Das Kirchenlied als politisches Argument

Abstract

This article looks at the function of spiritual songs as a means for Protestants to ar- ticulate their religious identity. Two periods of Austrian history are examined: the 16th and early 17th centuries, and the 1930s, when the vicinity of Hitler's Third Reich placed Austria's national identity in a position of great uncertainty. Right from the beginnings of their movement in the 16' century, Protestants used German church songs in order to disseminate their ideas as rapidly as possible. Songs of this kind were also sung in Austria, where the Catholic Church initially showed a measure of tolerance rowards them, as a number of publications dernonstrate. Indeed, Catholics and Protestants often exchanged songs and sornetirnes even shared the same churches and cathedrals. In subsequent decades, however, differences emerged and conflicts grew, as it transpired that there was no chance of reuniting the two confessions. Eventually, nearly all Protestants were forced to leave the country, since when being a Protestant in Austria meant either forming part of a tiny, barely tolerated minority or going underground. In the 1930s, a Protestant clergyman picked up on this historical irnage when he described himself as being without a homeland in the so-called »Corporate Stare« (Ständestaat) established by the Catholic-authoritarian dictatorship. This clergyman longed to joining the National Socialist Third Reich, and expressed his sentiments in many Protestant songs. He also organised a series of large choral events aimed at young people, in order to spread his ideas of a strong German nation.