Liliputins in German - 5115

Mit mir ist das grundlegende deutsche Prinzip "Ordnung muss sein!" mit Pauken und Trompeten durchgefallen ... "
Willi Schmid

Liliputins. What, the heck, is this?
http://stihi.ru/2021/11/24/7101

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What does the German expression "mit Pauken und Trompeten durchfallen" mean in English? 'Mit Pauken und Trompeten durchfallen' literally translates as 'to fail with kettledrums and trumpets' - meaning to fail with much fanfare.

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Wieso sagt man mit „Pauken und Trompeten“?
In unserer Rubrik Alltagswissen beantworten wir jede Woche eine musikalische Frage nicht nur on air, sondern auch hier zum Nachlesen.

Wieso sagt man mit „Pauken und Trompeten“?
Die Erklaerung fuer diesen Ausdruck finden wir im Militaer, genauer in der Militaermusik. Lange galten hier Pauken und Trompeten als die edelsten Instrumente, ganz im Gegensatz zu Pfeifen oder auch Trommeln. Damals wie heute sind es einfach sehr laute Instrumente, die man nicht ueberh;ren kann. Deswegen waren Trompeter und Pauker im 16. Und 17. Jahrhundert sehr hoch angesehen, hatten hohe Dienstgrade, eine geschuetzte Berufsbezeichnung und sogar eine eigene Zunft. Die Pfeifen und Trommeln hatten eher niedrigere Dienstgrade und galten als Laienmusiker.

Aktuelle Bedeutung
Bei wichtigen Anlaessen wurden gerne Pauken und Trompeten gespielt. Die ironische Verwendung, wie wir sie heute kennen, gibt es seit dem 19. Jahrhundert. Wenn jemand etwas mit grossem Aufwand macht, macht er es mit „Pauken und Trompeten“. Es kann positiv verwendet werden, aber auch negativ, zum Beispiel wenn jemand „mit Pauken und Trompeten“ durch eine Pruefung faellt.

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Wilhelm Eduard Schmid

Wilhelm Eduard „Willi“ Schmid (* 12. April 1893 in Weilheim in Oberbayern; † 30. Juni 1934 im oder in der N;he des KZs Dachau[1]) war ein deutscher Musikkritiker und Lyriker. Schmid wurde bekannt als Musikkritiker der Muenchner Neuesten Nachrichten sowie als irrtuemliches Opfer der Ruehm-Putsch genannten nationalsozialistischen „Saeuberungsaktion“.

Nach dem Schulbesuch studierte Schmid an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen. Als Teilnehmer am Ersten Weltkrieg erlitt er einen Bauchschuss. Nach der Rueckkehr aus dem Krieg setzte er seine Studien fort, die er mit der Promotion zum Dr. phil. abschloss. Seine Dissertation, die von Alois Fischer und Albert Rehm betreut wurde, befasst sich mit dem Thema Stellung und Quellen des Praeventivgedankens bei Don Bosco im Zusammenhang mit der paedagogischen Lage seiner Zeit. Die muendliche Pruefung fand am 22. Juli 1922 statt. Zum Druck freigegeben wurde die Arbeit am 6. Juli 1923.

Laufbahn als Musikkritiker
Als ausuebender Musiker spielte Schmid Cello und studierte die Gambe unter Christian Dubereiner. Er gruendete das Muenchner Violenquintett und unternahm mit ihm Konzertreisen in Deutschland und Italien. In den 1920er Jahren wurde er als Journalist bekannt. Er schrieb vielgelesene Musikkritiken unter anderem fuer den Bayrischen Kurier und die Muenchner Neuesten Nachrichten sowie fuer die Schweizerische Musikzeitung.

Ermordung
Am Abend des 30. Juni 1934 wurde Schmid gegen 19:20 Uhr in seiner Muenchener Wohnung von mehreren SS-Leuten im Rahmen der Roehm-Affaere verhaftet und ins KZ Dachau verschleppt, wo er noch am selben Tag – ohne vorher richtig verhoert worden zu sein – erschossen wurde. Die Erschiessung wurde wahrscheinlich zwischen 23:00 und 24:00 Uhr vom Leiter des Arrestbunkers des Lagers, Johann Kantschuster, ausgefuehrt. Schmid hinterliess seine Frau und drei Kinder. Der Leichnam wurde am Abend des 3. Juli unter der Bahnueberfuehrung bei Dachau an seine Angehoeigen in einem versiegelten Sarg mit dem Verbot uebergeben, diesen zu oeffnen.

In der aelteren Literatur wurde Schmids Ermordung zurueckgefuehrt auf eine Verwechselung seiner Person mit dem Muenchener SA-Gruppenfuehrer Wilhelm Schmid oder mit dem SA-Standartenfuehrer Hans Walter Schmidt, dem Adjutanten des schlesischen SA-Fuehrers Edmund Heines. Spaeter wurde lange Zeit von einer Verwechselung Schmids mit dem Arzt Ludwig Schmitt ausgegangen, der 1933 Otto Strasser, dem Anfuehrer der Schwarzen Front, einer sezessionistischen Abspaltung der NSDAP, bei dessen Flucht ins Ausland geholfen hatte. Am fruehesten fand diese These sich bei Heinz Hoehne, in dessen Buch Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf. Spaeter wurde sie u. a. von dem Hitler-Biographen Ian Kershaw uebernommen.

Die am staerksten quellenunterfuetterten Angaben ueber die Hintergruende des Mordes an Schmid liefert jedoch Hans-Guenter Richardi in seinem Buch Geheimakte Gerlich/Bell von 1993. In diesem verweist er auf Ermittlungen der Muenchener Staatsanwaltschaft zum Mord an Schmid von Ende der 1940er Jahre, die fuer eine Verwechselung mit einem anderen Mitarbeiter der Muenchner Neuesten Nachrichten namens Paul Schmitt sprechen: Diese Ermittlungen haetten ergeben, dass der Leiter des Sicherheitsdienstes der SS, Reinhard Heydrich, mit dem erwaehnten Paul Schmitt verfeindet war, seit dieser 1933 zusammen mit Josef Mueller (dem spaeteren Gruender der CSU) versucht hatte, ueber Rudolf Hess gegen Himmler und Heydrich vorzugehen. Im April 1934 habe Heydrich deshalb Walther Ilges, einem Mitarbeiter des SD-Hauptamtes in Muenchen, die Anweisung erteilt, einen „Schmidt Neueste Nachrichten“ auf die interne Schwarze Liste des SD zu setzen, wobei er an Schmitt gedacht habe. Am 22. Juni 1934, als die Vorbereitungen fuer die Liquidierung aller auf der Schwarzen Liste des SD stehenden Personen eingeleitet worden seien, sei dann der Kriminaldirektor Schreieder von der Bayerischen Politischen Polizei durch den Regierungsrat Brunner beauftragt worden, die Adresse eines "Dr. Schmidt Muenchener Neueste Nachrichten" festzustellen, womit Dr. Paul Schmitt gemeint gewesen sei. Brunner seinerseits haette zuvor einen entsprechenden Auftrag vom SD-Oberabschnitt Sued erhalten. Schreieder habe daraufhin die Schackstra;e Nr. 3 als Wohnung erkundet. Dies sei jedoch ein Irrtum gewesen, da dies nicht die Adresse des gesuchten Mitarbeiters der Muenchner Neuesten Nachrichten namens "Dr. Schmidt" (d. h. Paul Schmitt) war, sondern die eines anderen Mitarbeiters dieser Zeitung, der zufaellig ebenfalls "Dr. Schmidt" (naemlich Wilhelm Eduard Schmid) hiess. Infolge dieser Personenverwechselung sei dann am 30. Juni der falsche MNN-Mitarbeiter namens Schmidt/Schmitt/Schmid (eben Schmid) verhaftet und nach Dachau verschleppt worden.

Am 6. Juli 1934 wurde in den Muenchner Neuesten Nachrichten eine Todesanzeige veroeffentlicht, die den Tod Schmids meldete, der „infolge eines Ungluecksfalls jaeh aus unserem Kreis geschieden ist“. Am 31. Juli 1934 suchte Rudolf Hess Schmids Witwe auf, entschuldigte sich fuer die versehentliche Erschiessung und versicherte ihr, dass auf ihren Mann „nicht der Schatten einer Schuld“ fallen wuerde.

Die Grabrede bei Schmids Begraebnis hielt der Priester und Dichter Peter Doerfler. Der mit Schmid befreundete Philosoph Oswald Spengler widmete ihm 1935 den Text Gedicht und Brief. Dem Gedaechtnis Willi Schmids, der in der Werkausgabe der Reden und Aufsaetze Spenglers enthalten ist.

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What makes Germans so orderly?
1 June 2020
By Joe Baur,
Features correspondent

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bluejayphoto/Getty Images


At first glance, Germans' trademark tidiness seems to influence most aspects of the country's culture (Credit: bluejayphoto/Getty Images)bluejayphoto/Getty Images

At first glance, Germans' trademark tidiness seems to influence most aspects of the country's culture (Credit: bluejayphoto/Getty Images)
For centuries, Germany has been synonymous with order. So how can a rule-abiding nation also have an anything-goes spirit?

On the high-speed train gliding smoothly from Berlin to D;sseldorf, a young man started chatting to me. He eventually asked, “What are some of the cultural differences you’ve noticed between Germans and Americans?”
As if on cue, a middle-aged woman hovered over us and gave a harsh, “Shh!” with her finger pressed against her lips. She pointed to a sign of a mobile phone with a cross through it, indicating that we were in the Ruhebereich, the quiet carriage of the train.
“You must be quiet,” she said, before returning to her seat.
“That,” I said to the man sitting next to me. “That’s different.”

Rudy Balasko/Getty Images The idea that Germans love rules and order has been a global stereotype for generations (Credit: Rudy Balasko/Getty Images)Rudy Balasko/Getty Images
The idea that Germans love rules and order has been a global stereotype for generations (Credit: Rudy Balasko/Getty Images)
In the nearly four years I’ve lived in Germany, that woman’s reprimand was just one of many examples I’ve experienced of Germans strictly adhering to the rules in the name of preserving Ordnung (order). Because in Germany, as the famous expression goes, “Ordnung muss sein” (“there must be order”). In fact, this proverbial saying is so well-ingrained in the German psyche that it’s become a cultural clich; for Germans around the world, and a way of life for them at home.
This proverbial saying is so well-ingrained in the German psyche that it’s become a cultural cliché for Germans around the world, and a way of life for them at home
In Germany, your brown bottles must be recycled separately from your clear ones. You must be quiet after 22:00. You must always obey the red man at a crossing, even if no cars are coming. And if you want to get anything done in this country, you need to print and fill out the proper forms, make an appointment, take your number and wait to be called to find out if you followed the rules or missed something in the fine print – which you probably did.
On the surface, “Ordnung muss sein” seems to be the foundation of German personal and social conduct. But, stereotypes aside, is Germany really “orderly”?

bluejayphoto/Getty Images At first glance, Germans' trademark tidiness seems to influence most aspects of the country's culture (Credit: bluejayphoto/Getty Images)bluejayphoto/Getty Images
At first glance, Germans' trademark tidiness seems to influence most aspects of the country's culture (Credit: bluejayphoto/Getty Images)
As with many things “German”, the answer may go back to Martin Luther. In addition to forever changing how Germany (and the world) worships, many of the humble Reformationist’s personal preferences (from a love of beer to books to severe Bauhaus-inspiring design) have continued to shape German culture for the last 500 years. In fact, according to volume 67 of his S;mmtliche Werke text, it was the jowly monk himself who appears to have first written the earliest iteration of the expression.
'Ordnung' is in the water supply
Luther wrote, “Ordnung muss sein unter den Leuten” (literally: “There must be order among the people”). But Dr Wolfram Pyta, director of the Department of Modern History at the University of Stuttgart, contends that Luther wasn’t referring to the virtue highlighted in the contemporary use of “Ordnung muss sein”.
“Luther called for obedience to authority in his theological writings,” said Pyta. “But this isn't identical with … the expression ‘Ordnung muss sein’, which isn’t necessarily aimed at state order, but rather at order in one’s private life.”

AVTG/Getty Images The German idea that "There must be order" goes back roughly 500 years to Martin Luther (Credit: AVTG/Getty Images)AVTG/Getty Images
The German idea that "There must be order" goes back roughly 500 years to Martin Luther (Credit: AVTG/Getty Images)
While there's not much documentation of the phrase in the centuries after Luther, a 1930 article published in The New York Times claimed that Paul von Hindenburg, the last president of the Weimar Republic, had made the phrase “world famous”. The expression became further tied to German culture when Hindenburg graced the cover of TIME magazine in 1934 with the exclamation “Ordnung muss sein!” printed underneath his photo. The cover story, "Germany: Crux of Crisis", quotes Hindenburg shouting his “useful aphorism which serves him on all occasions” at Adolf Hitler while discussing politics.
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“Order is considered to be a Prussian value on equal standing with fulfilling obligations, punctuality, hard work and honesty,” said Christina R;ttgers, a German culture expert who helps international companies understand the German mindset to work with them effectively.
Order is considered to be a Prussian value on equal standing with fulfilling obligations, punctuality, hard work and honesty

Whatever the expression’s true origins, “Ordnung muss sein” is certainly embedded within the fabric of German society. But interestingly, Germans don’t discuss it, because according to R;ttgers, the values and rules associated with it have already been internalised. Nobody needs to talk about the rules because it’s assumed everyone already knows them.
Freeartist/Getty Images Order is not something most Germans discuss, because they have already internalised the rules associated with it (Credit: Freeartist/Getty Images)Freeartist/Getty Images
Order is not something most Germans discuss, because they have already internalised the rules associated with it (Credit: Freeartist/Getty Images)
“Ordnung is in the water supply,” quipped Joachim Kr;ger, a German professor of psychology at Brown University. “Every child learns this saying in the context of cleaning their room,” added R;ttgers. “For Germans themselves, it's part of their everyday lives, but they don't think about it any more than someone thinks about grammar while they’re speaking."
Verena Netscher, a personnel consultant from Cologne, agreed. “I think it’s something that exists in the minds of people in Germany,” she said. “But I don’t think anyone is especially striving to achieve this ideal.”
Around the country, every German I asked agreed with Netscher’s sentiments. “There’s order and that’s a good thing,” Lukas Pietrek, a law student in D;sseldorf, wrote to me. “But a lot of people are nevertheless too orderly and stuffy.”

Joe Baur To help enforce order, Germany employs a Public Order Police force (Credit: Joe Baur)Joe Baur
To help enforce order, Germany employs a Public Order Police force (Credit: Joe Baur)
Needless to say, Ordnung has slipped into everyday German vocabulary. If you seem distraught, a passerby might ask, “Alles in Ordnung?”. In English, that’s, “Are you OK?”, but literally, they’re asking, “Is everything in order?”. If everything is as it should be, then you’re “in Ordnung”.
It’s also stitched on uniforms of the men and women who work for the Ordnungsamt (Germany’s Public Order Office). This is essentially a special police force that focuses on misdemeanours, which in Germany includes playing loud music during quiet hours, parking violations and enforcing when and how long your dog is allowed to bark (10 minutes at a time and no more than 30 minutes a day outside of quiet hours, according to a court decision). If you’re caught on the wrong side of the Ordnungsamt, you’ll get an Ordnungswidrigkeit – a misdemeanour.
Yet, whenever you mention “Ordnung muss sein”, Germans are quick to mention another expression, “Ordnung ist das halbe Leben” (“Order is half of life”). And when they tack on the rest of the expression, it turns Germans’ trademark tidiness on its head: “Unordnung die andere H;lfte” (“And disorder the other half”).
Joe Baur "Ordnung" is everywhere in Germany, but Germans selectively choose when and where to be disorderly (Credit: Joe Baur)Joe Baur
"Ordnung" is everywhere in Germany, but Germans selectively choose when and where to be disorderly (Credit: Joe Baur)

Nobody will deny that there are splashes of disorder in Germany. Commuters across the country burst onto trains before people have a chance to get out; people routinely vandalise rubbish bins bearing the word, “Ordnung!” on them; and the nation’s “newest” airport is finally set for take off in October after a nine-year delay due to design flaws, scandals and general chaos.
In fact, for more than 100 years – from the hedonistic parties of the Weimar Republic to the boho-squat raves before unification to the techno temples of today – my home of Berlin has been renowned around the world as an anything-goes lab of cultural experimentation. Nearly 20 years after the city’s former mayor called it “poor but sexy”, people from around the world still move here precisely to free themselves of rigid life plans and to be whoever and whatever they want without a judgmental glance.
But even in a city legendary for its libertine tolerance and anarchistic spirit, there are still strict, unwritten rules. Want to grab spray paint and tag part of the Berlin Wall? There’s a designated section of Mauerpark where you can do that. Want to go au natural? There are unmarked swaths of the city’s central Tiergarten park and surrounding lakes where clothing is severely frowned upon. And want to do drugs and have sex with strangers? No-one will bat an eye at most Berlin clubs – so long as you do your business in the right room.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images Even in Berlin, a city renowned for its anything-goes spirit, there are unwritten rules around where and when disorder is acceptable (Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Even in Berlin, a city renowned for its anything-goes spirit, there are unwritten rules around where and when disorder is acceptable (Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Berlin may be a special beast, but the deeper you dive, the more you’ll see this carefree cultural attitude across Germany. Frankfurt has its growing Bahnhofsviertel neighbourhood full of brothels and clubs. Hamburg’s St Pauli area is one of Europe’s most raucous red-light districts. Even the most conservative corners of Bavaria and the former East Germany embrace the Freik;rperkultur (free-body culture) of relaxing in the buff at certain campsites, beaches and resorts.

Of course, each of these examples still fits neatly within Germany’s specific sense of order: it’s less about banning certain things and more about making sure you’re doing them in the proper, assigned place. Chat softly on the quiet carriage of a train and you’re likely to get scolded. But drink a beer on Berlin’s subway and no-one will say a word because of another unwritten rule that public drinking – and even public transit drinking – is generally deemed acceptable.
"Most hold themselves to the rules because they've learned that the rules are reasonable,” explained R;ttgers. “But everyone has their own interpretation of the rules because people are individuals.”
Tom Stoddart/Getty Images Want to grab a spray can and tag the Berlin Wall on a nice day? Sure! There's a designated space for that (Credit: Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)Tom Stoddart/Getty Images
Want to grab a spray can and tag the Berlin Wall on a nice day? Sure! There's a designated space for that (Credit: Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)
Of course, if you run afoul of someone’s interpretation of the rules, many strangers may gladly let you know that you’ve disrupted their Ordnung. “Germans aren't shy about pointing out when others break the rules,” said R;ttgers. “Strangers will rebuke you because there’s an expectation that everyone will follow the rules.”
That explains why a neighbour of mine shared a video of how to properly deconstruct a cardboard box for the recycling bin in my apartment building’s WhatsApp chat. “In five seconds, a box is made small. If I can do it, you all can, too.” The message was signed with a kissy-face emoji.

But on the whole, German order is rather pragmatic. “Ordnung muss sein” doesn’t mean building a false reality. It means Germans demand that systems are in place to prevent the worst from happening, like Kurzarbeit (short work) – a programme that allows businesses to decrease the hours of their employees during times of crisis (like the 2008 financial crash and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic) and the government will pay 60% of the remaining salary to avoid mass unemployment.
Johannes Eisele/Getty Images The German sense of order is much more pragmatic and progressive than most people think (Credit: Johannes Eisele/Getty Images)Johannes Eisele/Getty Images
The German sense of order is much more pragmatic and progressive than most people think (Credit: Johannes Eisele/Getty Images)
Having travelled extensively through all of Germany’s 16 states, I have seen Ordnung operate swiftly and smoothly, from the Black Forest to the Baltic Sea. But I’ve also seen Germans throwing this order overboard at “acceptable” times – be it embracing their carnal core at Carnival, screaming at hordes of armoured guards at football matches or launching fireworks from crowded streets and balconies on New Year’s Eve.
In the end, Germany – like any country – is more than just one phrase.
“There are a lot of expressions that, when put together, build a picture of a culture,” R;ttgers said. “‘Ordnung muss sein’ is just an excerpt.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some cardboard boxes to “make small” and ensure my dog isn’t barking more than his daily allotted limit.
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