German leaders want to change the national anthem

German leaders want to change the national anthem

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norman lebrecht

May 10, 2019

Can’t imagine why. Such a nice tune by Haydn.

But the prime minister of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, says they hate it in the eastern part of Germany for historical reasons, a view supported by the Equal Opportunity Commissioner of the Ministry of Family Affairs, Kristin Rose-Möhring.

One optional alternative is a children’s song by Hanns Eisler and Bertolt Brecht.


Any other suggestions?

 

Comments

  • John Smith says:

    Forget it, it will NEVER happen. Politicians again, trying to be divisive to get more votes. “They hate it in the East”. Yeah – according to two people.

    • Brettermeier says:

      “Yeah – according to two people.”

      Not even that. Nobody said that.

      Ramelow said that some people in the East cannot relate to the hymn (history etc.)

      Kristin Rose-Möhring (which I had to google) just wants to make the current hymn gender neutral (and that’s not news, as it seems).

      In other words, the first part of this is misleading at best and the second part wrong:

      “But the prime minister of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, says they hate it in the eastern part of Germany for historical reasons, a view supported by the Equal Opportunity Commissioner of the Ministry of Family Affairs, Kristin Rose-Möhring.”

  • Novagerio says:

    They could adopt the old DDR anthem “Auferstanden aus Ruinen”, it’s also by Eisler… 3:)

  • Wolfram Niesspullfer says:

    Ramelow is far-left, explaining this little skit, which is nevertheless irrelevant. I could not find any party affiliation of the feminist Rose-Moehring. When is the national anthem played anyway and who cares? I’m surprised the collectivist Greens haven’t campaigned to abolish it entirely, as they make no secret of how despicable they find German culture.

    • Brettermeier says:

      “I’m surprised the collectivist Greens haven’t campaigned to abolish it entirely, as they make no secret of how despicable they find German culture.”

      How remarkably gormless.

  • Mike Schachter says:

    Probably would boost the AfD, already pretty strong in the east

  • Caravaggio says:

    Don’t they have far larger problems to tackle? Dedicating focus, energy and time to this amounts to a squandering.

  • Ed says:

    Haydn, Eisler, why not Die Toten Hosen?

  • Bill says:

    I’ll sell them the US anthem. Cheap. The caveats: its an old drinking tune, you sound drunk even when you’re singing it well, which is just about impossible, and the words probably ought to be replaced by ones that are less violent, unless you like songs about blowing stuff up. Most Americans don’t know any of the words beyond the first few anyway, so they won’t know the difference if you changed them.

  • Brettermeier says:

    “German leaders want to change the national anthem”

    One premier out of 16, that’s not “German leaders” but one guy.

    “But the prime minister of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, says they hate it in the eastern part of Germany for historical reasons”

    He didn’t say that. You said that.

    He said that he cannot shake the pictures of the Nazi rallies in 1933–45 when it comes to the hymn and that some people in the eastern parts of Germany cannot relate to the hymn either. The hate is all you.

    We missed the opportunity for a new hymn back then, why not now. If given the choice between “better” and “tradition”, I’ll always go for better.

  • Brettermeier says:

    I’ll opt for “Das Niedersachsenlied” for our new hymn.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZPHWMhiggo

    Wir sind die Niedersachsen,
    Sturmfest und erdverwachsen,
    Heil Herzog Widukinds Stamm!

  • KL says:

    99 Luftballons
    Hast du etwas Zeit für mich
    Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
    Von neunundneunzig Luftballons
    Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
    Denkst du vielleicht grad an…….

  • AngloGerman says:

    Was ist das deutsche Vaterland?

    Ein Prosit?

  • V.Lind says:

    I knew they had changed the words but when I hear that tune I still hear Deutschland Uber Alles. That can’t be a happy memory for a lot of people. On the other hand, we are just a generation or two away from nobody remembering that. The music places it among the top half dozen anthems in the world.

  • Brian says:

    I vote for Mozart’s Leck mich im Arsch.

  • John Borstlap says:

    For a national anthem, supposed to be singable by ‘everyone’, the German one is rather complicated and sophisticated. There are not many national anthems in the world composed by a great composer like Joseph Haydn.

  • fflambeau says:

    I find it (like most Haydn) boring. Change it. Germany can do better.

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    That’s right, turn the populace into kiddies and infantilize by making a nursery rhyme of the national anthem. I’m afraid Europe is pretty much beyond salvation.

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