German Kabarett and its Appropriation in Kurt Weill's "Seerauber Jenny"

Abstract

Kabarett, a short-lived countercultural movement in Germany, managed to leave a mark on the world of Western music despite its brief existence. Through simple musical structures and pointed lyrics, Kabarett music captured the attention of the German public from the 1900s to the 1930s.  Following Kabarett’s vogue, composers of “high art” genres such as lieder, opera, and musicals appropriated the Kabarett style into the realm of Western art music. In 1928, Kurt Weill utilized a Kabarett sound in his “play with music,” The Threepenny Opera.       

            This paper will analyze selected Kabarett pieces from early 20th Century Germany to establish the harmonic, textual, and formal components that constitute the basis of Kabarett style. These tenets of Kabarett style will then be compared and contrasted with Weill’s “Seeräuber Jenny,” an art piece influenced by the genre, in order to determine the extent of aesthetic borrowing or departure. Previous research on Kabarett has been limited mainly to its history and social implications; this writing will contribute to the academic discourse by examining Kabarett from a music analytical perspective.