Forms of German-language music include Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW), Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, German hip hop, trance, Schlager and multiple varieties of folk music. Classical composers include Richard Wagner and Johann Sebastian Bach, while Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was among many opera composers who created the field of German opera. The electronic music of Germany consists of a number of genres that are popular around the world today. ... Although German rock music (Deutschrock) didnt come into its own until the late 1960s, it spawned many innovative and influential bands spanning genres such as krautrock, New Wave, punk, and industrial. ... Krautrock, also known as Kosmische Musik, is a generic name for the experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... The term German hip hop denotes hip hop music produced in Germany. ... Bavaria has been part of the Alpine New Wave of folk music alongside Switzerland and Austria. ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... Volkstümliche Musik (German folksy music) is a modern variation on the traditional music of German-speaking countries in general and their Alpine regions in particular. ... Schlager (German Schlager, literally hitter or, more loosely translated, a hit) is a style of popular music that is prevalent in northern Europe, in particular Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also to a lesser extent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Mozarts German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner. ... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... The expression romantic music and the homophone phrase Romantic music have two essentially different meanings. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... Oom-pah is an onomatopoeic name for a type of Germanic music typically involving brass instruments. ... Volksmusik is a style of traditional music often accompanied by one or especially two singers, which is most popular amongst older people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ... The Schuhplattler is a traditional folk dance from Bavaria and Austria. ... Yodeling (or Yodelling) is a form of singing that involves rapidly switching from the chest voice to the head voice making a high-low-high-low sound. ... Media Control GfK International is an enterprise which represents recording industry in Germany. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Das Lied der Deutschen (The Song of the Germans, also known as Das Deutschlandlied, The Song of Germany) has been used wholly or partially as the national anthem of Germany since 1922. ... Denmark is a Nordic country that has long been a center of cultural innovation. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave, often abbreviated NDW) was a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music in 1976. ... Krautrock, also known as Kosmische Musik, is a generic name for the experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... Introduction The tagline Wir sind neu in der Hamburger Schule (Whe are new to the Hamburg school) of Tocotronic gave name to a group of rock bands coming from Hamburg in the 90s formed around the LAge DOr label. ... Volksmusik is a style of traditional music often accompanied by one or especially two singers, which is most popular amongst older people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ... The term German hip hop denotes hip hop music produced in Germany. ... Trance is a style of electronic music that developed in the 1990s. ... Schlager (German Schlager, literally hitter or, more loosely translated, a hit) is a style of popular music that is prevalent in northern Europe, in particular Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also to a lesser extent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. ... Folk song redirects here. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... “Bach” redirects here. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Mozarts German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner. ...

The beginning of what is now considered German music could be traced back to the 12th century compositions of mystic abbess Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote a variety of hymns and other kinds of Christian music. Illumination from the Liber Scivias showing Hildegard receiving a vision and dictating to her scribe and secretary Hildegard of Bingen (German: Hildegard von Bingen; Latin: Hildegardis Bingensis; 1098 – 17 September 1179), also known as Blessed Hildegard and Saint Hildegard, was a German magistra who later founded convents (Rupertsberg in 1150... For other uses, see Hymn (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Athanasius · Augustine · Constantine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Calvin · Luther · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christian...

Minnesingers and Meistersingers

Main articles: minnesinger and meistersinger

After Latin-language religious music had dominated for centuries, in the 12th century to the 14th centuries, minnesingers (love poets), singing in German, spread across Germany. Minnesingers were aristocrats traveling from court to court who had become musicians, and their work left behind a vast body of literature, Minnelieder. The following two centuries saw the minnesingers replaced by middle-class meistersingers, who were often master craftsmen in their main profession, whose music (meistergesang) was much more formalized and rule-based than that of the minnesingers. Minnesingers and meistersingers could be considered parallels of French troubadours and trouvère:) Minnesang was the tradition of lyric and song writing in Germany which flourished in the 12th century and continued into the 14th century. ... A Meistersinger (German for master-singer) was a German lyric poet of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, who carried on and developed the traditions of the medieval Minnesingers. ... Minnesang was the tradition of lyric and song writing in Germany which flourished in the 12th century and continued into the 14th century. ... A Meistersinger (German for master-singer) was a German lyric poet of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, who carried on and developed the traditions of the medieval Minnesingers. ... For other uses, see Troubadour (disambiguation). ... Trouvère is the Northern French (langue doïl) version of troubador (langue doc), and refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadors but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France. ...

Among the minnesingers, Hermann, a monk from Salzburg, deserves special note. He incorporated folk styles from the Alpine regions in his compositions. He made some primitive forays into polyphony as well. Walther von der Vogelweide and Reinmar von Hagenau are probably the most famous minnesingers from this period. Hermann is a German given name (meaning army man or warrior), and might refer to: Persons: Hermann der Cherusker, victor of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest; see Arminius Hermann Huppen, a Belgian comic book artist Johann Wilhelm Herrmann, a German theologian Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909) Other use: Hermann, a... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of the Austrian state of Salzburg. ... Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... Portrait of Walther von der Vogelweide. ... Reinmar der Alte in the Codex Manesse (14th century). ...

Classical music: 16th century to the present

Germans have played an overwhelming role in world music. Many of the best classical musicians such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Handel, Brahms or Mahler were ethnically German. At the beginning of the 15th century, German classical music was revolutionized by a man named Oswald von Wolkenstein. Wolkenstein travelled across Europe learning about classical traditions, spending time in countries like France and Italy. He brought back some techniques and styles to his homeland, and within a hundred years, Germany had begun producing composers renowned across the continent. Among the first of these composers was the organist Conrad Paumann. Conrad Paumann (c. ...

Chorale

Main article: Chorale

Beginning in the 16th century, polyphony, or the intertwining of multiple melodies, arrived in Germany. Protestant chorales predominated; in contrast to Catholic music, chorale was vibrant and energetic. Composers included Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation, as well as Dieterich Buxtehude and Heinrich Schütz. A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German monk,[1] priest, professor, theologian, and church reformer. ... Reformation redirects here. ... The only surviving portrait of Buxtehude, from a 1674 painting by Johannes Voorhout. ... Heinrich Schütz. ...

Opera

Main article: German opera

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (1791) is usually said to be the beginning of German-language opera, which was further advanced by composers like Ludwig van Beethoven. An earlier starting date for German opera, however, could be Heinrich Schütz's Dafne from 1627. Schütz is said to be the first great German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, and was a major figure in 17th century music. Mozarts German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... Die Zauberflöte (en: The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Heinrich Schütz. ... Dafne is the earliest known work that, by modern standards, could be considered an opera. ... “Bach” redirects here. ...

In the 19th century, two figures were paramount in German opera: Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Wagner introduced devices like the leitmotiv, a musical theme which recurs for important characters or ideas. Wagner (and Weber) based his operas off German history and folklore, most importantly including the Ring of the Nibelung (1874). Into the 20th century, opera composers included Richard Strauss (Der Rosenkavalier) and Engelbert Humperdinck, who wrote operas meant for young audiences. Across the border in Austria, Arnold Schoenberg innovated a form of twelve-tone music that used rhythm and dissonance instead of traditional melodies and harmonies, while Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht collaborated on some of the great works of German theater, including Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and The Three-Penny Opera. Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst, Freiherr von Weber (November 18, 1786 in Eutin, Holstein – June 5, 1826 in London, England) was a German composer, conductor, pianist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... A leitmotif (also spelled leitmotiv) is a recurring musical theme, associated within a particular piece of music with a particular person, place or idea. ... Der Ring des Nibelungen, (The Ring of the Nibelung), is a cycle of four epic music dramas by the German composer Richard Wagner. ... This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ... Der Rosenkavalier (The Cavalier of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. ... Engelbert Humperdinck (September 1, 1854 – September 27, 1921) was a German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel (1893). ... Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg (pronounced [ˈaːrnɔlt ˈʃøːnbɛrk]) (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. ... For other uses, see Rhythm (disambiguation). ... In music, a consonance (Latin consonare, sounding together) is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance, which is considered unstable. ... Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York City, was a German and in his later years, a German-American composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... Bertolt Brecht (February 10, 1898 - August 14, 1956) was an influential German dramatist, stage director, and poet of the 20th century. ... Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) is a political-satirical opera composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht. ... The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) was a revolutionary piece of musical theatre written (in German) by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with the composer Kurt Weill in 1928. ...

The Nazis came to power in Germany during the 1930s, and many musicians fled the country. Following the war, German composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Hans Werner Henze began experimenting electronic sounds in classical music. Karlheinz Stockhausen (born August 22, 1928) is a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century (Barret 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117; Power 1990, 30). ... Hans Werner Henze (born July 1, 1926 in Gütersloh, Westphalia, Germany) is a composer well known for his left-wing political beliefs. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ...

Baroque period

Main article: Baroque music

Baroque music, which was the first music to use tonality in the modern sense, is also known for its ornamentation and artistic use of counterpoint. It originated in Northern Italy at the end of the 16th century, and the style migrated quickly to Germany, which was one of the most active centers of early Baroque music. Early German Baroque composers included Heinrich Schütz, Michael Praetorius, Johann Schein, and Samuel Scheidt. The culmination of the Baroque era was undoubtedly in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach in the first half of the 18th century. Bach wrote numerous Baroque works, including preludes, cantatas, fugues, concertos for harpsichord, violin and wind, orchestral suites, the Brandenburg Concertos, The Passion of St. Matthew, The Passion of St. John and the Christmas Oratorio. Bach's contemporaries included Georg Philipp Telemann and Georg Friedrich Haendel, the latter best known for the oratorio Messiah. Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. ... Tonality is a system of writing music according to certain hierarchical pitch relationships around a key center or tonic. ... In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to the overall melodic (or harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or ornament that line. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ... Heinrich Schütz. ... Michael Praetorius. ... Johann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (January 20, 1586 – November 19, 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. ... Samuel Scheidt (baptized November 3, 1587 – March 24, 1653) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... A prelude is a short piece of music, usually in no particular internal form, which may serve as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. ... A cantata (Italian, sung) is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and generally containing more than one movement. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... The term Concerto (plural concertos or concerti) usually refers to a musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. ... The six Brandenburg concertos (BWV 1046-1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach are a collection of instrumental works presented by Bach to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, but probably composed earlier. ... Bachs St. ... St. ... The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium) BWV 248 is a work by Johann Sebastian Bach celebrating the Christmas season. ... Georg Philipp Telemann. ... “Handel” redirects here. ... An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... Messiah (HWV 56) is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. ...

Classical era

Main article: Classical music era

By the middle of the 18th century, the cities of Vienna, Dresden, Berlin and Mannheim had become the center for orchestral music. The Esterházy princes of Vienna, for example, were the patrons of Joseph Haydn, an Austrian who invented the classic format of the string quartet, symphony and sonata. Later that century, Vienna's Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart emerged, mixing German and Italian traditions into his own style. The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... The House of Esterházy (- German, in Hungarian: Eszterházy, in Slovak: Esterházi) was a noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary since the Middle Ages, which was among the great territorial magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time it was part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. ... Haydn redirects here. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ...

Romantic era

Main articles: Romantic music and lieder

The following century saw two major German composers come to fame early -- Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. Beethoven, a student of Haydn's in Vienna, used unusually daring harmonies and rhythm and composed numerous pieces for piano, violin, symphonies, chamber music, string quartets and an opera. Schubert created a field of artistic, romantic poetry and music called lied; his lieder cycles included Die schöne Müllerin and Der Erlkönig.^[1] The expression romantic music and the homophone phrase Romantic music have two essentially different meanings. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. Typically, Lieder are arranged for a single singer and piano. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Schubert redirects here. ... Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity, and therefore chords, actual or implied, in music. ... For other uses, see Rhythm (disambiguation). ... Pianoforte redirects here. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795, is a song cycle by Franz Schubert on poems by Wilhelm Müller. ... The Erlking, by Albert Sterner, ca. ...

Early in the 19th century, a composer by the name of Richard Wagner was born. He was a "Musician of the Future" who disliked the strict traditionalist styles of music. He is credited with developing leitmotivs which were simple recurring themes found in his operas. His music changed the course of opera and of music in general, forever. Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ...

The later 19th century saw Vienna continue its elevated position in European classical music, as well as a burst of popularity with Viennese waltzes. These were composed by people like Johann Strauss the Younger. Other German composers from the period included Albert Lortzing, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner, Max Bruch, and Gustav Mahler. These composers tended to mix classic and romantic elements. For other uses, see Waltz (disambiguation). ... Johann Strauss II The Waltz King coming to life in the Stadtpark, Vienna Johann Strauss II (or Johann Strauss the Younger, or Johann Strauss Jr. ... Gustav Albert Lortzing (October 23, 1801 - January 21, 1851) was a German composer, actor and singer. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. ... For other persons named Robert Schumann, see Robert Schumann (disambiguation). ... Portrait of Mendelssohn by the English miniaturist James Warren Childe (1778-1862), 1839 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) is a German composer, pianist and conductor of the early Romantic period. ... Bruckner redirects here. ... Max Christian Friedrich Bruch (Cologne, January 6, 1838 – Friedenau, October 20, 1920) was a German Romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including a violin concerto which is a staple of the violin repertoire. ... Mahler redirects here. ...

Classical music festivals

The largest summer festival for classical music in Germany is the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. Lübeck Cathedral - site of many SHMF concerts The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival is a classical music festival held every year in summer time all over the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. ...

Folk music

Germany has many unique regions with their own folk traditions of music and dance. Much of the 20th century saw German culture appropriated for the ruling powers (who fought "foreign" music at the same time), and thus it remained decidedly "un-hip" until later in the century. Most recently, the East German regime promoted folk music as long as it was what they saw as an expression of pure German tradition, and a tool for spreading party propaganda.

In both East and West Germany, folk songs called volkslieder were taught to children; these were popular, sunny and optimistic, and had little relation to authentic German folk traditions. Inspired by American and English roots revivals, Germany underwent many of the same changes following the 1968 student revolution in West Germany, and new songs, featuring political activism and realistic joy, sadness and passion, were written and performed on the burgeoning folk scene. In East Germany, the same process did not begin until the mid-70s, when folk musicians began incorporating revolutionary ideas in coded songs. A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. ...

Popular folk songs included emigration songs from the 19th century, work songs and songs of apprentices, as well as democracy-oriented folk songs collected in the 1950s by Wolfgang Steinitz. Beginning in 1970, the Festival des politischen Liedes, an East German festival focusing on political songs, was held annually and organized (until 1980) by the FDJ (East German youth association). Musicians from up to thirty countries would participate, and, for many East Germans, it was the only exposure possible to foreign music. Among foreign musicians at the festival, some were quite renowned, including Inti Illimani (Chile), Billy Bragg (England), Dick Gaughan (Scotland), Mercedes Sosa (Argentina) and Pete Seeger (United States), while German performers included, from both East and West, Oktoberclub, Wacholder and Hannes Wader. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Free German Youth (Freie Deutsche Jugend or FDJ) was a youth movement in Germany, founded in 1936 to oppose Hitlers rule. ... Inti-Illimani is a musical group from Chile, formed in 1967. ... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957 in Essex, England), better known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician who blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Dick Gaughan is a Scottish singer-songwriter. ... This article is about the country. ... Mercedes Sosa (born 9 July 1935) is an Argentine singer immensely popular throughout Latin America. ... Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919), better known as Pete Seeger, is a folk singer, political activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. ... Wacholder is a German gin, distilled with the juniper essence already added. ... Hannes Wader (born 23 June 1942 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a famous songwriter, singer and guitarist. ...

Oom-pah

Main article: Oom-pah

Oom-pah is a kind of music played by the brass bands; it is associated with beer halls. Oom-pah is an onomatopoeic name for a type of Germanic music typically involving brass instruments. ... A brass band a musical group consisting mostly or entirely of brass instruments, often with a percussion section. ... Beer halls are large pubs that specialize in beer. ...

Bavaria

Bavarian folk music is likely the most well-known outside of Germany. Yodeling and schuhplattler dancers are among the stereotyped images of German folk life, though these are only found today in the southernmost areas, and to cater to tourists. Bavarian folk music has played a role in the Alpine New Wave, and produced several pioneering world music groups that fuse traditional Bavarian sounds with foreign styles. For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ... Yodeling (or yodelling, jodeling) is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal chest register (or chest voice) to the head register (or head voice), making a high-low-high-low sound. ... The Schuhplattler is a traditional folk dance from Bavaria and Austria. ... Bavaria has been part of the Alpine New Wave of folk music alongside Switzerland and Austria. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ...

It was around the turn of the 20th century, across Europe and especially in Bavaria, many people became concerned about a loss of cultural traditions. This idea was connected to the Heimatschutz movement, which sought to protect regional identities and boundaries. What is considered Bavarian folk music in modern Germany is not the same as what Bavarian folk music was in the early 1900s; like any kind of folk or popular music, styles and traditions have evolved over time, giving birth to new forms of music. Heimatschutz is a German word which literally translated means, homeland protection. ...

The popularity of the Volkssänger (folksinger) in Bavaria began in the 1880s, and continued in earnest until the 1920s. Shows consisting of duets, ensemble songs, humor and parodies were popular, but the format began changing significantly following World War I. Bally Prell, the "Beauty Queen of Schneizlreuth", was emblematic of this change. She was an attractive tenor who sang lieder, chanson and opera and operetta. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Schneizlreuth is a town in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany. ... This article is about Tenor vocalists in music. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. Typically, Lieder are arranged for a single singer and piano. ... Chanson is a French word for song, and in English-language contexts is often applied to any song with French words, particularly a cabaret song. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. ...

Swabia

Swabian folk music is most popularly represented by acts like Saiten Fell and Firlefanz and the singer-songwriter (and player of the hurdy-gurdy and guitar) Thomas Felder. Germany, showing modern borders. ... This article is about the hurdy gurdy. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ...

Northern Germany

Main article: Music of Northern Germany

Sorbs

The beginning of a Sorbian nationalist music scene can be traced back to the first Sorbian song festival. Held in Bautzen in 1845, and directed by Korla August Kocor, the festival helped revitalize Sorbian folk music. The same period saw the publication of more than five hundred Sorbian songs by Smoler and Haupt in the collection Folksongs of Upper and Lower Sorbs. Bautzen (pronounced , listen, until 1868: Budissin; Upper Sorbian: Budyšin; Lower Sorbian: Budyšyn; , listen; Polish: Budziszyn; Czech: Budyšín) is a city in eastern Saxony, Germany, and capital of the eponymous district. ... Look up Haupt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Danish-Germans

Main article: Music of Denmark

Ethnic Danes living in Germany are clustered in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Danish folk music is typically based around a fiddle and accordion duo. Denmark is a Nordic country that has long been a center of cultural innovation. ... Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 Bundesländer in Germany. ... “Fiddler” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Accordion (disambiguation). ...

Early popular music

Between World War I and World War II, German music branched out to form new, more liberal and independent styles. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... 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...

Cabaret

Main article: Cabaret

The first form of German pop music is said to be cabaret, which arose during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s as the sensual music of late-night clubs. Marlene Dietrich and Margo Lion were among the most famous performers of the period, and became associated with both humorous satire and liberal ideas. "Wenn die beste Freundin" (1928) was an early lesbian-themed song. Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... Anthem Das Lied der Deutschen Germany during the Weimar period, with the Free State of Prussia (in blue) as the largest state Capital Berlin Language(s) German Government Republic President  - 1918-1925 Friedrich Ebert  - 1925-1933 Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor  - 1919 Philipp Scheidemann(first)  - 1933 Kurt von Schleicher (last) Legislature... Marlene Dietrich IPA: ; (December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992) was a German-born American actress, singer and entertainer. ... This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ...

Swing Movement

Main article: The Swing Movement in Nazi Germany

The strict regimentation of youth culture in Nazi Germany through the Hitler Youth led to the emergence of several underground protest movements, through which adolescents were able better to exert their independence. The strict regimentation of youth culture in Nazi Germany through the Hitler Youth led to the emergence of several underground protest movements, through which adolescents were able better to exert their independence. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         For the SS division with the nickname Hitlerjugend see; 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend The Hitler Youth (German:   , abbreviated HJ) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. ...

One of these consisted mainly of upper middle class youths, who based their protest on their musical preferences, rejecting the völkisch music propagated by the Party for American jazz forms, especially Swing. While musical preferences are often a feature of youthful rebellion - as the history of rock and roll shows - jazz and especially Swing were particularly offensive to the Nazi hierarchy: not only did they promote sexual permissiveness, but they were also associated with the American enemy and worse, with the African race they considered inferior. To the Nazis, jazz was "Negro music". Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ...

On the other hand, Joseph Goebbels assembled some of the now jobless musicians from Germany and conquered countries into a big band called Charlie and His Orchestra to perform Nazified versions of popular swing hits to be played in propaganda broadcasts. Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation: IPA: ; English generally IPA: ) (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the National Socialist regime from 1933 to 1945. ... Charlie and his Orchestra (also referred to as the Templin band and Bruno and His Swinging Tigers) were a Nazi-sponsored German propaganda swing band. ...

Post-War popular music

After World War II, German pop music was much influenced by music from USA and Great Britain. Apart from Schlager and Liedermacher, it is necessary to distinguish between pop music in West Germany and pop music in East Germany which developed in different directions. Pop music from West Germany was often heard in East Germany, had more variety and is still present today, while East German music had only little influence. This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ...

In West Germany, English-language pop music became more and more important, and today most songs on the radio are English. Nevertheless there is a big diversity of German language pop music. There is also English-language pop music from Germany, some having international success (for instance the Scorpions), but little with enduring broad success in Germany itself. There was hardly any English pop music from East Germany. This article is about the genre of popular music. ... For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ...

Germany has also had a thriving English-language pop scene since the end of the war, with several European and American acts topping the charts. However, Germans and German-oriented musicians have been successful as well. In the 1990s and 2000s such European pop acts were popular as well as artists like Sarah Connor, Marc Terenzi, No Angels, Monrose, and US5 all who performed various types of mainstream pop in English. Many of these acts have had success all over Europe and Asia as well, although few have cracked the American market. Sarah Terenzi (née Lewe; born June 13, 1980), better known as Sarah Connor, is a German singer, songwriter, and dancer. ... Marc Eric Terenzi (* 27 June 1978 in Newton, Massachusetts) he is a United States American pop singer formerly of the boyband Natural. He is married to German pop singer Sarah Connor. ... The No Angels are an ECHO Award-winning all-female pop group from Germany. ... This article is about the German girl group. ... This article is about the pop group. ...

Schlager and Volksmusik

Main articles: Schlager and Volkstümliche Musik

Schlager is a kind of vocal pop music, frequently in the form of sentimental ballads sung in German but there's also a wide range of mood songs among those styles (Modern Schlager, Schlager-Gold, Volksmusik resp. "volkstümlicher Schlager"). Schlager/Volksmusik is strictly separated from international pop music and is only played on special format radio stations (sometimes mixed with international Evergreens) Schlager (German Schlager, literally hitter or, more loosely translated, a hit) is a style of popular music that is prevalent in northern Europe, in particular Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also to a lesser extent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. ... Volkstümliche Musik (German folksy music) is a modern variation on the traditional music of German-speaking countries in general and their Alpine regions in particular. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... This article is about plant types. ...

An important part of Schlager is volkstümliche Musik, a Schlager-like interpretation of traditional German folk themes that is very popular in German speaking countries, especially among the older generation. Volkstümliche Musik (German folksy music) is a modern variation on the traditional music of German-speaking countries in general and their Alpine regions in particular. ...

Liedermacher

Liedermacher (Songwriter) has sophisticated lyrics and is sung with minimal instrumentation, for instance only with acoustic guitar. Some songs are very political in nature. This is related to American Folk/Americana and French Chanson styles. Liedermacher is German for singer-songwriter. ... For other uses, see Americana (disambiguation). ... Chanson is a French word for song, and in English-language contexts is often applied to any song with French words, particularly a cabaret song. ...

Famous West German Liedermacher are Reinhard Mey, Hannes Wader and Konstantin Wecker. Famous East German Liedermacher are Gerhard Schöne and Barbara Thalheim. Reinhard Friedrich Michael Mey (born December 21, 1942, Berlin) is a German singer-songwriter, also known as a Liedermacher. ... Hannes Wader (born 23 June 1942 in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a famous songwriter, singer and guitarist. ... Konstantin Wecker Konstantin Alexander Wecker (born June 1, 1947, Munich) is one of the best-known German singer-songwriters (Liedermacher); he also works as a composer, author, and actor. ...

Very popular in Germany also is Herman van Veen from the Netherlands. Herman van Veen (born 14 March 1945) is a Dutch musician, actor and songwriter/writer. ...

Most Liedermacher artists also record special albums for children.

Popular music from West Germany

Rock

Main article: German rock

Genuine German rock first appeared around 1968, just as the hippie countercultural explosion was peaking in the US and UK. At the time, the German musical avant-garde had been experimenting with electronic music for more than a decade, and the first German rock bands fused psychedelic rock from abroad with electronic sounds. The next few years saw the formation of a group of bands that came to be known as Krautrock or Kosmische Musik groups; these included Amon Düül, Embryo, Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh, Can, Neu! and Faust. Although German rock music (Deutschrock) didnt come into its own until the late 1960s, it spawned many innovative and influential bands spanning genres such as krautrock, New Wave, punk, and industrial. ... For the British TV show, see Hippies (TV series). ... Counterculture (also counter-culture) is a sociological word used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day,[1] the cultural equivalent of political opposition. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ... Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. ... Krautrock, also known as Kosmische Musik, is a generic name for the experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... Kosmische Musik is a style of mostly electronic music that was born in Germany in late 1960s-early 1970s; the term often refers to the whole German electronic and prog rock scene, including the so called Krautrock. ... There have been two splinters of the German rock group Amon Düül, of which the more famous is Amon Düül II. Formed out of the student movement of the 1960s, this latter version are generally considered to be founders of the German rock music scene and a seminal... A number of music bands have the name Embryo Embryo - Italian death metal band Embryo - Swedish death metal band Embryo - German Jazz band, are a music collective from Munich , lead by R&B and jazz organist Christian Burchard. ... Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. ... Popol Vuh is a German cosmic music band founded by pianist and keyboardist Florian Fricke in 1970 together with Holger Trulzsch (percussion) and Frank Fiedler (electronics). ... Can was a musical group formed in West Germany in 1968. ... Neu! (the German word for new, pronounced noy) were a German band, probably the archetypal example of what the UK music press at the time dubbed Krautrock. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

German Rock had become a very popular kind of German music. Many people were impacted on Germany's great rock, so there were more and more fans excited to hear the sounds of this music. Before that development rock music in Germany was a negligible part of the schlager genre covered by interprets like Peter Kraus and Ted Herold who used to play Rock-n-Roll standards by Little Richard or Bill Haley, sometimes translated into German language. Schlager (German Schlager, literally hitter or, more loosely translated, a hit) is a style of popular music that is prevalent in northern Europe, in particular Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also to a lesser extent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. ... Peter Kraus is a famous Austrian-German singer. ...

A great impact on German postwar culture had the US military radio station American Forces Network (AFN) which was formative for the further development of the German rock and jazz culture. Bill Ramsey who appeared to be senior producer of AFN Frankfurt in 1953 later rose to a famous career as jazz and (later) Schlager singer in Germany while he remained almost unknown in his country of origin from Ohio. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide. ... William Thrace Ramsey (born October 20, 1920 in Osceola, Arkansas) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Boston Braves in 1945. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW)

Main article: Neue Deutsche Welle

Neue Deutsche Welle is an outgrowth of British punk rock and New Wave which appeared in the mid-to late 1970s. It was the first successful unique German music but was limited in its stylistic devices (funny lyrics and surreal composition and production). Though it was a huge success in Germany itself in the 1980s, this was not long-lasting mostly due to over-commercialization. Some artists became famous internationally: Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave, often abbreviated NDW) was a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music in 1976. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... New Wave was a music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. ...

• Nena
• Falco (from Austria)
• Joachim Witt (One of the biggest names from the Neue Deutsche Welle)

Nena (born March 24, 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German singer who became famous with the New German Wave song 99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons in the English version). ... Johann (Hans) Hölzel (February 19, 1957 – February 6, 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was a hip hop, pop and rock star. ... Joachim Witt (born February 22, 1949 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German musician and actor. ...

Popular solo artists

In the 1980s most German-language popular music was sung by male solo artists. Here are few very popular singers:

• Udo Lindenberg
• Herbert Grönemeyer
• Marius Müller-Westernhagen
• Peter Maffay

Grönemeyer has managed best to maintain his success up to today. Maffay developed from Schlager to rock and has a large but delimited fan base - he is seldom played on the radio. Udo Lindenberg (born May 17, 1946 in Gronau) is a german rock musician and composer. ... Herbert Grönemeyer 1991. ... Marius Müller-Westernhagen (born 6 December 1948 in Düsseldorf) is a German actor and musician. ... Peter Maffay (born August 30, 1949 in the Romanian town of BraÅŸov, German:  ; real name: Peter Alexander Makkay) is a German musician. ...

Hamburger Schule

Main article: Hamburger Schule

Hamburger Schule (School of Hamburg) is an underground music-movement that started in the late 1980s and was still active till around the mid 1990s. It has similar traditions as Neue Deutsche Welle and mixed all that with punk, grunge and experimental pop music. Hamburger Schule has been an important part of Germany's youth and gave the term "Pop" a new definition, as now it was "ok" (or "cool") to sing in the German language. Hamburger Schule also includes intellectual lyrics with postmodern theories and social criticism. Important artists are: Introduction The tagline Wir sind neu in der Hamburger Schule (Whe are new to the Hamburg school) of Tocotronic gave name to a group of rock bands coming from Hamburg in the 90s formed around the LAge DOr label. ... Introduction The tagline Wir sind neu in der Hamburger Schule (Whe are new to the Hamburg school) of Tocotronic gave name to a group of rock bands coming from Hamburg in the 90s formed around the LAge DOr label. ... Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave, often abbreviated NDW) was a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music in 1976. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Grunge redirects here. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ...

• Blumfeld
• Die Sterne
• Tocotronic

Blumfeld Blumfeld is a indie-pop band from Hamburg, Germany, which arised from the bands Arm, Laut und Der schwarze Kanal. The name of the band was coined by the main character of the short story Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle by Franz Kafka. ... Tocotronic is a German rock band founded in 1993 (see 1993 in music). ...

Popular music from East Germany

There were some bands that were very popular in East Germany.

Ostrock

By the early 1970s, experimental West German rock styles had crossed the border into East Germany and influenced the creation of an East German rock movement referred to as Ostrock. On the other side of the Wall, these bands tended to be stylistically more conservative than in the West, to have more reserved engineering, and often to include more classical and traditional structures (such as those developed by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in their 1920s Berlin theater songs). These groups often featured poetic lyrics loaded with indirect double-meanings and deeply philosophical challenges to the status quo. As such, they were a style of Krautrock. The best-known of these bands were: This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ... Ostrock refers to rock music from the former Communist East Germany. ... View in 1986 from the west side of graffiti art on the walls infamous death strip Walls poster in memory of the fall. ... Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York City, was a German and in his later years, a German-American composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... {{dy justified his choice of form, and from about 1929 on he began to interpret its penchant for contradictions, much as had Eisenstein, in terms of the dialectic. ... Krautrock, also known as Kosmische Musik, is a generic name for the experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ...

• The Puhdys
• Karat
• City
• Silly

Only a few individual songs, such as "Am Fenster" by City and "Über sieben Brücken mußt Du geh'n" by Karat, found wide popularity outside the GDR. Die Puhdys (IPA: [ˈpuːdis]) are a veteran German rock band, formed in Oranienburg, in what was then East Germany, in 1969, although they had been performing together, with various lineups, as the Puhdys since 1965. ... Karat in 2006. ... City are a German music band formed in East Berlin in 1972 by Fritz Puppel (Guitar), Klaus Selmke (Drums), Ingo Doering (Bass Guitar), Klaus Witte (Keyboards), Frank Pfeiffer (Vocals) and Andreas Pieper (Flute) as the City Band Berlin. ... Silly is an East German rock group from the 80s and 90s. ... City are a German music band formed in East Berlin in 1972 by Fritz Puppel (Guitar), Klaus Selmke (Drums), Ingo Doering (Bass Guitar), Klaus Witte (Keyboards), Frank Pfeiffer (Vocals) and Andreas Pieper (Flute) as the City Band Berlin. ... Carat or Karat may refer to: a unit of mass for gems. ... Disambiguation Page Global Depositary Receipt East Germany ...

There was also a wide diversity of underground bands. Out of this scene later grew the internationally successful band Rammstein (see Neue Deutsche Härte below). For other uses, see Ramstein. ...

Popular music from reunified Germany

New German popular music

In the 1990s, German-language groups had only limited popularity, and only a few artists managed to be played on the radio, for example Rammstein, Rosenstolz or Die Prinzen. For other uses, see Ramstein. ... Rosenstolz [] is a German music band from Berlin. ... Die Prinzen (The Princes, in English) are a German music group. ...

This changed in 2002 with the success of Wir sind Helden, a German band with a new musical self-confidence. This success was followed by several other bands and a broader acceptance of existing German-language recording artists, such as: Wir sind Helden (German for We are heroes) is a German musical band. ...

• Sportfreunde Stiller (already before 2002)
• Juli
• Silbermond
• MIA.
• Annett Louisan
• Tokio Hotel
• Panik
• LaFee

Sportfreunde Stiller (Photo:Nina Stiller) Sportfreunde Stiller (Sportfriends Stiller) is a German rock band from Germering, near Munich in Bavaria. ... Juli is a German rock/pop band consisting of singer Eva Briegel, guitarists Jonas Pfetzing and Simon Triebel, bassist Andreas Dedi Herde and drummer Marcel Römer. ... Silbermond (German for Silver moon) is a German rock band from Bautzen, Saxony. ... MIA. (alternate spelling: Mia. ... Annett Louisan (born Annett Päge on April 2, 1977 in Havelberg) is a German singer. ... Tokio Hotel is a German rock band. ... This article is about the hip-hop producers. ... Christina Klein better known as LaFee is a German Rock/Pop singer. ...

Hip hop

Main article: German hip hop

Outside of the United States, Germany generates the most sales for recorded hip hop, and has one of the more vibrant scenes in the world. Hip hop arrived in the early 1980s, and graffiti art and breakdancing became well-known quickly, with hip hop crews appearing soon thereafter. The term German hip hop denotes hip hop music produced in Germany. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ... A breakdancer performing a one-handed freeze (also known as a pike) in the streets of Paris. ...

The huge commercial success started in 1992 with the hit "Die Da" from Die Fantastischen Vier from Stuttgart. This band makes rather funny and sophisticated hip hop. The Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt tried to establish a more USA-like "gangster" rap. An early major influent group was Advanced Chemistry including Torch. Die Fantastischen Vier also known as Fanta 4 is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, Germany. ... For other uses, see Stuttgart (disambiguation). ... The Rödelheim Hartreim Project (Rödelheim Hard-Rhyme Project), for short RHP, was a mid-nineties German rap group from Rödelheim, a part of Frankfurt. ... Advanced Chemistry are a German hip hop pioneers from Heidelberg. ... Frederick Hahn, better known by his stage name Torch, is a German rapper with Haitian roots from Heidelberg. ...

Advanced Chemistry was very important to German hip-hop and influential to German listeners. They sparked a huge interest in speaking out for the youth of Germany, especially the immigrants.^[2] Advanced Chemistry exploded onto the German hip hop scene in November 1992 with their first mixed single entitled "Fremd in eigenem Land" (Foreign in Your Own Country). This single was the first of its kind to go beyond simply imitating US rap and addressed the current issues of the time, which was the widespread racism that non-white German citizens faced. Immigration was a big issue in Germany and prompted hip-hop artists, who were children of immigrants, to use rap and hip hop as a way to defend themselves in their country. Advanced Chemistry frequently rapped about their lives and experiences as children of immigrants exposing what was experienced by most ethnic minorities in Germany, and the feelings of frustration and resentment that being denied a German identity can cause.^[3]

Whereas hip hop had a peak of success in the early 2000s, with bands from Hamburg dominating the scene, gangster rap became an important and controversial part of German music and youth culture just as late as 2004 with Aggro Berlin. For other uses, see Hamburg (disambiguation). ... Gangsta rap, also known as hardcore hip-hop, was the name given to the subgenre of hip hop which often involved lyrical subjects based on the violence and misogyny inherent in the lifestyle of street thugs and gangsters. ... Aggro Berlin is an independent German hip-hop record label. ...

German hip hop was an adopted style from several different places. There is often debate as to weather or not German hip hop is authentic or just a compilation of mimicry. German hip hop “started out as a transnational and cosmopolitan youth subculture that was...predominantly English raps.” ^[4] Rap was also used by immigrant youth to create a type of exaggerated outsiderism as a mechanism of self defense in German society. ^[5] It could be ventured that the authenticity of German hip hop only obtains its originality once the German language flows seemingly naturally with the music.

Punk

Germany was one the most important origins of punk bands. Important bands include Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen. Die Ärzte (also spelled die ärzte; German for the physicians or the doctors) are a German rock/punk rock band from Berlin. ... Andreas Frege (Campino) Andreas Meurer (Andi) Andreas von Holst (Kuddel) Kuddel and Andi Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. ...

Even most Germans don't know that there are a lot of punk bands with their primary audience in Japan, which stay relatively unknown to German listeners.

See also German punk rock in Japan

Metal

Germany has a long and strong history with heavy metal. It considered by many to be one of Europe's heaviest contributors to the scene. The genre os quite popular within the country. Heavy metal bands from Germany include Scorpions, Accept, Helloween, Blind Guardian and Rammstein. Two local variants of metal subgenres exist in Germany. The teutonic thrash metal scene is represented by such groups as Destruction, Kreator and Sodom while the mittelalter rock subgenre of folk metal includes Subway to Sally, In Extremo and Schandmaul. For other bands named The Scorpions or other meanings of scorpion, see scorpion. ... Accept was a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled in the early 1970s by Udo Dirkschneider. ... This article is about the power metal band. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... Destruction is a German thrash metal band formed in Lörrach, in southern Germany in 1982. ... Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany. ... Sodom is a German thrash metal band formed in 1982. ... Medieval Rock (literal transl. ... Folk metal is a diverse collection of music, encompassing a wide variety of different styles and approaches. ... Subway to Sally was founded in Potsdam, Germany, in the early 1990s. ... In Extremo (Latin:at the end or in the extreme) is a German folk metal band originating from Berlin. ... Schandmaul Schandmaul is a German rock/folk. ...

Neue Deutsche Härte

Main article: Neue Deutsche Härte

Neue Deutsche Härte (engl. "New German Hardness") is a style of rock music. It combines the common sound of metal with electronic samples and is mostly sung with German lyrics. It draws its audience mainly from the metal and goth scene, although some bands like Rammstein or Oomph! have gained mainstream success. Other famous artists include Megaherz, Unheilig or Joachim Witt. The Neue Deutsche Härte (New German hardness) is a direction in hard rock/metal music that developed in the German speaking world in the 1990s. ... For other uses, see Ramstein. ... OOMPH! is a German crossover group. ... For the unit of frequency, see megahertz. ... Unheilig (German for unholy) are a German electrogoth/Neue Deutsche Härte band. ... Joachim Witt (born February 22, 1949 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German musician and actor. ...

Goth

Germany is the home of a vivid Goth scene, and has a large scene of musicians from the spectrum who are typically known as Goth musicians.

Electronic music and techno

Germany has the largest electronic music scene in the world. The band Kraftwerk was one of the first bands in the world to make music entirely on electronic equipment, and the band Tangerine Dream is often credited as being among the originators and primary influences of the "Berlin School" of electronic music, which would later influence trance music. Well-known but not accepted by the mainstream music scene is controversial band Scooter. Recently a few electronica artists have become successful in the mainstream, such as Xavier Naidoo, Blümchen and MIA. Artists on the cutting edge of German-language techno include Ich + Ich and Klee. Kraftwerk (pronounced , German for power station) is a Grammy award nominated, electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. ... Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. ... Trance is a style of electronic music that developed in the 1990s. ... Music sample: Scooter are a successful German dance band, who have sold over 12 million records and have earned 60 gold and platinum awards. ... Xavier Kurt Naidoo (born October 2, 1971 in Mannheim, Germany) is a German singer and songwriter of South African Indian descent, who sings in German and occasionally in English. ... Jasmin Wagner better known as Blümchen, 2006. ... MIA. (alternate spelling: Mia. ... Ich + ich (German for Me + Me) is the name of a musical project by the German musicians Annette Humpe and Adel Tawil. ... Klee (literally Clover), named after Paul Klee, is a German Pop-band from Cologne. ...

Trance music is a style of electronic music that originated in Germany in the very late 1980's and early 1990's, upon German unification. Following the development of trance music in Germany, many Trance genres stemmed from the original trance music and most trance genres developed in Germany, most notably "Anthem trance" or also called "uplifting" or "epic" trance, progressive trance, and "Ambient trance". Trance is a style of electronic music that developed in the 1990s. ... A list of trance music genres. ... Anthem trance, also known as uplifting or epic trance, is a subgenre of trance music that emerged in the wake of progressive trance in the late 1990s. ... Progressive electronica is a collection of electronic music genres which draw upon progressive music, generally, and include the sub-styles of progressive trance, progressive house, progressive techno and progressive breaks. ... Ambient music is a musical genre in which sound is more important than notes. ...

Other notable artists

There are few German language bands who managed to be successful for a longer period. The best known are the punk bands Die Ärzte and Die Toten Hosen. Both were formed in the early 1980s but have very different approaches to punk. As successful as those two bands in number of sales and number one albums but much lesser accepted by the public and normally not played by German media but with a huge fan community were Böhse Onkelz. Die Ärzte (also spelled die ärzte; German for the physicians or the doctors) are a German rock/punk rock band from Berlin. ... Andreas Frege (Campino) Andreas Meurer (Andi) Andreas von Holst (Kuddel) Kuddel and Andi Die Toten Hosen is a German punk band from Düsseldorf. ... The Böhse Onkelz (German böse Onkels - evil uncles) were one of Germanys most successful rock groups. ...

Very popular all over Germany also are BAP, who sing in the hard-to-understand dialect of their hometown Cologne/Köln. The rockgroup BAP was founded in 1976 in Cologne, Germany by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. ... Cologne (German: , IPA: ; local dialect: Kölle ) is Germanys fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than...

Outside of Germany especially, the metal band Rammstein is largely popular worldwide. For other uses, see Ramstein. ...

The cross-cultural new age band Cusco is among the very most successful artists in the genre worldwide, though the genre itself remains somewhat underground. cross-cultural may refer to cross-cultural studies, a comparative tendency in various fields of cultural analysis any of various forms of interactivity between members of disparate cultural groups (see also cross-cultural communication, interculturalism, intercultural relations, hybridity, cosmopolitanism, transculturation) the discourse concerning cultural interactivity, sometimes referred to as cross... New Age music is a style of music originally associated with some New Age beliefs. ... Cusco is a New Age band named after the South American city of Cusco. ...

Special kinds of music

Jazz

Main article: Jazz in Germany

Klezmer

Germany became a hotbed for klezmer music in the 1980s, and has produced many of the most popular bands in the field since then. Controversially, many or most of the German klezmer bands are not, in fact, Jewish. Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer כלי זמר, musical instrument) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ...

Before World War II and the Holocaust, Jews in Germany had not taken much interest in klezmer, at least compared to Jews in places like the United States. During the Cold War, East German Jews like Lin Jaldati and Perry Friedman tried to establish a German Jewish musical scene, but failed due to interference by the Communist Party. 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... For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation) and Shoah (disambiguation). ...

As a result, the East German klezmer scene didn't take off until the arrival of Aufwind in 1984. The West German klezmer scene, on the other hand, got started soon after the student revolutions of the late 1960s. Among some of the intellectual activists, guilt over the Holocaust turned into extreme admiration for anything Jewish. The tour of Kapelye, an American klezmer band, in 1984 also added some energy to the scene, which soon began thriving.

Latin pop

Germany was the starting point of the international career of Cuban-born singer & songwriter Addys D'Mercedes. Europe-based female singer Addys DMercedes fuses her Cuban heritage with elements of rock, hip hop, house and RnB. Albums 2001 Mundo Nuevo (Media Luna) 2003 Nomad (Media Luna) Singles / Videoclips: Mundo Nuevo | Gitana Loca | Esa Voz Latin House Remixes : Oye Colombia (4tune twins) , Cha Ka Cha (Ramon Zenker...

See also

The list of unrecognized countries enumerates those geo-political entities which lack general diplomatic recognition, but wish to be recognized as sovereign states. ...  Southwest Asia in most contexts. ... The borders of the continents are the limits of the several continents of the Earth, as defined by various geographical, cultural, and political criteria. ...  The North American plate, shown in brown The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Cherskiy Range in East Siberia. ...  The African plate, shown in pinkish-orange The African Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of Africa and extending westward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ...

References

1. ^ John Deathridge, "The Invention of German Music, c. 1800," United and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, ed. Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 35-60.
2. ^ Bennett, Andy. "Hip-Hop am Main, Rappin' on the Tyne: Hip-hop Culture as a Local Construct in Two European Cities." In That's the Joint!: The Hip-hop Studies Reader, p. 181-2. New York; London: Routledge, 2004.
3. ^ Bennett, Andy. "Hip-Hop am Main, Rappin' on the Tyne: Hip-hop Culture as a Local Construct in Two European Cities." In That's the Joint!: The Hip-hop Studies Reader, 177-200. New York; London: Routledge, 2004, p. 183-184
4. ^ Von Dirke, Sabine. "Hip Hop Made in Germany, From Old School to the Kanaksta Movement." German Pop Culture p.108
5. ^ Brown, Timothy S. “‘Keeping it Real’ in a Different ‘Hood: (African-) Americanization and Hip-hop in Germany.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture p.147

External links

• GermanSounds AG Music Export Germany
• German Music Export Office
• DeutscheMusik.netWebsite set up for the promotion of German Music to the English speaking world
• German music Brief biographies, sound samples, & CDs from folk music to classical composers to contemporary rock, pop, and hip-hop German music.
• Radio VHR- Schlager and Volksmusik - Online-Radio (Broadband)
• Schlager/Volksmusik - various online-streams