Who was/is Jahrgang 49 ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Jahrgang 49
Members of the Oktoberklub, who wanted to make music professionally, founded the songgroup class 49 in 1973. Their goal was a synthesis of Eislerscher songtradition and rock stylistics. Most of the texts were written by Gerd Eggers (born 1945), the compositions by Rainer Neumann (born 1952). A number of programmes were developed, such as 'Zeitvergleich' (1977), 'Was das Volk liebt' (1978) and 'Vietnam-Kantate' (1979).
The credo of the group was: "To be much smarter than our audience is hardly going to succeed. Nevertheless, what we have to say should help answer questions, including ours. This seems to be primarily a textual problem, but requires different forms of interpretation. The position of the know-it-all will not arrive. Humility will be necessary and sovereignty will be possible" (Gina Pietsch).
The group played at festivals of political song and workshops of the singing movement, at official festivities and receptions and had numerous appearances abroad as cultural ambassadors of the GDR. The attempt to collaborate with the rock group Renft failed in 1975 due to irreconcilable differences in content. The last major project of year 49 in 1980 was a 'song tour' with Perry Friedman, Liedehrlich and the duo Friedman/Feldmann. Then the group disbanded.
The function and artistic profile of Volume 49 were controversial, but there were very remarkable titles, for example the song about Bruno from 1977, which Klaus-Peter Schwarz commented in retrospect: "Of course we thought we had the more developed view of the world ... When the song went on stage in the mid-1970s, however, it was not better knowledge that was important, but partisanship for the outlaw. At that time the song made it clear that singers and singer-songwriters had only accidentally, through 'some things', got into this world or out of it. That made the song popular at the time, along with the opportunity to ... take a stand against social privileges."
Extract from
Various - songwriter in Germany
Vol.2, For whom we sing (3-CD)
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