Composer

:

Hanns Eisler

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Song

Compose Date

:

1925 - 1927

Average_duration

:

12:04

Movement_count

:

10

Movement ....

Newspaper Clippings, Op. 11 is a composition by Hanns Eisler, a German composer and political activist. The piece was composed in 1926 and premiered in Berlin the same year. It is a suite of five movements for piano, each of which is based on a different newspaper article or headline. The first movement, "The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg," is a somber and mournful piece that reflects on the assassination of the socialist revolutionary in 1919. The second movement, "The Trial of the Reichstag Fire," is a tense and dramatic piece that reflects on the controversial trial of the alleged arsonists who were accused of setting fire to the German parliament building in 1933. The third movement, "The Death of Ernst Thälmann," is a mournful and elegiac piece that reflects on the execution of the leader of the German Communist Party in 1944. The fourth movement, "The Battle of Madrid," is a lively and energetic piece that reflects on the Spanish Civil War and the struggle against fascism. The final movement, "The Victory of the Chinese People," is a triumphant and celebratory piece that reflects on the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Throughout the suite, Eisler's use of dissonance and unconventional harmonies reflects his political and social views, which were strongly influenced by Marxism. Overall, Newspaper Clippings, Op. 11 is a powerful and evocative work that reflects on some of the most significant political and social events of the early 20th century. Its use of newspaper articles as source material underscores the importance of journalism and the media in shaping public opinion and political discourse.

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