Evenings Past 2001 to 2003

Dialekte
Members could have been forgiven recently if they had looked forward to an evening of German Dialects with some trepidation, but in the capable hands of Sabine Schuster-Nussey, the subject came alive as she gave a highly entertaining presentation on "Dialekte". There were several German native speakers in the audience and they demonstrated a small sample of the wide range of dialects to be found across Germany. The country has its own north south divide in this respect and two of the most difficult dialects for an English ear are to be found in the southernmost parts of Schwabia and Bayern. Dialects are becoming less noticeable with the growing uniformity of language due to increased mobility and exposure to a common media, but there are still many differences to be found-sometimes even in neighbouring villages. Dialects may sometimes give the impression of being a foreign language in their own right, with the loss of word endings (essential to a student of German!) and often with grammatical changes as well. Sabine had identified 21 dialects during her researches and members attempted to understand each of these with the help of original recordings. Of particular interest were Schwäbisch (frequently heard in our twin town Backnang) and Hessisch. No fewer than five variations of the latter were noted - a definite challenge to members who will be visiting the are in the autumn. The meeting ended with a brief quiz on our understanding of these unfamiliar dialects, followed by an attempt to get our tongues round some strangely worded songs. While they struggle with the language, members who visit Hessen on this years autumn tour will be travelling to Grimm country with visits to the university city of Marburg and the Grimm Brothers' museum in Kassel. All the more reason to come to the next meeting with the theme of "Die Märchen der Bruder"
Donnerstag 9.February 2001

Sylt
Another academic year, another subject, this time the island of Sylt on the west coast of north Germany, near the Danish border, 40 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide, with now 20,000 inhabitants, in the summer five times as many. The visitors are not called tourists; they're called guests. It was not always like this. Sylt and the other islands were part of the mainland, a violent storm, as only the north sea knows, separated part of the land and Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, and Pellworm came into being. Our narrator, Doris, who was born on Sylt, her forebears living their from the 1800's, talked of a magical childhood, surrounded by sea and sand, in reed decked houses, built by captains of sea going ships. The beach is fine sand, with high dunes; these wander and plants have to be cultivated to stop them, the sea erodes the west coast, but seems to deposit soil on the east coast which faces the mainland. The main living was carved out of the land, with agriculture and sea with fishing. The land was coveted by Denmark, not just Sylt, also part of the mainland, Schleswig Holstein and Dithmarschen, and it belonged alternatively to Denmark or Germany. When the Danish King demanded taxes from the people and sent his collectors in, one was very insulting and spit into a cooking pot with curly kale. He was pushed, head first, into the pot until he suffocated. In time it became so bad that the Saxons, Angels, and some Frisians packed their belongings and fled to England and settled there. Sylt has become a very fashionable island, once Royalty came to visit and then prominent personages, it was "The" place to take a holiday. It was also the first to have a nudist beach. Film stars and millionaires have places for relaxing on the island; that though does not deter the "guests" to come and have a healthy, sea-bracing holiday.
Donnerstag 28.September 2001

Geschichte des deutschen Volksliedes
German Circle: Most countries in the world have their folk songs, and as it is said, music has no borders. The talk by Sabine Schuster-Nussey was, as always, very enlightening. People seem to have given vent to their feelings in melodies, be it happy or sad, starting at the cradle with lullabies. Folk music is often noted by area, mountains, seas, towns and countryside, with the old songs their originator is often not known. Sabine took members back to 1200, but writing verse and melody down started in approximately 1500. The old songs were melodic and the words recorded described feelings, landscapes, happenings at the time. There were many names and dates which could have made it a very dry performance, but Sabine made it interesting by saying that the composer Herder took up quite a few English folk songs as they seemed to him very "Germanic", no borders? There was a time when French Chansongs took over in popularity. In modern times, folk songs have been adapted by some singers and groups and been stylised which is not appreciated by everyone. The old songs originated by the folk as they experienced their lives. The keyboard player was very much appreciated and everyone was in good voice to follow her lead.
Donnerstag 4. Oktober 2001

Ostern - und andere Feste.
German Circle: Most of us like to celebrate festivals, be it a worldwide-recognised one or just locally known. In Germany, Easter starts on "Green Thursday" (Gr.n Donnerstag) as the world is beginning to green again. In Hessen, a green sauce is served with potatoes cooked in their skin. The sauce is made from Quark, yoghurt, a little cream, and lots of green herbs. Greenery is brought into the house to welcome nature. Easter itself, now a Christian festival, was celebrated in Pagan times with eggs meaning re-birth of the earth after sleeping through winter: Chocolate eggs are hidden in the garden, weather permitting, for children to seek. Doris introduced some egg bashing - hard-boiled eggs bashed against one another, the survivor was the winner. Alfred, from Danbury, which is twinned with Altenglan in Germany, brought elaborately decorated eggs, which were presented to him by families and friends he made there on his visits. During Ascension (Herrentag or Fathers-day in Germany) in times gone by, coach and horses were hired and a lot of beer and some friends would be loaded up. These friends would carry a walking stick, on to which was tied a bag with ham and off they went for the day into the countryside, returning in the evening with empty bottles and slightly the worse for wear. Whitsun is family picnic time, father and son in white trousers; the females also in new outfits and mother would have a new hat. The story goes that if it started to rain, mother would hoist her long skirts over her head. When asked why, she would explain that her legs and petticoat were well worn, but her hat was new and had to be protected. Richtfest (Topping out) is still celebrated today. The timbers on the roof are up, and the decoration, as in England, is hoisted and it costs the owner a lot of money for beer, after all, it is almost finished. Schützenfest (shooting festival) also has a long history, since before 1000. Villagers tried to defend themselves against vagabonds, robber knights and thieves. It is now only a festival for the village with some competition shooting, lots of food and drink and a happy get-together.
Donnerstag 28. März 2002

Frankfurt
What is the first thing that comes to the mind at the word Frankfurt? Money, banks and tasty sausages? Those that have driven around the area must have experienced the Frankfurter Kreuz, traffic cross. It is certainly not a tourist town. The writer Thomas Wolfe said that he did not find it difficult to say goodbye, but it is an interesting town. And Goethe, Germany's well-known poet, had a very soft spot for his hometown. It is difficult to define Frankfurt. It is full of conflicts and contrasts. In the outer areas, it seems very provincial, while in the middle; it has a flair of a metropolis. In less than one square kilometre more than 100 nationalities live together. Every third Frankfurter does not possess a German passport and the town has the highest number of foreigners, and there are around 2.7 million visitors and exhibition participants. Commerce and culture are another contrast. Banks, exhibitions, industry (Hoechst), The FAZ, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, as well as well-known publishers like Fischer and Suhrkamp and the so-called Frankfurter School, a circle of social and cultural scientists and academics like Theodore W Adorno, Juergen Habermas and Maz Horkheimer. Frankfurt is a modern town, but was founded before 794 by Karl the Great. Its airport is the most important in continental Europe and the second largest after Heathrow. It also sports 27 museums and galleries. It sounds as if it is certainly worth a week's visit.

Donnerstag 25. April 2002

Film Treat
Members met recently for a Filmabend, and were treated to a showing of "Die Comedian Harmonists". Joseph Vilsmaier's film based on the true story of a group of musicians in Berlin during the 1920's and 1930's. The five talented harmony singers and their pianist had modelled themselves upon a successful American group, The Revellers, and the film traced the path of the Comedian Harmonists from obscurity to a life of playing to packed houses - first in a Berlin gripped by the miseries of unemployment, then in cities throughout Europe and America. Three of the young men were Jewish, however, and as their singing career drew into the thirties, the growing threat of Nazi domination had its inevitable effect upon the musicians and their friends. This led to tensions within the group itself, and the eventual banning of public performances by the Jewish singers. After a very moving farewell concert, the group finally split up in 1934. The Jewish musicians fled from Germany and, victims of their time, the Comedian Harmonists were never to sing or meet as a group again. This engrossing film had moments of comedy as well as a consuming sense of the horror that was to come. There were some memorable scenes - particularly an early meeting of the group when the carefree singers began to improvise and suddenly discovered their unique musical style. The film was much appreciated by the members who packed the house for the evening, which was expertly organised by Graham Bushby.
Donnerstag 31. Oktober 2002

Musical History
Many people must be interested in music and its very recent history, i.e. after the war. The word schlager means hit, whereas schnulzen is hard to translate although it probably means songs full of sentiment, sung by squeaky-clean performers. Germany has, like Wales, always been a very musical country, with different regional slants. Town and country have slightly different tastes. The German music industry was also influenced from outside, mainly the English language. If one of the composers and presenters had been born in Great Britain or the USA, he would have become a pop legend. His name is Drafi Deutscher who started off with German beat music during the 1960's and was in the hit parade constantly with his band, the Magics. His music was absolutely rejected by the conservative press because a few chairs bit the dust and the authorities forbade any kind of rock music concerts. It was the Beatles who made the breakthrough and, after that, there was no holding the "modernisation". A performer, Roy Black, would have liked to follow this type of music, but his personality and presentation was not suited and he became a well-known and well-loved schlager singer. The next phase was determined by the discontent of the students. Politically there was no efficient opposition in the government and no one seemed to care about the environment. The young people made their voices heard in poems and song. The words and meaning were very relevant and deep, the tunes not as catchy as the pop songs, but they are still remembered today as a turning point. In the 1970's, on television in Berlin, a programme went out, the German Hit Parade, and, whoever appeared on it was made, including a lot of foreigners, singing in German. In the 1980's, the New German Wave started a new trend. All of a sudden, everything was possible and everyone did as they liked. There was no proper text, no grammar, mainly protest songs against war, environmental destruction and hate-love against consumerism. As all the trends, this lasted a little while and then a new idea is born. One of the latest exponents of modern music is Herbert Groenemeyer, not just a rock star, but also musical leader at the theatre in Bochum and an actor. He realised a long-prepared tour in 1999 and satisfied 600,000 fans. The next meeting will be on March 27th 2003.
Donnerstag 27. Februar 2003

Schule im Brennpunkt
Starting with a very funny episode from an old film (Die Feuerzangenbowle, 1944) members were informed about more serious matters concerning "PISA - Shock", the reaction to an international study from 2001 on 15 year old pupils and their performance in reading, maths and science, in which Germany only came into the last third of 32 countries from all over the world. Obviously, this result was devastating and led to endless discussions about the failures of the present education system and the possible changes that might improve it. One of the problems, and differences from England, is that education is a matter for the federal states (16 altogether) and not a matter for central government in Berlin. So, although there are certain agreements within the states, there are quite a few differences as well, e.g. the availability and number of comprehensive schools differs from state to state depending on which party has been mainly in power over the years. In states with a long reign of Social Democrats (Hessen, Hamburg, Bremen etc.) you will find more comprehensives than in states with the more conservative Christian Democrats (Bayern, Baden-Wurttemberg etc.). There are no centralised exams in Germany; there are not even external exams for "Mittlere Reife" (similar to GCSE) or "Arbitur" (similar to A-level). This practice has been the subject of criticism over the years and is even more under scrutiny after "PISA". Other differences are that pupils start school from the age of six and go on to 18 or 19, "Arbitur". They have four year of "Grundschule" (primary school) after which the teacher will recommend the next step for secondary education. In general, the three-tier system, with its very early differentiation into abilities, still seems to be the preferred choice. A typical school day starts between 7.30am and 8am and finishes around lunch-time. There may be some afternoon activities for higher classes but most schools are not designed for all-day schooling. But this is another area that is being explored at the moment as a possibility for change. Most certainly "PISA" shook the nation and will hopefully lead to some positive changes in the education system.

Donnerstag 27. März 2003

Die Deutschen in Osteuropa - damals und heute.
It was a welcome return to the German Circle for popular speaker Walter Drews recently, with his topic for the evening "Die Deutschen in Osteuropa- damals und heute". East Germany has a complicated and troubled past and Walter Drews began with a detailed appraisal of the land's history and the mass movement towards the eastern parts of Germany in the Middle Ages. The early settlers had to contend with the Black Death, the Thirty Years War, despotic leaders , heavy taxes and the restrictions placed on their religious beliefs. Whole villages were wiped out by the ravages of disease and war, but in spite of this the population of the eastern states expanded rapidly. The early settlers were followed by people fleeing the Balkans and Russia. This allowed the region to become a melting pot of nationalities, each bringing to Germany their own culture, crafts and languages.
Donnerstag 24. April 2003

Der Harz
At the last meeting there was a new speaker, a teacher from Loughton. Her enthusiasm seemed boundless and everyone was delighted with the way she presented the theme, Harz Mountains. It is a range in the north of Germany, partly as high and as low as the Pennines, only the Brocken is higher than Snowdon. The range is 90 kilometres long and 30km across. Only after the wall between east and west disappeared did it become more known as a tourist area, though before the war it was used for skiing holidays by the north Germans. As far as vegetation is concerned the Harz consists of 50 per cent forest, and some agricultural land on the lower slopes. The mountains are mainly granite and there were mines bearing silver, copper, zinc, and lead. America took over as a silver producer, so to make the area attractive to tourists, holiday centres and spas were created, and people found work in the new industry. As far as weather is concerned, in the winter it snows at least 100 days, and it is very cold. It produces a lot of rain and as the ground is granite, the water collects and floods some areas. It is now collected and treated and exported as drinking water as far as Bremen 200 kilometres away. There are many lakes, weirs, and dams, a very varied landscape. The houses used to be built with timber, but it is now forbidden to fell trees without permission. Acid rain has devastated a substantial amount of the forests. Reforesting is in the process to regain some of the beauty of the area. The Brocken, the highest peak, was known for its association with witches. On April 30th is Walpurgis feast, when the witches used to get on their brooms and fly to the top of the Brocken, to meet the devil and had their wicked way with him. Today, the youth in the area dress up as witches and devils and burn straw-dolls. It all finishes at midnight, with the appearance of the May Queen.
Donnerstag 22. Mai 2003