Ernst Busch (actor)
Encyclopedia
Ernst Busch was a German
singer and actor
.
Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky
, in the Berlin Kabarett
scene of the 1920s. He starred in the original 1928 production of Bertolt Brecht
's Threepenny Opera, as well as the subsequent 1931 film by Georg Wilhelm Pabst
. He also appeared in the movie Kuhle Wampe
.
A lifelong Communist, Busch fled Nazi Germany in 1933 with the Gestapo
on his heels, eventually settling in the Soviet Union
. In 1937 he joined the International Brigades
to fight against Fascism in Spain. His wartime songs were then recorded and broadcast by Radio Barcelona and Radio Madrid. After the Spanish Republic
fell to General Franco
, Busch migrated to Belgium
where he was interned during the German occupation and later imprisoned in Camp Gurs
, France
and Berlin. Freed by the Soviet Army
in 1945, he settled in East Berlin
where he worked with Bertolt Brecht
and Erwin Piscator
at the "Berliner Ensemble
". A beloved figure in the German Democratic Republic, he is best remembered for his performance in the title role of Brecht's Life of Galileo
and his stirring recordings of workers songs, including many written by Hanns Eisler
. He also made a memorable and haunting recording of Peat Bog Soldiers
. Many of Busch's original recordings from the 1930s are available in digitized form online and on CD; also available are re-recordings created during the late 1940s and early 1950s, which are equally stirring but perhaps less subtle in approach.
(Hochschule für Schauspielkunst „Ernst Busch“, HFS) in Berlin. Ernst Busch was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize
for 1970-71.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
singer and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky
Kurt Tucholsky
Kurt Tucholsky was a German-Jewish journalist, satirist and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser, Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel. Born in Berlin-Moabit, he moved to Paris in 1924 and then to Sweden in 1930.Tucholsky was one of the most important journalists of...
, in the Berlin Kabarett
Kabarett
Kabarett is a form of cabaret which developed in Germany from 1901, with the creation of the Überbrettl venue, and that by the Weimar era in the mid 1920s was characterized by political satire and gallows humor...
scene of the 1920s. He starred in the original 1928 production of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's Threepenny Opera, as well as the subsequent 1931 film by Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
-Biography:Pabst was born in Raudnitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary , the son of a railroad employee.Returning from the United States, he was in France when World War I began...
. He also appeared in the movie Kuhle Wampe
Kuhle Wampe
Kuhle Wampe is a 1932 German feature film about unemployment and left wing politics in the Weimar Republic. The script was conceived and written by Bertolt Brecht...
.
A lifelong Communist, Busch fled Nazi Germany in 1933 with the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
on his heels, eventually settling in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1937 he joined the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
to fight against Fascism in Spain. His wartime songs were then recorded and broadcast by Radio Barcelona and Radio Madrid. After the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
fell to General Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, Busch migrated to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
where he was interned during the German occupation and later imprisoned in Camp Gurs
Camp Gurs
Camp Gurs was an internment and refugee camp constructed by the French government in 1939. The camp was originally set up in southwestern France after the fall of Catalonia at the end of the Spanish Civil War to control those who fled Spain out of fear of retaliation from Francisco Franco's regime...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Berlin. Freed by the Soviet Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 1945, he settled in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
where he worked with Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
and Erwin Piscator
Erwin Piscator
Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator was a German theatre director and producer and, with Bertolt Brecht, the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of drama, rather than its emotional manipulation of the audience or on the production's formal...
at the "Berliner Ensemble
Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble is a German theatre company established by playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene Weigel in January 1949 in East Berlin...
". A beloved figure in the German Democratic Republic, he is best remembered for his performance in the title role of Brecht's Life of Galileo
Life of Galileo
Life of Galileo , also known as Galileo, is a play by the twentieth-century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht. The first version of the play was written between 1937 and 1939; the second version was written between 1945–1947, in collaboration with Charles Laughton...
and his stirring recordings of workers songs, including many written by Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler
Hanns Eisler was an Austrian composer.-Family background:Eisler was born in Leipzig where his Jewish father, Rudolf Eisler, was a professor of philosophy...
. He also made a memorable and haunting recording of Peat Bog Soldiers
Peat Bog Soldiers (song)
Peat Bog Soldiers is one of Europe's best-known protest songs. It exists in countless European languages and became a Republican anthem during the Spanish Civil War. It was a symbol of resistance during the Second World War and is popular with the Peace movement today...
. Many of Busch's original recordings from the 1930s are available in digitized form online and on CD; also available are re-recordings created during the late 1940s and early 1950s, which are equally stirring but perhaps less subtle in approach.
Recordings of Spanish Civil War songs (incomplete list)
From "Canciones de las Brigadas Internacionales" and "Solidarität"- Adelante Campesinos
- Am Rio JaramaJarama Valley (song)This song from the Second Spanish Republic is also known as Jarama Valley and El Valle del Jarama. The tune is Red River Valley.It refers to the Battle of Jarama, a Spanish Civil War battle. The battle was fought from 6–27 February 1937, in the Jarama river valley a few kilometres east of Madrid...
- "On the Jarama Front" - Ballade der XI Brigade / Lied von der XI Brigade - "Song of the XIth Brigade"
- Los Campesinos - "The Peasants"
- Las Compañías de Acero
- Los Cuatro Generales
- Himno de Riego / Riego Hymne - "Colonel Riego's Hymn"
- Hans Beimler
- Des Lied von der Einheitsfront / Einheitsfrontlied
- Lied der Internationalen Brigaden / Lied Der Interbrigaden - "Song of the International Brigades"
- Mamita Mia
- Die Moorsoldaten - "Peat Bog SoldiersPeat Bog Soldiers (song)Peat Bog Soldiers is one of Europe's best-known protest songs. It exists in countless European languages and became a Republican anthem during the Spanish Civil War. It was a symbol of resistance during the Second World War and is popular with the Peace movement today...
" - Nuestra Bandera - "Our Flag"
- Peter, Mein Kamerad - "Peter, my Comrade"
- "Spaniens Himmel" or "Die Thälmann-Kolonne" - "Spain's sky" or "The Thälmann Convoy" (Page 30f)
Recordings of Second World War and other songs (incomplete list)
- Ach Ihr Wege
- Aufbauleid
- Ballade von den Säckeschmeißern
- Der Barrikaden
- Dank Euch Ihr Sowjetsoldaten
- Diplomaten
- Der Graben
- Der heimliche AufmarschDer heimliche AufmarschDer heimliche Aufmarsch is a poem by Erich Weinert with music by Hanns Eisler, written in 1929. In 1931, Ernst Busch sang a version of the song at the end of the film Hell on Earth by Victor Trivas. The most famous version is the 1938 remake with new music by Eisler, heard at Communist Party...
- Es Kommt der Tag
- Frieden der Welt
- Kämpfen wie Lenin
- Kampflied gegen den Faschismus
- Korea
- Lenin
- Lied der Bergarbeiter
- Lied der Interbrigaden
- Lied der Partei - 1950
- Lied des Werktätigen
- Lied vom Vaterland
- Linker Marsch
- Links Rechts
- Lob des Kommunismus
- Marsch der Antifaschisten
- Der Marsch Ins Dritte Reich
- Matrosen von Kronstadt
- Der rote Wedding
- Sehnsucht nach der Heimat
- Solidaritätslied
- Stalin Freund Genosse - 1949
- Trotz alledem
- Vorwarts Bolschewik
Awards, medals, and recognition
Germany’s most prestigious school for stage acting and directing is named after the actor, the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic ArtsErnst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts
The Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts , based in the Niederschöneweide district of Berlin, Germany, was founded in 1951 as the National Theatre School in Berlin with the status of college...
(Hochschule für Schauspielkunst „Ernst Busch“, HFS) in Berlin. Ernst Busch was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...
for 1970-71.
See also
- Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
(section 'Spanish Civil War songs') - International Brigades order of battleInternational Brigades order of battleThe International Brigades were volunteer military units of foreigners who fought on the side of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The number of combattant volunteers has been estimated at between 32,000–35,000, though with no more than about 20,000 active at any one time...
(section 'XI International Brigade' point 'Songs') - VEB Deutsche SchallplattenVEB Deutsche SchallplattenFrom the 1950s until the 1980s the VEB Deutsche Schallplatten was the monopolistic music publisher in the German Democratic Republic.On August 12, 1946, the East Berlin singer and actor Ernst Busch got permission by Soviet military administration to institute a publishing house for music.On...
the state-run record labelRecord labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
started by Busch in 1946