Arts and Humanities JUROS

German Kabaret and Its Appropriation in Kurt

Weill’s “Seeräuber Jenny”
Rebecca Flore

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 aca-
demic discourse by examining Kabarett from a music analytical perspective.

INTRODUCTION attention. Very little analysis of Kabarett has been done

Kabarett, a short-lived countercultural movement in the field of music theory. I will analyze selected Ka-
in Germany, managed to leave a mark on the world of barett pieces from early 20th Century Germany to es-
Western music despite its brief existence. Through sim- tablish the harmonic, textual, and formal components
ple musical structures and pointed lyrics, Kabarett mu- that form the basis of Kabarett style. Then I will contrast
sic captured the attention of the German public from Weill’s “Seeräuber Jenny,” an art piece influenced by the
the 1900s to the 1930s. Following Kabarett’s brief vogue genre, to the tenets of Kabarett style in order to deter-
with the German public, composers of “high art” genres mine the extent of aesthetic borrowing or departure
such as lieder, opera, and musicals appropriated the Ka- from which it is derived.
barett style into the realm of Western art music. In 1928,
Kurt Weill utilized a Kabarett sound in his and Bertold ORIGINAL KABARETT
Brecht’s “play with music,” Die Dreigroschenoper. Background of the Kabarett Movement
The music associated with Kabarett consisted of While the terms Cabaret and Kabarett were used
harmonically simple, strophic songs whose lyrics dealt interchangeably up through the Weimar era, the Ger-
with topical issues such as sex, fashion, and politics. The man language now differentiates them. Cabaret is asso-
most important feature of Kabarett songs was the text, ciated with strip shows, while Kabarett refers to social
which usually satirized the state of early 20th Century criticism and political satire1. This research will focus
German culture with witty jabs at the political and so- on Kabarett from its inception in Germany in the 1900’s
cial environment of the period. to its decline during World War II.
Weill, on the other hand, utilized composition- In January of 1901, Buntes Theater opened in Ber-
al techniques incompatible with traditional Kabarett, lin. It became the first in a four-decade tradition which
including tonal frustrations, phrasing anomalies, and tried to marry high art with popular culture2. A truly
intricate harmonies which distract from the textual multimedia endeavor, Kabarett combined many genres,
content. In this case, this “high art” piece represents a “usually songs, comic monologues, dialogues and skits,
distortion of its “low art” Kabarett counterparts because less frequently dances, pantomimes, puppet shows, or
while the lyricist Brecht does present the play as a whole even short films.”3 Kabarett was performed in various
as a veiled socialist critique of capitalism, Weill’s sophis- venues, from small stages with the audience seated at
ticated musical language makes Die Dreigroschenoper a
social criticism for a specific market, the opera-goers, 1 Peter Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
rather than for the “common man.” Press, 1993), 1.
2 Alan Lareau, “The German Cabaret Movement during the Weimar
This writing represents a small piece of research in Republic,” Theatre
a larger subject that has not received much academic Journal 43.4 (1991): 471-90.
3 Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret, 2.
JUROS Arts and Humanities

tables to large halls with row seating.4

The “common goal” of Kabarett music was “to
bring the text alive and make it as powerful as possible
by reflecting the political and social issues of the time.”5
Its subject matter dealt with a wide range of social top-
ics, covering sex, fashion, cultural fads, and politics. 6 In
contrast to the highly-charged text, the music consisted
of strophic pieces featuring simple rhythms and melo-
dies, with little of the chromaticism so prevalent at the
time in the world of art music. 7
Through the first several decades of the early 20th
Century, Kabarett remained a popular force in Germa-
ny, drawing inspiration from social upheaval brought
on by the birth and collapse of the Weimar Republic.
The movement began to deteriorate, however, with the
rise of the Nazi party, as many Kabarett performers had
been liberal, leftist, or Jewish.8 Brecht and Weill, like-
wise, fled Germany during this time period for similar
reasons. By the end of the Second World War, Kabarett
had all but disappeared because, as Lisa Appignansi ob-
serves, “the Third Reich’s repressive measures made it
Figure 1. Form diagrams
impossible for contemporary art, public satire, and pub-
lication of much literary work.”9 Despite its brief and A’’…” form. Becourt’s “Ah! Ca Ira, Dictum” also adheres
relatively volatile history, Kabarett survived through its to strophic form, this time with only three verses. “Die
deep influence on popular culture. Dame von der alten Schule,” a long piece composed
by Rudolf Nelson, also contains three strophic verses.
The Kabarett Style Friedrich Hollaender’s “Sex Appeal” and Nelson’s “Das
The music of the Kabarett carries with it a specific Nachtgespenst”, two more examples of three-stanza
set of regularly utilized forms, harmonic textures, and strophic songs, both have two large sections per verse,
lyrical content which define it and set it apart from art an A verse and a B chorus, as well as a brief introduc-
music. It should be noted however, that not all Kabarett tion.
songs possess these characteristics. Composers were Many Kabarett songs possess sudden tempo
not held to these standards, and in fact many did not. changes (Figure 2). “Die Minderwertigen” by Ralph
The musical generalizations below are simply notable Bermann possesses multiple sections marked langsam
commonalities that helped define the genre’s sound. (slowly), in an otherwise quicker-paced song. The first,
Kabarett music tends to fall into simple song at measure 25, is accompanied by a change of meter
forms. See Figure 1. Leo Fall’s “Und Meyer sieht mich from 2/4 to common time. The music regains its orig-
freundlich an,” for example, consists of a two-measure inal speed at measure 31 before reverting to another
introduction followed by six verses of text with the langsam section at measure 35. Finally, the music re-
same music repeated underneath each verse. Exclud- turns to its original tempo and meter in measure 38.
ing the introduction, the song exhibits strophic “A A’ Ralph Benatsky’s “Ich kenne ein andres Berlin” begins
4 Ibid. in a molto vivace 6/8 time. The refrain, however, switch-
5 Candice S. Burrows, “Cabaret: A Historical and Musical Perspective of es to cut time with a marking of molto lento e con cuore.
a Struggling Era” (PhD diss., The University of North Carolina at Greens-
boro, 2010), 15. Effectively, this means the song’s two tempos markings
6 Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret, 2. are in completely different speeds and meters. “Lied der
7 Burrows, “Cabaret: A Historical and Musical Perspective of a Struggling Arbeitslosen (Stempellied)” by Kathe Hyan similarly
Era,” 17.
8 Peter Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret, 228. contains abrupt changes in pulse. In this case, only the
9 Lisa Appignansi, The Cabaret (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004), first and last four measures carry the marking breit. All
205.
 Arts and Humanities JUROS

Figure 2. Tempo maps

three stanzas happen entirely in the tempo langsame
halbe. While Kabarett songs do not appear to adhere to
one specific form for tempo changes, changes in tempo
are commonplace.
Harmonically, the bass often emphasizes scale de-
gree 5 on weaker beats in a jump bass figuration. Strong
beats often, but not always, emphasize scale degree 1,
though at times they may emphasize any scale degree
which fits in a chord with scale degree 5. See Figure 3. Figure 3. Emphasis on scale degree 5
Claus Clausberg’s “Bladdy Groth,” which opens in the As shown in Figure 5, other songs focus on the har-
key of F# minor, emphasizes C# on the weaker beats monic relationship between tonic and dominant. One
most times tonic sounds in its opening section. Later, example of a Kabarett song that emphasizes the tonic
in the final section, the bass rhythm increases so that to dominant relationship is Frank Wedekind’s “Brigitte
scale degree 5 is now emphasized on the upbeats. In the B.” With the exception of two instances of V/V (one at
first eight measures of the verse of “Das Nachtgespenst,” measure 17 and one at measure 21), the entirety of the
scale degree 5 of the key of C minor receives empha- song is based on I-V7-I motion. “Det Scheenste sind
sis on beat 3 of this common time song, even when die Beenekens” by Walter Kollo similarly focuses on the
the chords change. The verse of “Ich kenne ein andres relationship of tonic to dominant. The verse moves be-
Berlin” emphasizes scale degree 5 on the second beat tween tonic and dominant roughly ever two measures.
of tonic 6/8 measures and in the tonic chord of the first The refrain focuses more on the dominant, but phrases
beat. resolve to tonic.
In a fair number of Kabarett songs, most harmon- Kabarett songs tend to have one modulation at
ic motion focuses on the relationship of tonic to its most. See Figure 6. The most common type of modu-
pre-dominant as a way of vamping between two chordal lation is either from a minor key to its parallel major
functions (Figure 4). In “Und Meyer sieht mich freun- or from a major key to its parallel minor. Other types
dlich an,” tonic moves mostly to the predominant and of modulations tend to be to closely related keys. In the
back as a predominant expansion. In fact, the dominant
occurs only twice in this song: once in the two-measure
introduction, and once on the second beat of the first
measure of the final phrase. Predominant ii is tonicized
in measures 13-14 with a viio7/V7/ii to V7/ii progres-
sion that resolves to ii into the final phrase at measure
15, further signifying the importance of the tonic-pre-
dominant relationship. “Bladdy Groth” emphasizes iio
so much that it barely touches an incomplete V7 before
cadencing to the tonic of F# minor. The dominant re-
ceives only half a beat in the harmonic rhythm while
the predominant persists for nearly an entire measure. Figure 4. Tonic-predominant relationships
JUROS Arts and Humanities

Figure 5. Tonic-dominant relationships

case of “Bladdy Groth,” the home key of F# minor is
the relative minor of A, which is the dominant of the
second key, D major. Also, many Kabarett songs do not
modulate at all.
The music tends to fit with the rhyme scheme in
Kabarett songs, with phrases and subphrases matching
lines of text, which Figure 7 shows. Phrases and sub-
phrases in the music tend to fall into even numbered
groups. Hyan’s “Der Einbruch bei Tante Klara,” for ex-
ample, has four-measure phrases, each of which end in
a rhyme. “Die Minderwertigen” contains two-measure Figure 7. Phrases and subphrases matching rhyme schemes
subphrases that complement the ABAB rhyme scheme. Recording artist Ute Lemper released the album
“Der Rauber-Hauptmann von Kopenick” by Otto Reut- Berlin Cabaret Songs in 1996. 11 Featuring authentic
ter has two two-measure subphrases followed by a four works of Kabarett composers Mischa Spoliansky, Frie-
measure subphrase. The coinciding rhyme scheme is drich Hollaender, Rudolf Nelson, and Berthold Gold-
AAB. In each of these cases, the phrasing fits well with schimdt, each song is performed both in its original
the rhyme scheme of the text. German and in a rough English translation. While the
Text takes foremost importance in the music of English translations are often not literal, they provide a
Kabarett. As Candace Burrows notes in her dissertation fairly good overview of the lyrical content, which main-
on the history and music of French and German cab- ly focuses on social and political issues facing Germany
aret, the effectiveness of a song in this genre depends during the time of pieces’ composition.
on its literary content. The textual content takes such Spoliansky’s “Alles Schwindel” (“It’s All a Swin-
precedent that there is debate as to whether Kabarett is dle”) provides a scathing indictment of both German
a musical or literary genre.10 culture and the German political structure (Figure 8).
As the verses progress, the narrator’s accusations of
fraud extend to his or her entire family, the economy,
and politicians. The chorus proclaims, “Life’s a swindle.
Yes, it’s all a swindle.”
Figure 6. Examples of Modulations
Nelson’s “Mir ist heut so nach Tamerlan!” (“A Lit-
10 Burrows, “Cabaret: A Historical and Musical Perspective of a Strug- 11 Berlin Cabaret Songs, performed by Ute Lemper, Decca Records, CD,
gling Era,” 17. 1996.
 Arts and Humanities JUROS

Figure 10. “Raus mit den Männern!” lyrics. Friedrich Hol-

laender, “Raus mit den Mannern!” from Berlin Cabaret Songs,
performed by Ute Lemper, Decca Records, CD, 1996. and trans-
lation.
response to the weakness of the Weimar Republic.
Hollaender’s “Raus mit den Männern” (“Throw
Figure 8. “Alles Schwindel” lyrics and translation. From Mischa
out the Men”) advocates feminism (Figure 10). The
Spoliansky, “Alles Schwindel” from Berlin Cabaret Songs, per-
formed by Ute Lemper, Decca Records, CD, 1996. song talks about a battle of the sexes which has been
tle Attilla”) wryly longs for the leadership of a dictator ongoing throughout history. The lyrics go on to lament
(Figure 9). Written in 1922, it can be interpreted as a the women’s role as homemakers. The chorus suggests
call for a more powerful government. When placed in throwing men out of power in politics.
historical context, the song was written during a peri- “Das Lila Lied” (“The Lavender Song”), another
od of hyperinflation. At the time, the German political song by Spoliansky, takes jabs at homophobia and em-
system was a liberal democracy. The song’s may be a braces gay rights (Figure 11). Sadly, the song, written
in 1920, thirteen years before the Nazi party assumed
power, predicts the atrocities of the Holocaust with the
line “Round us all up, send us away. That’s what you’d
really like to do.”
The examples mentioned above provide a snap-
shot of lyrical content typically contained in the songs
of Kabarett. The subject matter of each song deals either
directly or satirically with topical issues relevant to Ka-
barett’s early 20th Century metropolitan German audi-
ence. The lyrics are meant to come across as aggressive-
ly bold and biting. This intense, pointed, and subversive
content summed up the social outlooks of Kabarett’s
consumers and set Kabarett apart from mainstream
Figure 9. “Mir ist heut so nach Tamerlan!” lyrics and transla- popular music of the period.
tion. Rudolf Nelson, “Mir ist heut so nach Tamerlan!” from Ber-
lin Cabaret Songs, performed by Ute Lemper, Decca Records,
CD, 1996.
JUROS Arts and Humanities

Figure 11. “Das Lila Lied” lyrics and translation. Mischa Spo-
liansky, “Das Lila Lied” from Berlin Cabaret Songs, performed
by Ute Lemper, Decca Records, CD, 1996

“SEERÄUBER JENNY”
History
Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera)
opened at Berlin’s Theater am Schiffbauerdamm on Au-
gust 3 of 1928. The playbill classified the work as “a play
with music in one prelude and 8 scenes.” Modeled after
John Gay’s ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera, renowned
dramatist Bertold Brecht penned the adaptation while
composer Kurt Weill wrote the music.12 Figure 12. “Seeräuber Jenny” lyrics and translation. “Seeräuber
Die Dreigroschenoper, set in London in 1730, tells Jenny,” German Language, http://german.about.com/library/
the tale of a business man, Johnathan Peachum, who blmus_hknef06e.htm (accessed September 7, 2012).
discovers that his daughter Polly is romantically in- tended to be stand-alone; they did not belong to a col-
volved with notorious gang leader Mac the Knife. In lection or a larger plot. In the case of “Seeräuber Jenny,”
Brecht’s own narration for Die Dreigroschenoper, he de- while the piece can exist on its own, telling a complete
scribes the scene that sets up “Seeräuber Jenny”: story, it was intended to be just one of 21 pieces in a
“…Mac is not happy with the work of his gang. It’s the multi-act play with music.
work of apprentices, not of grown men. To clear the Die Dreigroschenoper carries with it certain top-
air and liven things up a little, Polly volunteers to sing a
ical aspects to German culture of the time. The play,
song.” 13
which centers around a lawless gang and their ruthless
The song itself tells the story of a wash-girl at a ho-
leader, discusses corruption and the evilness of man-
tel, who after enduring the abuse or indifference of cus-
kind. “Seeräuber Jenny” to a certain extent reaffirms
tomers, turns out to be the leader of a band of pirates
these themes, but as part of a different story. “Seeräuber
and has her whole town massacred as revenge. The full
Jenny” is simply a song that Polly sings to distract Mac
text and translation is reprinted in Figure 12.
from his rage of his gang’s ineptitude; the song has no
direct bearing on the larger plot of Die Dreigroschenop-
Analytical Comparison to Kabarett Style
er, functioning as a sort of story-within-a-story. Since
In terms of lyrical content, “Seeräuber Jenny”
the premiere of Die Dreigroschenoper, “Seeräuber Jen-
differs from Kabarett style because it is part of a larg-
ny” has gained popularity as an individual piece. Textu-
er work, related to an overarching plot. Kabarett songs
ally, “Seeräuber Jenny” lacks the topicality of Kabarett
12 Stephen Hinton, Kurt Weill: the Threepenny Opera (Cambridge: Cam-
bridge University Press, 1990), 14 . style.
13 Hinton. Kurt Weill: the Threepenny Opera, 2. The form of “Seeräuber Jenny” closely resembles
 Arts and Humanities JUROS

Figure 13. Form diagram

that of a Kabarett song. The piece has a verse section Figure 16. Opposition between accompaniment and vocal parts
and a chorus. As Figure 13 illustrates, the verse section become harder to discern, the fifth being heard is no
is divided into two parts, A and B. A and B are differ- longer scale degree 5 of the key.
entiated by their keys; A is in C minor, while B is in Eb While all parts work together harmoniously in Ka-
minor. The chorus stays entirely in the key of B minor. barett songs, in “Seeräuber Jenny” the vocal, treble ac-
Of the three verses, the second is a literal repetition of companiment, and bass accompaniment parts all work
the first; only the third differs with a slower tempo and independently of each other in a harmonic sense. The
a slightly different conclusion. two accompaniment voices in particular more often op-
pose each other than complement one another (Figure
15). In each of these examples, the bass outlines one
tonal center while the treble plays another. In measures
6-8, the bass tonal center is while the treble focuses
around C#. Measure 9’s bass has Ab as its center and the
treble has Eb. The bass in measures 15 and 17 centers
on Db while the treble emphasizes Eb. In measures 16
Figure 14. 1-5 oscillation in the bass.
and 18, the tonal centers are F# in the bass and B in the
treble. Each measure contains a polychord; the two dis-
Another example of Kabarett style’s influence on tinctly different harmonies work together but contain
“Seeräuber Jenny” can be found in the oscillation on dissonances.
scale degree 5 in the bass in measures 3-9 of section The vocal part of the verse sections moves inde-
A. See Figure 14. In this case, G, scale degree 5 of C pendently from the accompaniment. Firstly, as noted in
minor, sounds on every upbeat. This oscillation lasts Figure 16, the opening measure of the verse contains an
for the first six measures of the first and second verse, A-natural. Because the key of C minor was so clearly
creating a heavy emphasis on G in the listener’s ear. For established in the accompaniment’s introduction, Weill
the duration of the piece, a fifth above the root of the even includes a courtesy natural sign to assuage players’
bass sounds on the upbeats, but as clear tonal centers concerns that this is a typo.
The melody of the A section appears to be in G mi-
nor, the dominant key of the accompaniment’s C minor.
Coinciding with a move in the treble accompaniment
to Eb minor, the voice moves to Bb minor in measure 9.
See Figure 17.
In the B section, the tonal center of the vocal part

Figure 15. Opposition between accompaniment parts Figure 17. Modulation at section B
JUROS Arts and Humanities

changes frequently. As Figure 18 shows, lyrically, mea-

sures can be grouped in couples, and musically, every
two measures complement each other. In the first and
second instances, the main sonority of the first measure
of the pair, Bb, gives way by half step to the main sonori-
ty of the second measure, B. In the third example, B is
the main sonority. Finally, the fourth example centers
on G.
Like Kabarett songs, the relation between the text
and the melody is very regular with obvious correlations
between rhyme scheme and phrasing. Refer to Figure
13 for the form diagram. Each phrase ends as the lyrics
reach the end of a line of poetry. However, Weill uses
phrases containing an inconsistent number of measures
to achieve this effect. See Figure 19. The verses contain
four-measure, six-measure, and two-measure phrases Figure 19. Phrase lengths
to accommodate the poetry. The chorus section always music transitions back to the verse without completing
lasts five measures, creating a jarring effect when the the expected even number of measures.
In stark contrast to Kabarett’s well-defined keys
and cadences, “Seeräuber Jenny” contains several tonic
chords throughout the piece, but never offers a satis-
fying cadence in any of the keys expressed. Weill uses
non-traditional harmonies and chord forms through-
out to frustrate the sense of tonality. The song starts
off in C minor (Figure 20). Because the C minor tri-
ad sounds for the first five measures, the listener gets
a very clear sense that this sonority is tonic. However,
the next chord throws in a C#, very obviously outside
of C minor. By the ninth measure, the piece appears to
have moved to an Eb minor triad in the right hand. See
Figure 21. It is also at this point that that the bass starts
to very clearly work against the right hand accompani-
ment. In contrast to the right hand, the bass emphasizes
A in measure 8 and Ab in measure 9.
While it could be argued that an F half-dimin-
ished7 establishes a predominant with Eb minor as the
new key, the real move to Eb minor does not occur until

Figure 18. Complementary measures in section B Figure 20. Establishment and frustration of C minor as the key
 Arts and Humanities JUROS

Figure 21. Move to Eb minor in right hand

the B section, as illustrated in Figure 22. Measures 11 Figure 24. Conclusion of third verse
through 14 act as a predominant to Eb. As an anacrusis open fifth. “Seeräuber Jenny” defies Kabarett style by
to the B section which starts at measure 15, Bb resounds avoiding complete cadences throughout its entirety.
pointedly in open octaves, acting as a dominant and Instead of building up the piece harmonically
clearly marking a modulation. While Weill never gives though tonic, predominant, and dominant like a Kab-
the full Bb major chord, just the root is enough to satisfy arett song, Weill builds up the piece through increasing
the listeners’ need to hear a dominant function. The Eb and releasing dissonance. Figure 26 shows a harmonic
minor triad returns at measure 15, the opening of the B reduction based on the treble accompaniment chords,
section, as a tonic over a Db bass, but in the very next the emphasized bass notes, and the notes of the vocal
measure, a B minor chord undermines the tonic. While part which create structural harmonies.
seemingly out-of-left-field, the B minor triad soon be- Section A begins with a clear minor triad, then
comes important as the key of the chorus section. In gradually adds notes. Dissonances build on top of each
the first two verses, the note B acts as a pedal point in other over the course of the section. When the open
the right hand from measure 18 until the end of the B octave Bb sounds in the anacrusis to the B section, its
section at measure 22. See Figure 23. function is to clear the slate. Refer back to Figure 22
which shows the modulation to Eb minor. The effect is
abrupt but effectively predicts the change of key as the
dominant of Eb minor. Even the first measure of the B
section is not as clear as its counterpart in the A section.
While a clear Eb minor triad sounds in the treble ac-
companiment, the bass alternates between Db and Ab,
both one scale degree down from the expected 1-5 bass
motion of Eb to Bb. As before, dissonance piles up over
the course of the section until the tonal relief of the cho-
Figure 22. Modulation to Eb minor rus section.
As Figure 24 shows, the final verse contains a
slightly different conclusion of the B section. In mea-
sure 50, the final chord of the verse cannot be defined as
any sort of conclusive tonal chord. With a B in the bass
and a G#, C#, E, and F# in the treble, this cluster works
better as a final pianissimo sigh to end the verse than as
a cadential chord.
The chorus section has one unchanging tonal cen-
Figure 25. Cadential material in chorus section
ter, B. See Figure 25. It even cadences with a dominant
chord, albeit one that is missing its third, A#. When the
F# chord finally sounds, it turns out to simply be an

Figure 26. Harmonic reduction of structural harmonies from

Figure 23. B drone in measures 18-22 bass, treble, and vocal parts
JUROS Arts and Humanities

CONCLUSION rett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.

Hollaender, Friedrich. “Raus mit den Männern!” Berlin Cabaret Songs. Ute Lem-
Weill’s Kabarett-influenced “Seeräuber Jenny” per. Decca Records. CD. 1996.
bears slight resemblance to the music from which it is Hyan, Kathe. 1986. Der Einbruch bei Tante Klara. Words by Hans Hyan. Das Kaba-
rett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
derived. The differences outweigh the similarities, yet Hyan, Kathe. 1986. Lied der Arbeitslosen. Words by Hans Hyan. Das Kaba-
the piece still retains some essence of Kabarett style. In rett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
Kollo, Walter. 1981. Det Scheenste sind die Beenekens. Words by Claire Waldoff.
Kabarett style, texture is extremely important as a sty- Berliner Musenkinder-Memoiren. Berlin: VEB Lied der Zeit Musikverlag.
listic marker, especially the jump bass 1-5 oscillation. Nelson, Rudolf. 1986. Die Dame von der alten Schule. Words by Hans Hannes. Das
Kabarett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
Weill does not always keep the oscillation to simply the Nelson, Rudolf. 1986. Das Nachtgespenst. Words by Friendrich Hollaender. Das
tonic and fifth of the chord; he instead adds dissonances Kabarett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
Nelson, Rudolf. “Mir ist heut so nach Tamerlan.” Berlin Cabaret Songs. Ute Lemper.
on the weak beats and/or set the oscillation in a different Decca Records. CD. 1996.
key than the voice or the treble accompaniment. Tonal- Reutter, Otto. 1981. Der Rauber-Hauptmann von Kopenick. Berliner Musenkind-
er-Memoiren. Berlin: VEB Lied der Zeit Musikverlag.
ly, the voice, treble accompaniment, and bass accompa- Spoliansky, Mischa. 1986. Die Kartenexe. Words by Walter Mehring. Das Kaba-
niment parts of “Seeräuber Jenny” work independently rett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
Spoliansky, Mischa. “Alles Schwindel.” Berlin Cabaret Songs. Ute Lemper. Decca
from one another in regards to harmony; on the other Records. CD. 1996.
hand, in Kabarett, all parts work together harmoniously. Spoliansky, Mischa. “Das Lila Lied.” Berlin Cabaret Songs. Ute Lemper. Decca
Records. CD. 1996.
The textual content sets “Seeräuber Jenny” apart Weill, Kurt. 1956. Seeräuber Jenny. Words by Bertolt Brecht. The Threepenny Op-
from its Kabarett counterparts. In Kabarett, the text is era: Die Dreigroschenoper. New York: Tams-Witmark Music Library.
Wedekind, Frank. 1986. Brigitte B. Das Kabarett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Tem-
the fundamental part of each song, with blatantly bit- peramente. Zürich: Pendo-Verlag.
ing lyrics dealing with social and political issues that
were current to the audience. In “Seeräuber Jenny,” the Secondary Sources
meaning of the text is hidden behind a thick plot set in Appignanesi, Lisa. The Cabaret. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.
Bernardini, Denise Ritter. “An Historical Overview of Cabaret through the
the 1700s. The story-within-a-story aspect of the piece Selections of Satie, Poulenc, Schönberg, Weill, Britten and Moore.” PhD diss.,
further obscures its textual meaning. In Kabarett, how- University of Oklahoma, 2011.
Brooks, Colleen. “Cabaret Songs by Classical Composers during the First Half
ever, the meanings of the songs were transparent, driv- of the Twentieth Century: Satie, Schönberg, Weill, and Britten.” Ph.D. diss.,
ing straight to the heart of German affairs with satire University of Cincinnati, 2010.
Burrows, Candice S. “Cabaret: A Historical and Musical Perspective of a Struggling
and scathing criticism. Further, Die Dreigroschenoper Era.” Ph.D. diss., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010.
was created as a commercial venture intended for the Hinton, Stephen. Kurt Weill: the Threepenny Opera. Cambridge: Cambridge Uni-
versity Press, 1990.
mainstream German stage, while Kabarett songs were Hippen, Reinhard. Das Kabarett-Chanson: Typen, Themen, Temperamente. Zürich:
meant for small, underground clubs. Pendo-Verlag, 1986.
Jelavich, Peter. Berlin Cabaret. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993.
With its simple, catchy melodies and abrasive Lareau, Alan. “The German Cabaret Movement during the Weimar Republic.”
content, Kabarett made its way from the underground Theatre Journal 43.4 (1991): 471-90.
Lemper, Ute. Berlin Cabaret Songs. Performed by Ute Lemper and others. Decca
into the mainstream consciousness. Kurt Weill, a ma- Records. CD. 1996.
jor composer, took its constituent parts and integrated
them into the art music world. While “Seeräuber Jenny”
cannot truly be classified Kabarett, it brings the essence
of the musical form to an audience that otherwise may
not have been aware of Kabarett music.

WORKS CITED
Scores
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Benatsky, Ralph. 1981. Ich kenne ein andres Berlin. Words by Erich Weinert. Ber-
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Fall, Leo. 1986. Und Meyer sieht mich freundlich an. Words by Rudolf Bernauer.
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Hollaender, Friedrich. 1986. Sex Appeal. Words by Marcellus Schiffer. Das Kaba-