“… GOOD MUSIC …” Two German musicians in America 1880 – 1939
Simone Blaschka-Eick and Christoph Bongert, edition DAH, 2017.
Prize: 11,80 €
But this is a life that no one can imagine who hasn’t seen it for themselves. (Fritz Schutz, December 20, 1883)
Time passes so quickly here in this country that I can hardly believe it has already been 32 years since I left Germany in December. (Fritz Schutz, June 29, 1915)
Louis and Fritz Schutz go to America in the 1880s. They earn their living as professional musicians in a brass band. Their repertoire is ‘international’: German marches and polkas, Italian opera overtures, American quadrilles, and quick steps … Over time, they achieve a prosperity that their homeland could not have offered them. They witness the emergence of the modern music industry and popular American music.
However, contact with their relatives back home in Westerfeld never ceases. For decades, the two write letters to their brother Heinrich, reporting on life in America, on work and family, on joy and sorrow … Over 130 letters from nearly 60 years have been preserved. The story of the two brothers and a piece of music history of their time is told in this book.