"Sleeps a song in all things" - Music Cultures

“Sleeps a song in all things”? Music is and always has been many things: a means of entertainment or elitist self-expression, an obvious or hidden bridge between cultures, a propaganda weapon or a symbol of cultural independence. And music and sound are part of historical, submerged soundscapes. Selected contributions illuminate their multi-layered role in the history of Eastern Europe.

Introduction
The National Opera in Central and Eastern Europe
Today it is the passion of a select few music lovers – but in the 19th century, opera was a major social event, an expression of national consciousness, or even the musical declaration of national independence. But how did this happen? What role does the national opera play in Eastern Europe? And...
Rüdiger Ritter
Background Article
Gdansk’s “Soundscape” and Music Culture between 1800 and 1945
Can soundscapes of the past be reconstructed? What did cities actually sound like in centuries gone by? And do we associate certain sounds and soundscapes with the history of particular cities? This text introduces some possibilities of soundscape research, using the city of Gdansk as an example.
Peter Oliver Loew
Introduction
Jazz in the Eastern Bloc
A Playing Field for Nonconformists and Propaganda Strategists
More than just music: During the Cold War, jazz suddenly found itself between all fronts – at the same time, it served as a propaganda weapon, a symbol of freedom and a musical bridge between East and West.
Rüdiger Ritter
Background Article
How Jazz Came to Poland
The YMCA Polska as a hub of transatlantic exchange
Freedom, independence, modernity, an alternative cultural lifestyle, and musical resistance to the communist regime — these were the qualities attributed to the jazz scene in the Polish People’s Republic, a scene that would become a pioneering force in the development of jazz cultures throughout...
Malte Hoge

Portrait photo of singer Mia Jacob

The Sounds of Bukovina

Twelve musical contributions give insight into the music history of a landscape on the northeastern edge of the Carpathians.

All articles

Editorial

M.K. Ciurlionis (1875-1911)
Synaesthesia of Art and Music, Lithuanian Cultural Rejuvenation, and the Tragedy of an Unrecognized Artist and Composer
Biographical Portrait
Enter a cosmic universe created by the symbiosis of both art and music. Lithuanian composer and artist, M. K. Ciurlionis, used this intentional association of art with music and vice-versa to create a sensation that goes beyond the medium of art or music to engender a Lithuanian national cultural...
Dylan McNeill
Emil Orlik
A Multi-talented Artist
Picture gallery
Emil Orlik (1870–1932) was one of the most famous and versatile Czech artists of the turn of the century. He was known primarily as a graphic artist and draftsman whose artistic work ranged between realism and art nouveau. His extensive oeuvre includes drawings of famous contemporary musicians and...
Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie
Artist and Art Figure
Life Concepts and Reception of the Musician and Writer Monika Hunnius
Biographical Portrait
Monika Hunnius is generally known as a Baltic German author. She, however, saw herself as a musician – and was part of a network of musicians that extended all over Europe, to which Julius Stockhausen, Johannes Brahms, and Clara Schumann belonged as well.
Anja Wilhelmi

A Steinway for Eugen d'Albert?
Object Story
In the “Eichendorff Hall” of Haus Schlesien in Königswinter there is a Steinway grand piano made of lemon wood. It is a noteworthy museum object not only because the famous Steinway & Sons lettering is emblazoned on it, but also, and above all, because it was owned by Gerhart Hauptmann, the...
Antje Johanning-Radžienė
A celebrated conductor from Liegnitz
Benjamin Bilse (1816–1902)
Biographical Portrait
He is considered the ancestor of the Berlin Philharmonic: Benjamin Bilse, born in Liegnitz, Silesia, was one of the most famous conductors of the 2nd half of the 19th century.
Antje Johanning-Radžienė
Wife Gone, Money of Course Too
Richard Wagner on his Way to Riga
Biographical Portrait
An important stop for the young Richard Wagner is Riga at the end of the 1830s. However, there are no artistic reasons that lead the upcoming composer to the northeast of Europe.
Felix Köther