World Music - Germany

It's Friday! World Music Friday!

The month of October makes us think of Germany and its people. 

German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically, Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker ("the land of poets and thinkers"), because of the major role its famous writers and philosophers have played in the development of Western thought and culture.

Germans place a high priority on structure, privacy and punctuality. The German people embrace the values of thriftiness, hard work and industriousness. There is great emphasis on making sure that "the trains run on time."

Germans are stoic people who strive for perfectionism and precision in all aspects of their lives. They do not admit faults, even jokingly, and rarely hand out compliments. At first their attitude may seem unfriendly, but there is a keen sense of community and social conscience and a desire to belong.

The desire for orderliness spills over into the business life of Germans. There is a staunch adherence to hierarchy and decisions are often made by a small group of leaders. Meetings are highly structured, and since opinions have often been formulated beforehand, there is not much tolerance for divergent viewpoints or debate.

Workers at all levels are judged heavily on their competence and diligence, rather than interpersonal skills. Communication with co-workers as well as outsiders tends to be direct and not always diplomatic.

In the field of music, Germany claims some of the most renowned classical composers of the world including Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, who marked the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music. 

A little sample here from the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No. 1- Sarabande by Rostropovich.

Have a great weekend!

- Alba Serrano-Miro