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Comedian Harmonists (from left: Robert Biberti, Erich Collin, Erwin Bootz, Roman Cycowski, Harry Frommermann, Ari Leschnikoff)

The Comedian Harmonists was an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble (5 singers plus pianist) that operated between 1927 and 1934. They were one of the most successful 20th century musical groups in Europe before World War II and were noted for using their voices to imitate musical instruments. The Comedian Harmonists were founded in Berlin-Friedenau in the flat of Harry Frommermann (Stubenrauchstraße 47). Today a commemorative plaque marks the spot. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Comedian Harmonists, 1930 From left: Robert Biberti, Erich Collin, Erwin Bootz, Roman Cycowski, Harry Frommermann, Ari Leschnikoff This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Comedian Harmonists, 1930 From left: Robert Biberti, Erich Collin, Erwin Bootz, Roman Cycowski, Harry Frommermann, Ari Leschnikoff This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range, typically one octave. ... A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The hallmark of the Comedian Harmonists was the unusual extent to which the members were able, whilst having different vocal qualities one from another, to blend very accurately and subtly so that the individual singers could appear and disappear back into the vocal texture with almost effortless skill.

The choice of repertoire was wide, ranging from folksong and classical numbers (usually arranged by the energetic and sensitive Frommermann) to the attractive and witty popular songs of the day by such writers as Peter Igelhoff, Werner Heymann and Paul Abraham. Paul Abraham (Pál Ábrahám) (* November 2, 1892 in Apatin, (Hungary); † May 6, 1960 in Hamburg) was a composer of operettas. ...

Supported by Bootz, who had trained as a concert pianist, each member had something unique to contribute. Frommermann himself was a capable tenor, with a mellifluous speaking voice which he used very effectively and confidentially from time to time; he also supplied most of the bizarre vocal interjections (and stage antics) that decorated the more lively songs. Robert Biberti, Frommermann's first recruit, had an extremely flexible and, from time to time comically communicative, dark ("black") bass voice which the group frequently used in solo work beneath a flowing accompaniment by the others. The baritone Roman Cycowski's operatically powerful and melodically pleasing timbre provided essentially the heart of the Comedian Harmonists' unique sound. Erich Collin, who joined the group in 1929 as a replacement for the original second tenor Walter Nüssbaum, besides acting as the secretary of the group (he spoke seven languages) had a musicianship which allowed him to secure the most awkward and crucial harmonic moments with complete accuracy, whilst the silver-voiced Ari Leschnikoff quickly became a household name for his ability to sing a top part out of the reach of most comparable tenors: he was said to be able to sing a top F on the treble stave without using any falsetto. In music a bassline, also bass line, is an instrumental part, or line, which is in the bass or lowest range and thus lower than the other parts and part of the rhythm section. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range, in the treble range. ...

History

In 1927, unemployed actor Harry Frommermann was inspired by The Revelers, a United States jazz-influenced popular vocal group, and wished to create a German group of the same format. Frommermann held auditions for parts, and once the group was assembled, quickly began rehearsal. After some initial failures, the Harmonists soon found success, becoming popular throughout Europe. They also toured the United States and starred in 12 films. The Revelers was an American all-male close harmony group popular in the late 20s and early 30s. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This article is about motion pictures. ...

The Comedian Harmonists were heavily influenced by U.S. hot pop music and jazz, with the influence of early Mills Brothers being particularly strong in many of their recordings. The Mills Brothers were a major African-American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. ...

Their success continued into the early 1930s, but they eventually ran into trouble with newly-risen Nazi regime. Half the group members--Frommermann, Collin, and Cycowski--were either Jewish or of Jewish descent, and Bootz had a Jewish wife. Initially they were only forbidden from performing pieces by Jewish composers. Eventually, though, they were officially banned from performing in public. They gave their last concert in Munich on March 25, 1934. The three Jewish members subsequently fled Germany. The remaining members then replaced their counterparts and performed as separate groups, but were never able to re-achieve their original success. Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After the group broke up under Nazi pressure, its three Jewish members, Frommermann, Cycowski and Collin, left Germany to form an emigrant group, the Comedy Harmonists, finding a new pianist, bass and high tenor. From his spacious flat in Berlin, Robert Biberti took charge of a successor group in Germany, the Meistersextett, with Bootz, Leschnikoff and three new members. By 1941, both groups had disbanded, essentially because Biberti was conscripted and Cycowski lost all desire to continue. Each successor group lacked something vital from the original formation. The Meistersextett perhaps sounds thin and cold without Cycowski; conversely, the Comedy Harmonists clearly lack Biberti and the stratospheric Leschnikoff.

However, the emigrant group, which performed under the names "Comedian Harmonists" and "Comedy Harmonists" enjoyed extensive success in Australia throughout the 1930s. In 1940, the group traveled to the United States for a tour, and, due to unsafe waters, were unable to return to Australia. German performers were unpopular in the United States during the war, and the group was not able to get a lot of work; they disbanded in 1941. Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The German group, which was forced to rename themselves "Das Meistersextett", as not to have an English-language name, did not fare as well as the emigrants. Frequent political in-fighting and heavy censorship crippled their act. Members were drafted into the German army, and finally, they, too, disbanded in 1941. For other uses, see Censor. ... The German Army (German: [1], [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

The group was largely forgotten until filmmaker Eberhard Fechner created a four-hour black and white television documentary, interviewing the surviving group members. The documentary aired over two nights in German in 1975, and caused a resurgence of interest in the music of the Comedian Harmonists. Their old records were released on vinyl, and sold well. Royalties from these record sales provided some much-needed income for the aging Harmonists, who were then scattered throughout the world. Since then, their reputation has continued to grow unabated; of the original six, only Roman Cycowski lived to see just how great that reputation had become by the century's end. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The King's Singers recorded their music in the 1980's "A Tribute To The Comedian Harmonists". In 1997, a German biopic, Comedian Harmonists (The Harmonists in the United States) was released. The musical scores in the movie were all original recordings, lip synched by the actors. The Kings Singers are a famous a cappella group, consisting of two countertenors, two tenors, a baritone and a bass. ... A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ... Lip synchronization is the synchronization of audio signals (sometimes with corresponding video signals) so that there is no noticeable lack of simultaneity between them. ...

Members

• Harry Frommermann (1906 - 1975), buffo-tenor
• Ari Leschnikoff (1897 - 1978), first tenor
• Erich Collin (1899 - 1961), second tenor
• Roman Cycowski (1901 - 1998), baritone
• Robert Biberti (1902 - 1985), bass
• Erwin Bootz (1907 - 1982), pianist

1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Baritone (disambiguation). ... Year 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... A basso (or bass) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ...

Popular songs

• "Creole Love Call" by Duke Ellington
• Die Dorfmusik ("The Village Music")
• Ein bißchen Leichtsinn kann nicht schaden ("A Little Carelessness Can't Hurt")
• Hallo, was machst Du heut', Daisy? ("Hello, What Are You Doing Today, Daisy?")
• In einem kühlen Grunde ("In A Cool Place")
• Irgendwo auf der Welt ("Somewhere In the World")
• Kannst Du pfeifen, Johanna? ("Can you Whistle, Johanna?")
• Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus ("My Little Green Cactus")
• Schöne Lisa, süße Lisa ("Beautiful Lisa, Sweet Lisa")
• Veronika, der Lenz ist da ("Veronika, Spring is here")
• Wochenend und Sonnenschein ("Weekend and Sunshine")
• Schöne Isabella aus Kastilien ("Beautiful Isabel from Castile")

This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Irgendwo auf der Welt (literally, Somewhere in the World) is one of the most popular songs by the German sextet, the Comedian Harmonists. ... Veronika, der Lenz ist da (Veronica, Spring Has Come) is a popular song by Walter Jurmann which was popularised by the German sextet, the Comedian Harmonists. ... Wochenend und Sonnenschein is a song first performed by the German sestet the Comedian Harmonists. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

External links

• The Web's Resources for The Comedian Harmonists Lyrics, photos, discography, and more.
• Comedian Harmonists at the Internet Movie Database
• Comedian Harmonists (movie) entry at the Internet Movie Database
• Fan page currently in German only, English promised to follow
• History and pictures
• Discography
• Links to audio samples