Musicologist talks about anti-Semitism in music

Bocholt - Throughout history, people of the Jewish faith have repeatedly been the target of hatred, prejudice and marginalisation - and not just in Germany. On Wednesday, musicologist Dr Ya'qub El-Khaled spoke about where and in what form these motifs are also reflected in music.

"Rappers, Rockers, Romantics - On anti-Semitism in European music history" - this is the title of the music historian's 90-minute lecture. On Wednesday, El-Khaled gave a lecture to pupils from Bocholt.

In his lecture, the music historian pointed out various examples of anti-Semitic motifs in music history - and also alluded to very current examples. "Racist, nationalist or anti-Semitic statements and content have accompanied European music history for a long time", said the historian.

In his lecture, he played short excerpts, including pieces by German rappers Haftbefehl (real name Aykut Anhan) and Kollegah (Felix Blume), as well as Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".

Anyone interested in the topic can attend the lecture by Dr Ya'qub El-Khaled this Thursday evening, 18 January, from 7 pm at the Media Centre (Alter Bahnhof, Hindenburgstraße 1). Tickets are available free of charge from the Bocholt Adult Education Centre website.

Ya'qub Yonas N. El-Khaled, PhD, studied philosophy, classical guitar, song composition and musicology. He received his doctorate in historical musicology and most recently worked as a university assistant and senior lecturer at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria.

He is currently a research assistant at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau, where he conducts research into the materiality of musical instruments as part of the Musical Instrument Making programme.