politics of music

"The Illegal Contraband of Unrestrained Harmony"

While one rarely hears in the news or media about music and politics, the division of music in the fine arts has always found itself both in communion with and at war with the world of politics. One cannot really completely erase the relationship: it is always present. Music has sent soldiers into war, raised national fervor, and attended the death of Presidents and Kings. Likewise, Music has had a difficult dance with the State: the State throughout history has both supported the arts, sponsored the Arts and kept the arts free, and at other times and the same time controlled, defined and tried to bring captive the euphony which can act as the most powerful motivation and propaganda available.

The Politics of Aesthetics

What constitutes beauty in a culture or society? The debate and philosophy regarding what is beautiful goes on and has since the beginning. It is noted under an area of Philosophy called 'Aesthetics' and discussions of the characteristics, perceptions and foundations of 'beauty' find themselves among the musings of Plato, Aristotle and many others.

Why would the topic of Aesthetics even enter into discussions of the Third Reich, of Nazi Germany and Hitler's "New European Order"? The answer lies in Hitler's view of society and his beliefs about the 'degeneration' of societal concepts, one of which formidably in the area of Aesthetics. Since all of Hitler's vision for the "New Order" was intertwined in a 'Coordination' of all levels of society: the Art, Music, Architecture, Politics, Academics Religion, Media, Workforce and other Cultural and Business facets of German society were to be 'coordinated' into the new 'progressive' views of the Reich. This is somewhat of a paradox because those views while espousing grand inroads into progressive technologies also thoroughly integrated the 'Old ways' of Nordic culture, including concepts discussed elsewhere such as the The Volk, Volkische mysticism (See Nazi Beliefs), Nordic mythology and archetype, battle/struggle themes [even Mein Kampf refers to 'struggle'], and other ancient concepts and pursuits.

As the Third Reich rose to power, one of its aims was to 're-culturize' Germany, to take it back to its roots and earlier belief systems which the Reich felt were superior to modern 'degenerations'. Much of this belief was tied up in their belief in Root Race Theory which while having many versions basically espouses the view that superior races would grow either parallel to or out of earlier 'inferior' types and that a utopian society would arise as the superior racial type took over and replaced the earlier.