German Music Is More Than Just Classic Or Pop

German music has a long and illustrious musical history with contributions made from as long as we could remember.

From Wagner to Beethoven's majestic musical melodies, German music has a steady place in history.

Bolstered by its rich culture that boasts hundreds upon hundreds of festivals held every year. Some of these festivals include the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, the Dresden Music Festival, the Bayreuth Festival, and the Berlin Love Parade, which attracts millions of people from all over the world.

The Classical and Romantic eras were some of German music's most storied times, where popular artists like Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert became popular with their piano, violin, opera, and chamber music pieces.

19th century talent Richard Wagner was also a Germany product that stayed away from the traditional style of music made by his forefathers. He developed the leitmotivs musical strategy which helped contribute towards a re-alignment of opera ideals.

German Music

A little later on, the cabaret and swing genres became to take shape during the Weimer Republic and Nazi eras where upper middle class youths rejected their country's music in exchange for American swing dance forms.

The Nazi party took offense to the embracement of American music, which was seen as "rebellious, negro music."

Today, some of the most popular types of German music are pop and rock music. German rock music only appeared after the 1970's when the hippies were dominating the United Kingdom and the United States.

The country broke new grounds in the area of "krautrock" which used to be secularized and turned into a national sensation after its international equivalent broke out.

In addition, Germany is arguably the heavy metal capital of Europe, being the birthplace of internationally renowned heavy metal brands like Sodom and Kreator. Northern Germany became known for its death metal bands, which addressed more violent themes than other forms of the same genre.

Perhaps staying true to its rebellious roots, German music has also embraced the hip hop movement.

Germany is second only to the United States in hip hop record sales. It has one of the most dynamic hip hop scenes in the world, arriving in the early 1980s with the entire break dancing and graffiti art movement.

Stuttgart remains one of Germany's most popular rap bands, starting out with the hit Die Da in 1992 that was a more comical version of the standard tune. Not to forget national wide famous band Die Fantastischen Vier, who are well-considered as being the "Founder" of German hip hop.

In the 21st century, Gangsta Rap has also left its mark as well with popular artists like Aggro Berlin.

All in all, German music has a rich and illustrious history any aficionado would be proud of.

All the best,

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