Opera During the Weimar Republic: the "Zeitopern" of Ernst Krenek, Kurt Weill, and Paul Hindemith. (Volumes I and II) (Germany, Austria).

Abstract

With the resumption of musical life in Germany following World War I, three young composers came to the fore as the dominant members of the new republican generation: Ernst Krenek, Kurt Weill, and Paul Hindemith. Ernst Krenek was the first of the three to produce what came to be called a Zeitoper, his Jonny spielt auf (1927), which attained an unprecedented success following its premiere in 1927. Weill and Hindemith then followed with Der Zar lasst sich photographieren (1928) and Neues vom Tage (1929), respectively. Though Zeitoper is a term which appears with some regularity in histories of this period, the term, generally translated as "topical opera," has never been adequately defined nor the genre thoroughly examined. This study attempts not only to define Zeitoper but to provide the context for its creation. The Zeitoper emerges as a genre which arose directly out of concerns on the part of these composers to prove their commitment to opera and to bring modern opera in to line with the spirit which characterized the new republican age. Thus Zeitopern are of modern life in their choice of subject matter and characters, scene settings, staging, and musical idioms. Essays by Krenek and Weill give proof of their aesthetic aims, and Hindemith's activities during the same time speak to his similar concerns. Other topics addressed in this study include: the perceived crisis of operatic direction, the affinity of the Zeitoper with the artistic movement of Neue Sachlichkeit, and the influences exerted by current popular entertainment and theatrical media and , more importantly, by American jazz and popular dance music. The Zeitopern of Krenek, Weill, and Hindemith are examined in detail, and related works by other contemporaries are discussed briefly. Appendices include lists of other compositions showing the influence of American jazz, a translation of one of Krenek's essays, plot synopses, and a performance history of the works covered.