Thomas Mann Swinging Violin

Barengero

Well, I think most of you know that the famous german novelist Thomas Mann

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Mann

was not only a great author, but a fine violin player just as well. At the age of seven years he began his violin studies. Aided by the bandmaster of the Lübeck theater, Alexander von Fielitz, Thomas Mann became a student of concertmaster Theodor Winkelmann

http://www.uni-magdeburg.de/mbl/Biografien/0812.htm

in 1883.

It is well known that Thomas Mann at that time got in contact with a small Gypsy Band in Travemünde, where he spent his holidays with his father. He was fascinated by the „Primas“ of the band, an impressive violin player. After a short while he was able to imitate not only the violin playing, but also the whole mien and acting of the gypsy violinist. His father, who got aware of this mimikry, arranged a concert of 8-year-old Thomas with the band and with a Hungarian piece of music Thomas Mann became a kind of a child prodigy – at least in Travemünde.

More than 60 years later, Thomas Mann gave a truly report about this whole adventure in his unfinished novel „Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull“ („Confessions of Felix Krull“).

„…schon das Kind konnte sich nicht von dem hübschen Pavillon trennen, worin die kleidsam uniformierte Truppe unter der Leitung eines kleinen Kapellmeisters von zigeunerhaftem Aussehen ihre Potpourris und Opernstücke erklingen ließ. … Namentlich das Geigenspiel hatte es mir angetan, und zu Hause, im Hotel, ergötzte ich mich und die Meinen damit, daß ich …das Gebaren des ersten Violinisten aufs getreueste nachzuahmen suchte. Die schwingende Bewegung der linken Hand zur Erzeugung eines seelenvollen Tones, das weiche Hinauf- und Hinabgleiten aus einer Grifflage in die andere, die Fingergeläufigkeit bei virtuosenhaften Passagen und Kadenzen, das schlanke und geschmeidige Durchbiegen des rechten Handgelenks bei der Bogenführung, die versunkene und lauschend gestaltete Miene bei hingeschmiegter Wange – dies alles wiederzugeben gelang mir mit einer Vollkommenheit, die besonders meinem Vater den heitersten Beifall abnötigte. Dieser nun, gut gelaunt unter dem wohltuenden Einfluß der Bäder, nimmt das langhaarige und fast stimmlose Kapellmeisterchen beiseite und verabredet mit ihm die folgende Komödie …“


Thomas Mann studied the violin for eleven years and thought about making his career as a professional violinist (like his son Michael Mann later did indeed). But then he decided to concentrate on his writing and created the famous novel „Buddenbrooks“ in 1901.

But he never put down his violin completely and he was an aficionado of music trough his whole life. Bruno Walter was his neighbour during his long years in munich and a very good friend of him. And his novel „Doctor Faustus“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doktor_Faustus
is all about music.

When Thomas Mann was working on his novel „Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull“ in 1953, it was arranged in advance that the novel immediately should get picturized – with actor Horst Buchholz as name part Felix Krull, Heidi Brühl as Miss Twentyman and Thomas Mann´s daughter Erika Mann as her laidy´s maid.

What is not very well known, is the fact that Thomas Mann, while writing down the adventures of his youth, fancied to play the violin for the soundtrack of that forthcoming film. So he was looking for a Gypsy band who could back him on some tunes. His daughter Erika, who formerly had a cabaret „Die Pfeffermühle“ in Basel from 1933 on, made a contact to the Bandleader Jerry Thomas. He recommended his guitarist Maurice Rosenberg for the job, but later his brother Rigo Rosenberg was going to sit in for him at the rehearsal sessions. Some of the sessions got recorded and we know that they recorded at least „Nuages“, „Avalon“, „ Une Poisson d´Avril“, „Du schwarzer Zigeuner“ and three more titles.

Rigo´s daughter, Madame Bimbam Canular, gave me some photographs of the sessions and one picture of Thomas Mann, his wife Katia and his daughter Erika while listening to the acetate of „Du schwarzer Zigeuner“.

In the August of 1955 Thomas Mann passed away and couldn´t finish neither the novel nor the soundtrack. Nevertheless the film was made in 1957, but without any sound material of Thomas Mann´s original violin playing.

I am researching the whereabouts of this recordings, but no one can tell me about it. I was told (a rumor?) that the musical director of the film, Hans Martin Majewski, was the last owner of the acetates and that he planned to publish them on the Majaphon record label; but when I wanted to ask him in 1998 about this topic I had to realize that he had passed away one year before.

So any reference to the destination of that recordings is highly appreciated.

Ted?
Teddy?
Scot?

Best,
Barengero

stoche

Great story...

I definitly must have a copy of these tapes... By the way, I was told that Thomas Mann was an excellent fretless bass player as well... Do you no more about this?

Best,
stoche

andy

There's also a bit in "The Magic Mountain" ('round about p.587), where Hans Castorp, suddenly stricken by the complexity of his love for Madame Chauchat, asks the waiter to bring him a glass of emetic mineral water before pulling out his bajolele and singing a rousing version of "Dinah", cheekily substituting the second verse with the words of a pornographic Prussian marching song, which accidently scandalizes an old Edwardian inmate of the sanitorium, who though only knowing six words of Prussian, is able to clearly make out the words "buttocks" and "nuts."

Also - though slightly OT - if you take the trouble to transcribe the notes discussed in that episode from "Doctor Faustus" where a hallucinating and feverish Adrian Leverkühn is instructed in serial composition by the devil (which, as we all know, is in fact cameo appearance by Frankfurt School Marxist, Theodor Adorno), it works out as to be the head of "Rhythm-a-Ning".

Cheers,
Andy

pallopenna

Does this mean that Thelonius' other middle name was Beelzebub?

Barengero

It is well known that Theodor W. Adorno was a real jazz enthusiastic. When he lived in New York from 1938 until 1941 (that means until he went to Los Angeles) he was working at Horkheimers Institute for social research. There he had to deal with the musical part of the "Princeton Radio Research Project" and Adorno wrote his studies "Current of Music". Paul Lazarsfeld gave account that Adorno very often was guest in "Mintons Playhouse" during his New York period. There he was fascinated especially by the playing of the young and - then unknown - Thelonius Monk. They became good friends and it is no secret that Adorno gave some lessons to Thelonius, escepially in composition and musical theorie. Soon after Adornos move to Los Angeles in 1941 he told Thomas Mann - who was living in Pacific Palisades at that time - about his Impressions about the new jazz development (later known as "Be-Bop"). In 1943 Thomas Mann began writing his novel "Dr. Faustus" . What are the odds!!

I am quite sure that "Rhythm-a-Ning" was composed by Adorno and that Thelonius Monk stole it from him.

Best,
Barengero

Barengero

andy wrote:

substituting the second verse with the words of a pornographic Prussian marching song, which accidently scandalizes an old Edwardian inmate of the sanitorium, who though only knowing six words of Prussian, is able to clearly make out the words "buttocks" and "nuts."

Only miscellanea, but this was not a prussian marching song, but an austrian marching song by Johann Strauß senior: "Radetzkymarsch" from 1848, when the revolution took place in Vienna. The pornographic verse is just as old. It is interesting to read what Thomas Mann wrote in his notebook:

"Am 6. August [1848 - Barengero] zog das Radetzky Regiment in Mailand ein. Am nächsten Tag erklang in Wien
bereits der eben frisch komponierte Radetzky-Marsch von Johann Strauß Vater, der damit vergessen
ließ, dass er einige Zeit zuvor der Nationalgarde einen Marsch komponiert hatte ... Die wahre Antwort
der von den Habsburgen Unterdrückten liess sich nicht lange auf sich warten. Die Reime des Marsches erinnere wie folgt:

Radetzky liegt im Bett, mit seiner Frau Elisabeth. / Sie liegen ruhig, Bauch an Bauch / und spielen mit dem Gummischlauch. / Radetzky liegt im Bett, mit seiner Frau Elisabeth. / Sie liegen ruhig, Arsch an
Arsch / und sie pfeifen den Radtezky-Marsch."

(translation of the verse:
Radetzky is lying in his bed,
with his wife Elisabeth/
they are lying quiet, paunch to paunch/
and are playing with a rubber hose/
Radetzky is lying in his bed,
with his wife Elisabeth/
They are lying quiet, Ass to Ass/
wheezing the Radetzky-Marsh)

Best,
Barengero

andy

Bravo! Masterful scholarship.

Regards,
Andy

badjazz

This might be one of the best posts ever on this board. Thomas Mann is one of my favorite writers, and Dr Faustus is probably my favorite 'music' book. Very interesting to hear that he also played GJ violin. I, too would love to hear the recordings if they ever turn up.

Slightly OT, but in fitting with the Radetzky March theme, there is also a great book titled The Radetzky March (at least that's what it is translated as in English) by Joseph Roth that fans of Mann may also enjoy. Although judging from the scholarly discourse, most of you probably already know a lot more about it than I.