Swastika and Clef

The Music City of Leipzig in the Nazi Era

27.1.2023 – 20.8.2023

Böttchergäßchen Building, Böttchergäßchen 3, 04109 Leipzig

Music is politics. Music is propaganda and music is an ideology, according to the Nazi world view. Thanks to its rich heritage of music, Leipzig managed to preserve its outstanding position in Germany’s music world from 1933 to 1945. On seizing power 90 years ago, the Nazis began systematically enforcing conformity in the music scene. Concert houses and music theatres were highly regulated, “undesirable” artists were ousted, unwanted composers were omitted from programmes and banned from churches and concert halls. This campaign culminated in the banishment and annihilation of Jewish musicians and music publishers. At the same time, the illusion of the “flourishing city of music” was preserved. Quite a few renowned composers, soloists, lecturers and conductors benefited from the “newly vacated” positions or ingratiated themselves into the system.

Our special exhibition is the first in Leipzig to take a comprehensive look at this subject. Nine sections focus on key urban institutions such as St Thomas Boys Choir, Gewandhaus, the Academy of Music, the Leipzig Opera and consider the music performed in synagogues across the city, the cult around Richard Wagner as well as the local jazz and swing music scenes. We take a look at life stories and careers in the area of conflict between swastikas and clefs. Additionally, numerous historic audio documents as well as eyewitness reports illustrate the world of music in Leipzig from 1933 and show quite literally where it fell silent.