Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
September 2017
Sheet music for the ‘March of the Berliner Bears’ from 1965
Historical Context
The ‘Berliner Bären’ are a German association in Chicago, similar to many that have existed and still exist in the USA. The peak period of associations run by German immigrants is certainly the 19th century. These associations provide a social network for the newcomer immigrants, serving as a job market, marriage market, and a hub for information, as well as a retreat from the American working world.
In the association, German is not only spoken – the German song repertoire is also maintained there. The singing clubs founded based on the model from their homeland quickly spread throughout America. By the mid-19th century, there were so many that two umbrella organizations were created in the 1850s: in the West, the ‘North American Singing Federation,’ and in the East, the ‘General German Singing Federation of North America.’ Their main task is the organization of the ‘Singing Festivals,’ several days of singing competitions with a folk festival character, which take place initially annually, later at irregular intervals in various cities across the country. Not only classical choral music is sung; folk songs and dances, as well as marches, are also on the program.
A march is a piece of music designed to facilitate walking or marching in step through evenly spaced accents in a steady beat. Besides its military use, it achieved great popularity, particularly in the 19th century, in both art and entertainment music. And this is international: march melodies travel back and forth between nations.
The modern march typically consists of two sections of 8 to 16 measures in song form. Since the mid-18th century, a similarly structured section known as a ‘Trio’ – as in the presented composition – is added as a middle part.
Short Biography
Rita Bendler is born in 1957 as the only child of Ursula and Günter Matschke in Berlin. When her father Günter, a toolmaker, continues to have a poor workload and the Berlin Wall is built, the parents decide to follow a relative’s example and emigrate to the USA. In 1962, the Matschke family travels with the ‘Bremen’ from Bremerhaven to New York. Final destination: Chicago.
The four-year-old Rita quickly acclimates to the ‘New World’ and makes new friends in kindergarten. Her father Günter also finds work with his skills at various companies. Only mother Ursula, used to working in an office, has to take an undesirable job as a saleswoman due to lack of English skills. To compensate, she gets involved in her free time with the German association ‘Berliner Bären’ based in Chicago. She edits the association’s newspaper, organizes festivals and events, meets new acquaintances – and yet always feels uncomfortable in America.
When her father falls ill with lung cancer in Germany, the family returns in 1966. For nine-year-old Rita, this is a consequential decision: she has to leave her friends in Chicago and struggles to adapt in the small village near Braunschweig, where her parents move her. After school, she studies art history in Göttingen, where she meets her husband Thilo, who has also lived in the USA for some time. Today, Rita and her husband ‘commute between worlds’ – heartfelt connections draw the couple back to the USA every six months.
Significance of the Object
A language lives not only as spoken or written but also through singing, in the “folk” and “art songs.” For many people, singing in their native language is a way to express more than just the bare words. Songs sung together create a sense of community and convey belonging and connection – especially for emigrants, it’s often a way to reconfirm their roots in a foreign land. New compositions can deliberately utilize this effect. For instance, the “March of the ‘Berlin Bears’” aims to invoke the shared origin from Berlin: “We love the world but always remain loyal to our homeland.” The march format is certainly not chosen by chance, as it remains popular in Germany even after 1945 and serves as a reminder of the Berliner Luft for the “bears from the Spree” in distant America.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de