Entartete Musik: Eine Abrechnung von Staatsrat Dr. Hans Severus Ziegler, Generalintendant des Deutschen Nationaltheaters zu Weimar.

Düsseldorf: Völkischer Verlag G.m.b.H. 1938. First edition. Octavo. 5-30pp., incomplete. Lacking title-page, pages 3, 4, 31, 32 and rear wrapper. Original illustrated stapled front wrapper. Text in German, gothic script. Front wrapper almost detached with slight creasing. Last page detached but present, that leaf creased with minor chipping on edges. Pages on bottom corner slightly creased throughout, otherwise leaves in very good condition. Even in the present condition, very rare. OCLC 20101201 recording 4 copies only, all in Germany.

Published specifically for the exhibition Entartete Musik (Degenerate Music) which took place from May 24th-June 14th, 1938 within the NS Reichsmusiktage. The subtitle of the exhibition "Eine Abrechnung" was the same as Hitler's first volume of "Mein Kampf." The exhibition was organized by Hans Severus Ziegler and aimed against music and musicians that were considered degenerate by the National Socialists. In 1936, Severus had been appointed as general director of the Nationaltheater (national theater) of Weimar. Inspired by the Munich exhibition Entartete Kunst, and in the context of the Reichsmusiktage in Düsseldorf (celebrating Richard Wagner's 125th birthday), Severus organized an exhibition entitled Entartete Musik, whereby he polemicized against music and musicians that were considered degenerate by the Nazis, mainly Jazz and Jewish musicians. Among the speakers at the opening was propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Richard Strauss composed a festliches Vorspiel specifically for this event, which he personally conducted at its opening. While Goebbels wanted the music event and the exhibition to become a permanent institution, his plans were not realized due to the outbreak of W.W.II in 1939.

The exhibition did not have an itemized catalogue. What did accompany the exhibition was an illustrated brochure with an essay by Ziegler, explaining the National Socialists ideological bias. Ziegler's exhibit was divided into seven sections: (1) the influence of Judaism, (2) Schönberg, (3) Kurt Weill and Ernst Krenek, (4) minor Bolsheviks, (5) Leo Kestenberg, (6) Hindemith's operas and oratorios, and (7) Igor Stravinsky. The illustration on the cover by Ludwig Tersch shows "Negermusiker Johnny," a character from the opera "Jonny spielt auf" by the Czech-Austrian musician Ernst Krenek (1900-1991). It depicts a black musician playing the saxophone. The flower on his tuxedo lapel is replaced with a star of David. The image seems to impersonate what the Nazis defined as "degenerate:" A Jewish Negro who combines the primitivity of the jungle with European culture. Illustrated with b/w reproductions of photographs and drawings of artists Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg, Ernst Toch, Franz Schreker, Kurt Weill, Anton Webern, Leo Fall, Oskar Straus, Otto Klemperer, Adolf Weitzmann, and Heinrich Strobel. Three b/w photographic reproductions of art work by Bauhaus' Oskar Schlemmer, Paul Klee and Carl Hofer.

Hans Severus Ziegler (1893-1978) was a German publicist, NS official and theater director. A strong supporter of the Nazi ideology from its inception, he founded the periodical Der Völkische in 1924. A few years later it was published daily under the title Der Nationalsozialist. Upon his suggestion (while serving as Gauleiter for Thuringia), the Nazi Youth movement was named Hitlerjugend. In 1930 Ziegler formulated a degree titled "Wider die Negerkultur" (against the Negro culture). (5862)

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