Due to the protest evolving because of the Vienna Philharmonic's gender
bias, an interest in the orchestra's ethnic and racial ideologies has also
emerged. This post contains a very brief sketch of some aspects of the
orchestra's ethnic and racial beliefs. The theme requires much more space
than I can use here, so I limit myself to some simple documentation. I
should also note that the Vienna Philharmonic's racial ideology is much
more difficult to write about than their gender bias, since it is
difficult to document, and since the topic is extremely volatile and has
to be addressed with sensitivity and care.
In addition to the exclusion of women, the Vienna Philharmonic believes
that ethnic uniformity gives it aesthetic superiority. In some cases
these views expand beyond questions of ethnicity and assume the tones of a
racial ideology. The Vienna Philharmonic feels, for example, that it is
essential to exclude people whose physical appearance would identify them
as non- Austrians, since this would damage the visual image of the
orchestra and put in question certain characteristics of Austrian culture.
Examples of this ideology have been documented by Elena Ostleitner, who is
a professor at the Institute fuer Musiksoziologie of the Vienna
Hochschule. She was commissioned by the Austrian government to examine
why there is an apparent shortage of qualified young candidates for
orchestra positions in Austria. Among the many factors contributing to
the problem, she noted that foreign musicians trained in Austria are often
denied jobs due to their race.
She found that, "Even in a renowned orchestra like the Vienna
Philharmonic, it is difficult, if not impossible, to fill vacancies,
because the Philharmonic members say the musicians applying do not fulfill
their artistic requirements, or are visibly of foreign origin."(1)
If foreigners are accepted, an emphasis is placed upon their "visibly"
belonging to a central European racial group. In fact, the Vienna
Philharmonic has 6 foreigners among its 149 members, and they all have the
appearance of central Europeans.(2) Ostleitner conducted numerous
interviews for her study, and the discussions sometimes cover attitudes
toward Asian musicians in Austria . These views toward Asian musicians
provide useful insights, because many Asians have reached the highest
standards of western art music, many have studied in Vienna, and many
still live there. Ostleitner, for example, recorded this statement by a
women who lives in Austria:
"I auditioned for an orchestra, and I led in the point tabulations as long
as I played behind a screen. Due to my name it was not apparent that I am
an Asian. But when the screen was removed, I was rejected without
comment. Friends in the orchestra confirmed my assumption. They do not
take foreigners, and if they do, then only those in which [foreign
appearance] is not visible."(3)
In another interview Ostleitner recorded a corroborating attitude,
expressed by a 40 year old male conductor:
"The Japanese lack the "inner glow" ("innere Glut"). But since they have
youth orchestras for almost all age groups, they are often technically
solidly in the saddle even in the younger years."(4)
The view is that Asians have some sort of innate difference in regard to
western art music in spite of their technical accomplishment, and that
their physical appearance would somehow lower the aesthetic image of
Austrian music-making. In an interview with the West German State Radio,
similar attitudes were noted by another Viennese sociologist, Roland
Girtler, who is a professor of sociology at the University of Vienna. He
specializes in the study of isocratic social groups, and has observed the
Vienna Philharmonic as an exclusive men's group. He describes the
orchestra as being similar to a cultic fraternity, and notes that they
exclude foreigners on a racial basis:
"What I have noticed that is interesting, is that the Vienna Philharmonic
would also never take a Japanese or such. If they took one, this also
would somehow by appearances put in question the noble character of
Viennese culture. But this is not racist!"(5)
Again it is not merely musical performance, but the racial physiognomy of
Asians that is the critical issue--though Girtler does not view this as
racist. By visually putting in question the "noble character" of the
orchestra, the ensemble' s status and the inherent qualities of Austrian
culture would presumably be damaged.
In the same interview with the West German State Radio, these racial
ideologies were openly expressed by members of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Helmut Zahetner, a second violinist in the Vienna Philharmonic, believes
that only central Europeans should be members because they have qualities
that are intrinsically different from other races:
"From the beginning we have spoken of the special Viennese qualities, of
the way music is made here. The way we make music here is not only a
technical ability, but also something that has a lot to do with the soul.
The soul does not let itself be separated from the cultural roots that we
have here in central Europe. And it also doesn't allow itself to be
separated from gender."
"So if one thinks that the world should function by quota regulations,
then it is naturally irritating that we are a group of white skinned male
musicians, that perform exclusively the music of white skinned male
composers. It is a racist and sexist irritation. I believe one must put
it that way. If one establishes superficial egalitarianism, one will lose
something very significant. Therefore, I am convinced that it is
worthwhile to accept this racist and sexist irritation, because something
produced by a superficial understanding of human rights would not have the
same standards."(6)
This candid statement illustrates the role race plays in the orchestra's
beliefs about music-making. An almost identical statement was reported in
a radio broadcast of the Austria National Broadcasting Corporation. A
public school teacher who had taken his class to a rehearsal of the Vienna
Philharmonic reported that a girl in the class asked why only men were in
the orchestra. Werner Resel, the orchestra's chairman, answered that
the "Vienna Philharmonic is an orchestra of white men playing music by
white men for white people".(7)
These are some blatant examples of how racial ideologies are expressed in
the Vienna Philharmonic. But it should be noted that very often
subtilties of language make racism difficult to identify. Since racial
ideology is strongly stigmatized in much of the international community,
it is often expressed through a sort of coded language (and not just in
German). Statements can thus be made whose implications are difficult to
determine. Anti-semites in central Europe, for example, will refer to
Jewish people as "no-nationals" based on a racist belief that they are
wanderers who never really "belong" to a particular country. Or
discussions will turn to unnamed groups who destroy the "ethical
uniformity" of society with the clear and unspoken implication that this
would result from the "non-Christian influences" of Jewish religious
groups. This kind of code language is a central part of the neo-nazi and
anti- Semitic literature which is widely available in newsstands
throughout Germany and Austria.(8) These methods are often used by
orchestra musicians as well, and can be problematic for scholars studying
racial and ethnic ideologies in orchestras. When put under a critical
eye, the Vienna Philharmonic will sometimes change the tone of its
statements and give less than convincing explanations about why there is
not a single women, or a single member of a "visible" racial minority in
the orchestra.
Due to the Vienna Philharmonic's long history of racial and ethnic
ideology, it was easily appropriated and transformed into one of of the
most active orchestras for the support of National Socialism. In 1938
Austria was made part of Germany through the "Anschluss", which was
euphorically greeted by a wide spectrum of Austrian society. A program
was set in motion to "Aryanize" Austrian culture. As a result, Wilhelm
Jerger, who was a contrabassist in the orchestra and a Lieutenant
in the SS, became the chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Forty-seven percent of the Vienna Philharmonic's members belonged to the
Nazi party, and many were members well before 1938 when it was still
illegal in Austria to be a party member.(9) Six members of the orchestra
were Jewish and died in the concentration camps, and another eleven were
able to save their lives by timely immigration. Nine additional members
were found to be of "mixed race" or "contaminated by kinship"
("Versippte") and reduced to secondary status within the orchestra.(10)
Since 47% of the members belonged to the National Socialist Party, and
since 26 non-Aryans were either murdered, exiled or reduced in status, the
strongly fascist tendencies of what remained of the orchestra are clear.
The orchestra's many activities in the service of National Socialism began
only days after the Anschluss. They began with a trip to Berlin to
perform a concert under the direction of Furtwaengler especially for
Hitler. The Anschluss euphoria continued when they performed the
"Meistersinger von Nuermberg", again with Furtwaengler, at the Nuermberg
Party Days in 1938. Hitler was so taken with their performance and their
show of devotion that he promised the orchestra his personal protection
and concern.(11) The Vienna Philharmonic was asked to be a yearly fixture
at the Nuermberg party rallies(12). They thus became part of the central
paradigm of National Socialist cultural ritual.
In this capacity and many others, the orchestra became one of the most
important propaganda instruments for the Party. For example, they made
many tours of the occupied areas where it was considered most essential to
"Germanize" the conquered peoples. These tours included cities such as
Krakow, Copenhagen, Den Haag, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dijon.
The Vienna Philharmonic's centennial fell in 1942 and was commemorated
with a book entitled _Erbe und Sendung_ (_Inheritance and Mission_) by
Wilhelm Jerger. The book very clearly documents the ideologies of the
orchestra and how ideally suited they were to appropriation by National
Socialism. For example, the book includes the genealogies of several
prominent father and son generations that filled the ranks of the
Philharmonic, and every "non-Aryan" in the tables has a special asterisk
by his name. Jerger explains that the Aryan stock of these Philharmonic
families was so "tough" that the purity of their "blood" wasn't notably
damaged by the "dysgenic" influences:
"And here it is demonstrated, that in spite of manifold influences of
blood from elsewhere, this Mind [Geist] continues to implant itself with
great toughness through the ancestral lineage, and that it is often very
sharply imprinted. It is understandable, that such an inheritance must
beget outstanding musicians, who in their stylistic education and in their
experience of orchestral playing are already extraordinarily schooled.
This is Mind from Old Mind, which helps tradition and inheritance, an
overcoming investment [ueberkommene Anlage] to a special development and
fulfillment."(13)
Schooling is acknowledged as important, but only in the context of a
special "blood" inheritance which transmits "Mind". This follows the
"Blood and Soil" ideologies of National Socialism with its belief that
cultural traits are genetically inherited. And it seems uncomfortably
close to the orchestra's recent comments about the special qualities of
the "central European soul", their attitude toward Asians, and music-making
revolving around white people.
[Continued in "VPO & Racism (2/2)]