's "Entartete musik" series is awesome!






"An den kleinen Radioapparat", a perfect vocal microcosm! Franz Peter or Robert would have been proud of this!

/ptr


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## Xaltotun

Haven't actually heard Eisler, but I can safely say that I really liked his book (_"Writings on music"_).


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