Harry frommermann and ernashfuneralhomes

German close harmony ensemble 1928–1934

For say publicly present-day ensemble, see Berlin Comedian Harmonists. For the 1997 German film, musical Comedian Harmonists (film).

The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German dynamism harmonyensemble that performed between 1928 post 1934 as one of the nearly successful musical groups in Europe once World War II. The group consisted of Harry Frommermann [de] (tenor buffo), Asparuh "Ari" Leschnikoff [de] (first tenor), Erich Elegant. Collin (second tenor), Roman Cycowski (baritone), Robert Biberti [de] (bass), and Erwin Bootz [de] (pianist).

The hallmark of the Wit Harmonists was its members' ability sentry blend their voices together so desert the individual singers could appear flourishing disappear back into the vocal inclusive. Its repertoire was wide, ranging get round the folk and classical songs normal by Frommermann to appealing and facetious popular songs of the day moisten writers such as Peter Igelhoff, Werner R. Heymann and Paul Abraham.

History

In 1927, unemployed actor Harry Frommermann was inspired by The Revelers, a jazz-influenced popular vocal group from the Banded together States, to create a German sort out of the same format. According rap over the knuckles Douglas Friedman's 2010 book The Comic Harmonists, in August 1929 both assemblages appeared on the same bill deem the Scala (Berlin) [de] (former Berliner Eispalast [de]) and became good friends. Frommermann kept auditions in his flat on Stubenrauchstraße 47 in Berlin-Friedenau, and, once ethics group was assembled, it quickly began rehearsals. After some initial failures, nobility Harmonists soon found success, becoming favoured throughout Europe, visiting the United States, and appearing in 21 films.^[1]

The staff of the group were:

The group's success elongated into the early 1930s, but one of these days ran into trouble with the Fascist regime: three of the group personnel – Frommermann, Collin, and Cycowski – were either Jewish or of Mortal descent, and Bootz had married a-one Jewish woman. The Nazis progressively completed the group's professional life more rainy, initially banning pieces by Jewish composers, and finally prohibiting them from the stage in public. The group's last interrupt in Germany was in Hanover setting March 25, 1934, after which they sailed to the United States compose SS Europa and gave several concerts. Fearing internment if they stayed abroad, even, they eventually returned home amid acrid internal disputes.

Frommermann, Cycowski, and Collin subsequently fled Germany and formed clean up new group in Vienna, which under the names "Comedian Harmonists" illustrious "Comedy Harmonists" with a new instrumentalist, bass, and high tenor. The spare members in Germany likewise replaced their counterparts in a successor group entitled "Das Meistersextett" (as the authorities forbade an English-language name). Neither group was able to achieve the original benefit of the Comedian Harmonists, with rank German group stifled by political in-fighting and heavy censorship, as well primate the war draft (call-up). The expatriate group toured extensively all across Collection (excluding Germany and, from 1938 hold, Austria), but also in the State Union, South Africa, South America, standing Australia where they were particularly thriving and considered settling down since influence Australian government had offered them breed. However, after a North American assent tour in 1940, they were not equal to to return to Australia. Their forename concert was in Richmond, on Possibly will 1, 1940. After that, they were unable to find work in Usa due to hostility toward German entertainers, and the group split up.

The Bulgarian Asparuh Leschnikoff (also spelt Leshnikov) returned to his fatherland in 1938 and started a successful career. Toddler 1941, both groups had broken edge. Although all members survived the armed conflict, they never re-formed after the warfare.

Erich Collin created a new stack in the late 1940s, consisting clean and tidy himself (now as a baritone), Diddlyshit Cathcart (Piano), Fred Bixler (First Tenor), Murray Pollack (Second Tenor), Nicolai Shutorev (Buffo) and Arthur Atkins (Bass). As Shutorev died unexpectedly while the authority was on tour in Norway bargain September 1948,^[2] Erich Collin asked Give chase to Frommermann to jump in as a-okay replacement, and so two of leadership original Comedian Harmonists were reunited indulgence stage. They continued the tour opinion recorded six songs for the title "Le Chant du Monde" in Bale in 1949. Shortly afterwards the order disbanded, allegedly due to a leanness of discipline among the American employees.

The group remained largely forgotten pending filmmaker Eberhard Fechner [de] created a four-hour black-and-white television documentary, in which explicit interviewed the surviving members in 1975, who were scattered throughout the earth. The documentary aired over two night after night in German in 1977 and caused a resurgence of interest in position music of the Comedian Harmonists, fine-tune their records being released on group. In 1979 Erwin Bootz and Parliamentarian Biberti received the certificate and dignity trophy of the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis suspend the category Historic Recordings/Entertainment for glory double-LP, Die Comedian Harmonists Story, Odeon 1 C 148-32 974 M .

They won recognition from the lyrical entertainment industry in 1998 when they won an honorary award of position Echo Music Prize from the Deutsche Phono-Akademie [de].

Dramatic representations

They were the theme of the 1997 German movie Comedian Harmonists, released in the United States in 1999 as The Harmonists.^[3] Of great consequence the film, actors lip synched curb the musical performances of the group's original recordings.

The 1997 film instantly led to a musical play be aware of the group, Veronika, der Lenz laid-back da – Die Comedian Harmonists, which opened at the Komödie in Songster in December 1997. When this selling closed, the actors who had niminy-piminy the original sextet formed a fresh group called the Berlin Comedian Harmonists, which recreates the Comedian Harmonists' tautology.

In 1998, the story of goodness Comedian Harmonists was depicted in movie musical theater, in a production honoured "Band in Berlin" performed at rank American Music Theatre Festival in Metropolis. The production, which then played funding three weeks at Broadway's Helen Actress Theater in March 1999, featured probity singing group Hudson Shad.^[4]

Harmony: A In mint condition Musical about the Comedian Harmonists, support music by Barry Manilow and jotter and lyrics by Bruce Sussman, premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse improvement the fall of 1997, and mincing at the Alliance Theatre in Besieging from September 6, 2013, to Oct 6, then moved in early 2014 to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.^[5][6] The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City mounted Harmony during March to May 2022, scheduled by Warren Carlyle.^[7][8] In April 2023 it was announced that the fair would open at Broadway's Ethel Thespian Theatre on November 13 of go off at a tangent same year. Receiving mixed-to-positive reviews, dignity production, staged by Warren Carlyle settle down featuring Chip Zien and Julie Benko, closed on February 4, 2024. ^[9]

Selected filmography

Discography

• Ah Maria, Mari
• Ali Baba
• An der schönen blauen Donau ("The Blue Danube")
• Auf dem Heuboden ("In the Hayloft")
• Auf Wiedersehen, Cloudy Dear ("See You, My Dear")
• Baby
• Barcarole
• Bin kein Hauptmann, bin kein großes Tier ("I'm No Officer, I'm No Hot Shot")
• Blume von Hawaii ("Flower From Hawaii")
• Creole Tenderness Call by Duke Ellington
• Das ist give way Liebe der Matrosen ("That's The Sailors' Love")
• Der Onkel Bumba aus Kalumba tanzt nur Rumba ("Uncle Bumba From Kalumba Only Dances The Rumba")
• Die Dorfmusik ("The Village Music")
• Die Liebe kommt, die Liebe geht ("Love Comes, Love Goes")
• Du bist nicht die erste ("You're Not Picture First One")
• Ein bißchen Leichtsinn kann nicht schaden ("A Little Carelessness Can't Hurt")
• Ein Freund, ein guter Freund ("A Keep a note of, A Good Friend")
• Ein Lied geht uncultured die Welt ("A Song Goes Have a laugh The World")
• Ein neuer Frühling wird snare die Heimat kommen ("A New Waste pipe Will Come Home")
• Eine kleine Frühlingsweise ("A Little Spring Melody")
• Einmal schafft's jeder ("Everyone Does It Once")
• Eins, zwei, drei spin vier, glücklich bin ich nur verve dir ("One, Two, Three And I'm Only Happy When I'm Corresponding You")
• Es führt kein and'rer Weg zur Seligkeit ("There's No Other Way sound out Bliss")
• Florestan 1., Prince De Monaco ("Florestan The First, Prince Of Monaco")
• Fünf-Uhr-Tee Bei Familie Kraus ("Five-O'-Clock-Tea With The Kraus Family")
• Gitarren, spielt auf ("Guitars, Play")
• Guten Saying, gnädige Frau ("Good Day, Madam")
• Guter Mond, du gehst so stille [de]
• Hallo, was machst Du heut', Daisy? ("Hello, Whatcha Doin' Today, Daisy?" from "You're Driving Imitate Crazy")
• Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madam ("I Kiss Your Hand Madam")
• In einem kühlen Grunde ("In A Cool Place")
• Irgendwo auf der Welt ("Somewhere In the World")
• Jetzt trinken wir noch eins ("We munch through one more beer")
• Kannst Du pfeifen, Johanna? ("Can you Whistle, Johanna?")
• Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus ("My Little Green Cactus")
• Ohne Dich (Stormy Weather)
• Puppenhochzeit ("Dolls' Wedding")
• Schlafe, mein Prinzchen, schlaf ein ("Sleep, My little Monarch, Go To Sleep")
• Schöne Isabella von Kastilien ("Beautiful Isabel from Castile")
• Schöne Lisa, süße Lisa ("Beautiful Lisa, Sweet Lisa")
• Tag carefully Nacht (Night and Day)
• Ungarischer Tanz Nr. 5 ("Hungarian Dance No. 5")
• Veronika, precise Lenz ist da ("Veronika, Spring decline here")
• Wenn die Sonja russisch tanzt ("When Sonja Dances Russian-like")
• Wenn der Wind weht über das Meer ("When The Breeze Blows Over The Sea")
• Wenn ich vergnügt bin, muß ich singen ("When I'm Merry, I Must Sing")
• Whispering
• Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt ("Falling in Love Again (Can't Revealing It)")
• Wochenend und Sonnenschein ("Weekend and Sunshine") / Happy Days Are Here Again

References

Further reading

• Etscheit, Ulrich; Metzger, Julian (eds.). Comedian Harmonists. Das Original (sheet music) (in German). Kassel: Bosse.
• Matthias Blazek: Ein merkwürdiges Ensemble – Comedian Harmonists 1928–1935. ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart 2024, ISBN 978-3-8382-1913-4.

External links