145:, one of the group's singers, the members of Oktoberklub were "one hundred percent red, convinced, honest" and wanted to actively shape society. Mixing politics and entertainment, they injected novelty and freshness into the ossified political culture of the GDR. In doing so, however, they forfeited their spontaneity, toeing the official political line and engaging in questionable activities (e.g. appearing in support of the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968). This led to repeated disputes within the club, which resulted in the departure of some of its members, among them Bettina Wegner and
104:
17:
153:
also had to do with the one-sided depiction of the group in the media. Following heated internal debates the members decided on a change of course in late 1986. The club subsequently took a more robust stance against attempts at regimentation, and its songs dealing with life in the GDR became more critical.
152:
In the early years the club met with a remarkably broad response, especially among young people loyal to the GDR, although others regarded it as a “propaganda tool of the SED”, the country's leading political party. In the 1980s its agit-prop songs were increasingly felt to be trite and hollow, which
99:
in
February 1966. The club was unusually informal by East German standards and everyone was encouraged to take part. Musicians such as Perry Friedman, Hartmut König, Reiner Schöne, Bettina Wegner and many others performed with the club. DT64, a radio station which played music predominantly for young
156:
The club sang international political songs (partly in adaptations), traditional folk and battle songs as well as original creations. In addition to normal recitals with a mixed repertoire, they also performed revue-like programs from 1971 onwards (1971
202:
The club was an amateur group although at times it had a semi-professional core and the line-up changed frequently. Over the years, it had a grand total of about 180 members, although not all of them were artistically active. The writer
219:, later Gerd Kern rose to prominence as lyricist and Fred KrĂĽger as composer. From 1987 on, Michael Letz and Jens Quandt wrote many of the compositions, some of the lyrics for other songs being supplied in 1988/89 by
254:. Hartmut König was Secretary of the Central Council of the Free German Youth movement for twelve years and Deputy Minister of Culture for a short time in 1989. The best known songs of the Oktoberklub include
195:(from 1979). The club also appeared frequently abroad, for example at press festivals of communist newspapers in Western Europe. The group received various awards, including the
250:
among others), while others later worked in cultural institutions or industries such as radio, television, recording or served in the general administration of the
87:
in East
Germany since 1960. A group of young people who became enthusiastic about folk music gathered around Friedman and the youth radio station
179:
The club was the principle organizer of a series of events such as the OKK (from 1970 the first permanent discotheque in the GDR, from 1977 the
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127:” and was subsequently appropriated and promoted as a “model case” of socialist cultural policy. It was under these conditions that the
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425:
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680:
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played a mentoring role for the club for a long time. Important writers in the early years were
Reinhold Andert,
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119:
leadership had decided to ban all critical art and youth culture, and in early 1967 staged a campaign against
621:
184:
88:
610:
112:
124:
368:
142:
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renamed itself as
Oktoberklub. The reason for the change of name was to associate the group with the
226:
The club was also "of great importance as a talent reservoir for youth-oriented music" according to
59:. Founded in 1966, the group disbanded in 1990. Occasional performances followed in 2002 and 2007.
234:, which existed until 1980. Some club members also pursued artistic solo careers (Reinhold Andert,
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220:
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123:. As a result, the hootenanny movement in the GDR came to be officially referred to as the “FDJ
230:. In 1973 several former members of the club established a professional musical group known as
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297:. In the 1990s, two television documentaries were made about the history of the club:
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Political Song in the GDR: The Cat-and-Mouse Game with
Censorship and Institutions
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413:/ Reverse: Hermann Hähnel & Kammerchor Institut Musikerziehung Berlin (
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in many countries worldwide in the early 1960s. The
Canadian folk singer
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223:, who was frequently accompanied at this time by Oktoberklub musicians.
16:
635:„Unser Lied ist unser Kampf“. Das Festival „Politische Lieder zu den X.
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Blaue Hemden — Rote Fahnen. Die
Geschichte der Freien Deutschen Jugend.
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162:
52:
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Narrative Role-Play as
Communication Strategy in German Protest Song
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Jugend, Musik und
Ideologie. Zur Geschichte der FDJ-Singebewegung.
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15:
353:. Die wichtigsten Daten und Dokumente von 1966–1990. Berlin 1996
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290:
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people, regularly broadcast recordings of their performances.
583:
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2018, S. 1183–1187.
576:
Ch. Links, Berlin 2013 (Original 2008), S. 62 (E-Book).
47:(GDR). The musical style of the group was a mixture of
559:
Protest Song in East and West
Germany Since the 1960s.
561:Camden House, Rochester, NY 2007, darin ders.:
597:– Album with pictures, videos and audio files
8:
543:Leske und Budrich, Opladen 1996, S. 175–178.
649:Der Staat singt mit – das Lied in der DDR
397:Da sind wir aber immer noch – 20 Jahre OK
574:Der Traum von der Revolte. Die DDR 1968.
274:(a German version of the Argentine song
552:Hallische Beiträge zur Zeitgeschichte.
539:Ulrich Mählert, Gerd-Rüdiger Stephan:
622:Singebewegung, Singeklub, Singegruppe
565:, S. 67–96, hier S. 82 f. und ders.:
351:Und das war im … 30 Jahre Oktoberklub
95:district leadership they founded the
7:
107:16th Festival of Political Song 1986
426:Thomas Natschinski und seine Gruppe
309:(Axel Grote and Christian Steinke,
14:
289:portrayed the Oktoberklub in the
75:sparked a wave of folk music and
252:Committee for Entertainment Arts
197:Gold Star of People's Friendship
91:. With the support of the local
461:(Octav flexi disc, green label)
266:. Other notable songs included
455:Ich bin wie alle blind geboren
1:
554:Heft 12, 2002, S. 5–24 (PDF).
479:/ Reverse: Jahrgang '49 with
411:Was machen wir zu Pfingsten?
317:Publications and Discography
615:Jugendopposition in der DDR
488:Da sind wir aber immer noch
189:Festival of Political Songs
697:
676:East German musical groups
569:, S. 227–254, hier S. 233.
429:Denn sie lehren die Kinder
45:German Democratic Republic
581:Kulturgeschichte der DDR.
481:RDA grĂĽĂźt Cuba socialista
459:Heut' singt ein Singeclub
305:, Netherlands, 1992) and
280:Rauch steigt vom Dach auf
35:, initially known as the
376:Unterm Arm die Gitarre
344:100 Lieder Oktoberklub
335:meeting of the FDJ in
276:Cuando tenga la tierra
185:House of Young Talents
115:in December 1965, the
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97:Hootenanny-Klub Berlin
37:Hootenanny-Klub Berlin
21:
477:Haben wir diese Erde?
470:Ich singe den Frieden
422:Sag mir, wo du stehst
383:aha – Der Oktoberklub
365:Der Oktoberklub singt
307:Sag mir, wo du stehst
256:Sag mir, wo du stehst
106:
20:Autographed card 1968
19:
594:Commons: Oktoberklub
557:David Robb (Hrsg.):
272:Haben wir diese Erde
113:11th plenary session
83:had been organizing
331:(Song book for the
322:Brochures and books
295:Lieder machen Leute
522:(Barbarossa/Amiga)
399:(Amiga, Double-LP)
268:Wir wollen Frieden
221:Gerhard Gundermann
205:Gisela Steineckert
170:Liebesnachtschicht
136:October Revolution
109:
22:
681:East German music
492:Hier, wo ich lebe
299:Das Ende vom Lied
293:documentary film
207:and the composer
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513:Oktoberklub life
264:Wir sind ĂĽberall
236:Barbara Thalheim
209:Wolfram Heicking
193:Ein Kessel Rotes
191:(1970-1990) and
159:FDJ-Nachtschicht
125:Singing Movement
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579:Gerd Dietrich:
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534:Further reading
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337:Karl-Marx-Stadt
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174:Prenzlauer Berg
143:Reinhold Andert
129:Hootenanny-Klub
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43:group from the
41:political music
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346:. Berlin 1985
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33:October Club)
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450:, red label)
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436:Friedenslied
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244:Gina Pietsch
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228:Olaf Leitner
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213:Kurt Demmler
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140:
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96:
85:hootenannies
69:folk revival
66:
36:
32:
24:
23:
641:Kulturation
611:Oktoberklub
602:Oktoberklub
515:(Nebelhorn)
424:/ Reverse:
390:Politkirmes
260:Oktobersong
248:Tamara Danz
232:Jahrgang 49
166:Manne Klein
147:Sanda Weigl
138:in Russia.
111:During its
25:Oktoberklub
670:Categories
662:References
520:Hootenanny
448:flexi disc
440:Sommer '68
181:Kellerklub
121:Anglicisms
57:rock music
527:Subbotnik
506:Das Beste
199:in 1986.
285:In 1968
39:, was a
655:Norient
494:(Amiga)
483:(Amiga)
472:(Amiga)
446:(Octav
431:(Amiga)
404:Singles
392:(Amiga)
385:(Amiga)
378:(Amiga)
333:Whitsun
313:1993).
187:), the
183:in the
172:, 1975
163:cantata
161:, 1972
71:in the
63:History
53:chanson
29:English
525:1999:
518:1996:
511:1996:
504:1995:
486:1979:
475:1978:
464:1975:
453:1969:
434:1968:
420:1967:
415:eterna
409:1967:
395:1985:
388:1978:
381:1973:
374:1968:
363:1967:
349:1996:
342:1985:
327:1967:
278:) and
132:Berlin
369:Amiga
329:Octav
653:In:
639:In:
626:In:
550:In:
303:VPRO
291:DEFA
262:and
215:and
168:and
89:DT64
67:The
55:and
49:folk
613:at
604:at
499:CDs
358:LPs
311:MDR
176:).
117:SED
93:FDJ
672::
490:/
468:/
457:/
442:/
438:/
282:.
270:,
258:,
246:,
242:,
238:,
149:.
51:,
31::
651:.
637:“
624:.
417:)
371:)
367:(
339:)
301:(
27:(
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