6. “Folk Song” and “Battle Cry” - An example of “ideological” practicality in music education

Teacher certification examination 1943, Friederike Fostel, Source: mdw-Archive

One component of music education during the National Socialist era was the composition of small-ensemble cantatas. The mdw archive contains preserved examples of such works. Created by active students at that time, they reveal considerable ambition in terms of composition techniques. Primarily designed for solo voices or small choirs and a few instruments, these ‘examination works’ also contain polyphonic forms (Passacaglia, Canon, Fugue). Overall, they can be associated with the tradition of ‘chamber cantatas’ on one hand and with the ideas of the musical youth movement on the other.

In the Flower Cantata for Solo Voices, Choir, Flute and String Quartet by Friederike Fostel 1943, composed in (1918-1970), there is a so-called “Battle Cry”, the third of a total of five parts. “Battle songs” were an important component of National Socialist celebratory design, especially in the context of the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls. Compositional ambition takes a back seat here in favour of 'collective impact'.

The text described by the composer as a “folk song” was written by Wilhelm Hey (1789–1854) and was already found in numerous textbooks before the First World War, especially for 'girls’ schools'. The other texts of the cantata are by Josef Weinheber and Emanuel Geibel. Notation is provided only for the first verse, although by implication, it is expected that this apply to all other verses of the song. The instrumentation that accompanies the monophonic choir singing is reduced to flute, viola, and cello, with the instruments adding variety to the fundamentally very simple formal structure (a - b - a) in terms of a pseudo polyphony.

Although the text lacks 'political' relevance, the inclusion of a “Battle Cry” in this cantata is nevertheless notable, as it demonstrates how elements of National Socialist music practice - specifically, festivities and celebrations - had evidently infiltrated the realm of 'school music' in the broadest sense. The multifaceted genre of the cantata appears both before and after this time in various political contexts.