Jo van Nelsen // Musenkind mit Maulkorb

In the organizer's words:

Gramophone reading

The birth of German cabaret

Jo van Nelsen has already devoted himself in detail to the early years of cabaret in 2001 in book form and in his podcast published in 2021 under the title "Wir richten scharf und herzlich!".

In his new lecture as part of the "Gramophone Readings", he focuses in particular on the French role models and stars of the late 19th century such as Yvette Guilbert and Aristide Bruant. German authors such as Otto Julius Bierbaum and Ernst von Wolzogen soon developed their first ideas for a German "literary vaudeville"; however, the omnipresent imperial censorship made life difficult for the young medium and for satirical magazines in Germany at the time. The trial against Franz Wedekind for lèse majesté in one of his poems in "Simplicissimus" was the sad climax of this development - but the new art form of cabaret was unstoppable and celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2026!

On this evening, listen to the early voices of cabaret chanson directly from an original gramophone, enjoy the performance art and expertise of Frankfurt music cabaret artist and cabaret historian Jo van Nelsen and immerse yourself in the world of the fin de siècle with lots of pictures, films and anecdotes.

After the acclaimed premiere on the occasion of the major Lyonel Feininger retrospective at the Schirn, this lecture can be experienced for the first time in Wiesbaden!