Advertisement. Advertise with us

Letter from Chip Northrup

Glimmerglass Triumph

The Glimmerglass production of The Sound of Music is a triumph. Without giving the stagecraft away, the song “Edelweiss” is put in its proper historical context: it’s a protest song against fascism. The Nazi regime was famously protested by officers, such as the real Baron von Trapp, a WWI war hero, by protest groups, including those let by the minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and student groups, the most famous of which were the Edelweiss Pirates. So when you go see the musical, remember that before the von Trapps fled the Nazi regime, they protested it. The song “Edelweiss” is a reminder of that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Edelweiss_Pirates

Chip Northrup
Cooperstown

Posted

4 Comments

  1. Back in the early sixties, not really that long after WW II war, I was the manager in charge of my company’s US and German environmental control businesses. I developed close personal relationships with former German military who had repurposed themselves as engineers and mamagers, including a surviving U Boat Captain. One time I asked An ex Panzer officer whether he knew what the flower, Edelweiss was about. I even sung the song for him. Surprisingly, he didn’t know, or faked it, as it was anti-facist, and a lot of the Westphalian troops, his origins, like Bavarians, had been loyal to The Wehrmacht up to the end.
    So, I found Edelweiss not so widely known to certain of the former Wehrmacht officer class, but as Chip points-out, known to many with Alpine roots, where the flower grows. Byng Huntington

  2. Back in the early sixties, not really that long after WW II war, I was the manager in charge of my company’s US and German environmental control businesses. I developed close personal relationships with former German military who had repurposed themselves as engineers and mamagers, including a surviving U Boat Captain. One time I asked An ex Panzer officer whether he knew what the flower, Edelweiss was about. I even sung the song for him. Surprisingly, he didn’t know, or faked it, as it was anti-facist, and a lot of the Westphalian troops, his origins, like Bavarians, had been loyal to The Wehrmacht up to the end.
    So, I found Edelweiss not so widely known to certain of the former Wehrmacht officer class, but as Chip points-out, known to many with Alpine roots, where the flower grows. Byng Huntington

  3. Thanks Byng. The leaders of the protest groups, including the White Rose and the Edelweiss Pirates, were hunted down by the Gestapo, and some, like the Lutheran minister Bonhoeffer, were killed. The point being that the song “Edelweiss” is freighted with meaning for anyone that knows that the NAZISs were protested – in Germany, by Germans – who died for their beliefs.

  4. Thanks Byng. The leaders of the protest groups, including the White Rose and the Edelweiss Pirates, were hunted down by the Gestapo, and some, like the Lutheran minister Bonhoeffer, were killed. The point being that the song “Edelweiss” is freighted with meaning for anyone that knows that the NAZISs were protested – in Germany, by Germans – who died for their beliefs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

Happenin’ Otsego: 06-29-23

HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for THURSDAY, JUNE 29 ‘Midday Music: A Glimmerglass Festival Lunchtime Concert‘ GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL – Noon. “Midday Music: A Glimmerglass Festival Lunchtime Concert.” The stars of “La Boheme” perform their favorite party pieces, accompanied by Glimmerglass Artistic Director Rob Ainsley. Presented by Cherry Valley Artworks at the Star Theater, 44 Main Street, Cherry Valley. (607) 264-3080 or visit facebook.com/cherryvalleyartworks/ UNVEILING – 9 a.m. Greater Oneonta Historical Society and Oneonta Job Corps unveil historical marker for the Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital. Held at corner of West Street and Homer Folks Drive, Town of Oneonta. (607) 432-0960 or visit facebook.com/OneontaHistory…

Long-forgotten Mementos Unpack Soldier’s Personal, Military History

As we celebrate Flag Day and the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777 by Congress, Lori Bailey is learning more about her grandfather’s accomplishments as both a soldier and an individual. His plane was shot down by enemy fire in 1944. (Photo by Lori Bailey) Long-forgotten Mementos Unpack Soldier’s Personal, Military History By DARLA M. YOUNGSONEONTA “I found these fascinating treasures in a box of things left behind by my grandmother, Gertrude Fuller, when she passed. They are pictures and letters from my grandfather when he was overseas fighting in World War II,” wrote Lori Bailey in…

HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO: 06-20-23

HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for TUESDAY, JUNE 20 Learn About The Glimmerglass Festival Production of ‘La Boheme’ TALKING OPERA—7 p.m. Join the Glimmerglass Festival for a discussion on “La Boheme.” First Baptist Church, 21 Elm Street, Cooperstown. E-mail guild.of.glimmerglass.festival@gmail.com or visit glimmerglassguild.org/ LITTLE LEAGUE – 5:45 p.m. Join the Oneonta Little League for the finale of the first annual “Murph Cup” and cheer on the players. Doc Knapp Field, River Street, Oneonta. Oneontalittleleague@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/oneontalittleleague…