"THE SECRET MOBILISATION"
Lyrics by Erich Weinart
Music by Hans Eisler

The great Ernst Busch performs one of the most famous of European revolutionary songs of the early 20th Century. The lyrics derive from a 1929 poem by Erich Weinert, which implored the working classes of the world to unite against the pro-war policies of the capitalist elite. In 1931, the German composer Hanns Eisler, a dedicated supporter of the cause of communism, was asked to compose new music to support the poem for a film entitled HELL ON EARTH. The film was revised and re-recorded in 1938. This became the most famous version, and can be seen here in my video upload, presented on a movie screen at the back of the modern concert hall, with Busch's voice coming through loud and clear from the screen. In this concert, which was filmed around 1995, the film's original mono music track receives spectacular support (in stereo) from the modern-day Ernst Busch Choir, performing the chorus parts with downright operatic gusto. The concert was featured in 1996 in the documentary film SOLIDARITY SONG: THE HANNS EISLER STORY, from which this video was sourced and uploaded.

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