Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms

Kira Thurman's book Singing Like Germans explores the history of Black musicians in German-speaking Europe over a century, highlighting the musical interactions and transnational collaborations between people of African descent and white Germans and Austrians. It challenges the assumption of mutually exclusive Blackness and Germanness and explores the tension between the transcendental powers of classical music and the global conversations about who could perform it.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 372 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2023
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In her captivating book, Singing Like Germans, Kira Thurman delves into the rich and intricate history of Black musicians in German-speaking Europe spanning over a century. Thurman vividly portrays the remarkable musical exchanges and transnational collaborations between individuals of African descent and white Germans and Austrians, highlighting the complexities and nuances of racial identities within the concert hall.

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, audiences commonly believed that Blackness and Germanness were mutually exclusive categories. However, when confronted with the captivating performance of German music by a Black musician, a surprising realization emerged: German identity is not a fixed biological trait but rather a skill that can be acquired, showcased, and perfected. While Germans and Austrians firmly anchored their national identity in music, venerating composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms as national heroes, the inclusion of Black musicians in the performance of these works challenged the prevailing understanding of who had the rightful authority to interpret them. Audiences oscillated between perceiving these musicians as the rightful heirs of Austro-German musical culture and perceived them as dangerous outsiders, casting doubt and uncertainty on their rightful place within the realm of classical music.

Thurman's book explores the intricate interplay between the purported transcendental powers of classical music and the global conversations that emerged regarding who could perform it. An interdisciplinary and transatlantic approach, Singing Like Germans sheds light on the active nature of music listening, where racial and gendered categories are constantly constructed and deconstructed. Thurman's work encourages us to approach music as a dynamic and transformative experience that challenges our preconceptions and expands our understanding of the world.

Weight: 560g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501770180