Re: Harmonica family Jewish ?

[George Robinson <grcomm...>]

Hey, Adorno hated jazz, too. Personally I think it's a German thing, not a
Jewish thing.

On the other hand, this goes a long way to explaining the joke Al Cohn (the
great tenor sax player) used to tell: "A gentleman is someone who can play the
accordion, but doesn't."

George (can't play the accordion but will) Robinson

The world is new each morning--
that is God's gift, and a man should
believe he is reborn each day.
                  -The Baal Shem Tov


Sandra Layman wrote:

> > Remember also, that the greatest German-speaking musical enemy of the
> > accordion was Theodor Adorno
>
> This is truly shocking news, particularly for those of us who spent good
> money & time to get bachelor's degrees, and yet whose political theory
> classes never included this essential information.
>
> Sandra
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joshua Horowitz" <horowitz (at) budowitz(dot)com>
> To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2002 5:57 PM
> Subject: Re: Harmonica family Jewish ?
>
> > The star depicted on the Hohner harmonica is inded a six-point star, but
> it
> > lacks the intersecting lines which define the star as being two
> > interconnecting triangles. This star stamped in the metal of the harmonica
> > looks more like a Christmas cookie than a Mogen David. Stars of this kind
> > are still commonly found among the straw folk art of Alpine farmers
> (called
> > Bastlerkunst) and their cookies anc cakes. They still adorn Christmas
> trees
> > and are hung on wreaths all over. is this the only style of star found, or
> > is there a type which we can definitely call a Mogen David (with
> > interlocking triangles), or does the line-less version qualify?
> >
> > If there is any proof that the Nazis actually forced Hohner to dispense
> with
> > the star at all, do let us know where to find this. The Nazis themselves
> > used the star of David to mark Jews as targets (armbands, frocks and
> painted
> > windows). Why then did they not use the Hohner family as parade examples,
> or
> > then stamp the instrument as irrevocably "Jewish" or "corrupt." They
> called
> > Jewish music, Jazz, and many forms of popular music "Negermusik" or
> > "Judenmusik" or "entartete Musik" (degenerate music). Why then was the
> > instrument not given the same designation?
> >
> > Remember also, that the greatest German-speaking musical enemy of the
> > accordion was Theodor Adorno, a Jewish music theoretician who fled Nazi
> > Germany and who still has a paradoxic fanatic following in Austria and
> > Germany (I myself had to contend with dogmatic disciples of his before
> being
> > fired from the University in Graz, Austria). Incidentally, Adorno resided
> in
> > Berkeley (my oh my what a coincidence).
> >
> > I wouldn't say there is no substance to the claims of Nazi prohibitions of
> > stars and instruments and all, but before we advance this beyond urban
> > legend, lets see the proof. There are many contradictions here. Of course,
> > proving that the Nazis actually did make Hohner remove the star would
> > certainly help to convince people that Nazis are bad, wouldn't it? Josh
>

--


---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+