David Robb
Biographic Data
| ID | 1110173 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David Robb |
| GIVEN NAMES | David |
| FAMILY NAME | Robb |
| SIGNATURE | ROBB D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Queen's University Belfast |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5741-6371 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Parables, Fairy Tales, and the Stasi
The East German protest singer, dramatist, and coal miner Gerhard Gundermann came to international attention in 2018 with the release of Andreas Dresen’s film Gundermann. This coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the artist’s premature death in 1998. While the film concentrates on Gundermann’s personal life, his complex relationship with the Socialist Unity Party (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) hierarchy in the coal mine,…
The Krabat Motif in the Songs and Musicals of Liedermacher Gerhard Gundermann
This article looks at Gerhard Gundermann’s use of the Krabat motif from Jurij Brězan’s novel Krabat or the Transformation of the World in his Liedertheater productions with Brigade Feuerstein in the GDR and, post-unification, in his solo songs. From Hoyerswerda in South-East Germany, Gundermann was simultaneously an open-cast miner and a singer/songwriter and dramatist who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of 43. Emerging out of the GDR singing…
The Influence of Brigitte Reimann's Franziska Linkerhand on the Political Songs of Gerhard Gundermann
Gerhard Gundermann was an East German open cast miner and ‘Liedermacher’ who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of forty‐three. Although he is known for his controversial involvement with the Stasi in his early career, very little has been written about his art, including the ‘Liedertheater’ work he performed with Brigade Feuerstein in the GDR. This article looks at the role of literary intertextuality in the productions of this group between 19…
A heroism for the new times in the protest songs of Gerhard Gundermann
The story of East German singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann provides a vibrant illustration of a much-neglected area of protest song history. Gundermann, who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of 43, was an excavator driver in an open cast mine for most of his adult life. A stalwart of the singing club and Liedertheater (song theatre) movements in the GDR, he emerged after 1990 as a musical and poetic mouthpiece for the culturally and economic…
Ton Steine Scherben
This article will examine the relationship of the anarchist rock group Ton Steine Scherben to the tradition of the German battle song. After setting the group in the context of the countercultural scene of West Berlin of the 1970s, the article will identify a key battle song trait in the group's militant lyrics that, combined with the music, are geared towards inspiring direct political action rather than mere critical contemplation. In this resp…
MacDonald’s Northern Voice
Popular Music in Eastern Europe
The mobilising of the German 1848 protest song tradition in the context of international twentieth-century folk revivals
The rediscovery of democratic traditions of folk song in Germany after the Second World War was not just the counter-reaction of singers and academics to the misuse of German folk song by the Nazis. Such a shift to a more 'progressive' interpretation and promotion of folk tradition at that time was not distinct to Germany and had already taken place in other parts of the Western world. After firstly examining the relationship between folk song an…
Court jesters of the GDR
The Da Da eR clown productions of Hans-Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching were deemed too risky for publication in East Germany (the GDR) and have largely remained a secret among the initiated. Originally members of the Liedertheater (song theatre) group 'Karls Enkel', Wenzel and Mensching branched out from 1982 onwards into the realm of clowns, acquainting themselves with the history and theory of this theatrical tradition from commedia dell'a…
Playing with the ‘Erbe’
After the twelve‐year rupture caused by the Nazis, in the Soviet zone after 1945 attempts were made to reconnect with the traditions of workers’ songs and critical folk songs that were viewed as the cultural heritage of the communist movement. One of these ‘repertoires’ of song was that of the 1848 Revolution. In the 1950s GDR researchers such as the Germanist Bruno Kaiser, the musicologist Inge Lammel and in particular the folklorist Wolfgang St…
A Common European Song Heritage in the Nineteenth Century Songs of Ireland and Germany
This paper deals with thematic similarities between German and Irish folk songs of the nineteenth century, particularly the period surrounding the 1848 Revolution. While clear commonalities can be seen to exist in songs about exploitative masters, hunger, emigration and army recruitment, there are differences in terms of the situation of Germany as a rapid industrialising nation while Ireland was still rural. At the same time the plight of the di…
Causation and Persistence
Reply to Noordhof on Mental Causation
In my paper ‘The Properties of Mental Causation’, PQ, 47 (1997), pp. 178–94. I proposed (as others have) a trope‐based solution to a problem of mental causation. Noordhof in PQ, 48 (1998), pp. 221–6, has objected that the solution raises new problems just as intractable as the original. Some of his criticisms are based on misunderstandings of the role of tropes in the theory and of my general aim. He does, however, usefully develop an objection I…
Literary Heritage in the ‘Clowns‐Liedertheater’ of Wenzel and Mensching
Hans‐Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching are two highly acclaimed East German poets who together play the clowns ‘Weh’ and ‘Meh’ in a musical and literary cabaret act which has successfully spanned two political systems. They achieved fame in the 1980s with satirical productions such as the Hammer=Rehwü and the Da Da eR clowns’ series. Due to the heightened sensitivity surrounding the GDR public stage they decided to abandon singing their own ly…
The Churchlands and Their CriticsRobert N. McCauley, editor Cambridge, MA
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Rescuing Frankfurt-Style Cases
The thought-experiment Suppose someone-Black, let us say-wants Jones to perform a certain action. Black is prepared to go to considerable lengths to get his way, but he prefers to avoid showing his hand unnecessarily. So he waits until Jones is about to make up his mind what to do, and he does nothing unless it is clear to him (Black is an excellent judge of such things) that Jones is going to decide to do something other than what he wants him t…
Recent work in the Philosophy of Mind
Journal Article Recent Work in the Philosophy of Mind Get access Language, Thought and Consciousness. By Peter Carruthers. ( Cambridge UP, 1996. Pp. xv + 291. Price £35.00.)The Conscious Mind. By David J. Chalmers. ( Oxford UP, 1996. Pp. xvii + 414. Price $29.95.)Naturalizing the Mind. By Fred Dretske. ( MIT Press, 1995. Pp. xvi + 208. Price $25.00.)Symbols, Computation and Intentionality. By Steven W. Horst. ( Univ. of California Press, 1996. Pp…
The Properties of Mental Causation
Journal Article The Properties of Mental Causation Get access David Robb David Robb Davidson College, NC 28036, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 47, Issue 187, April 1997, Pages 178–194, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00054 Published: 07 January 2003
Rescuing Frankfurt-Style Cases
The thought-experiment Suppose someone-Black, let us say-wants Jones to perform a certain action. Black is prepared to go to considerable lengths to get his way, but he prefers to avoid showing his hand unnecessarily. So he waits until Jones is about to make up his mind what to do, and he does nothing unless it is clear to him (Black is an excellent judge of such things) that Jones is going to decide to do something other than what he wants him t…
The Properties of Mental Causation
Journal Article The Properties of Mental Causation Get access David Robb David Robb Davidson College, NC 28036, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 47, Issue 187, April 1997, Pages 178–194, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00054 Published: 07 January 2003
The mobilising of the German 1848 protest song tradition in the context of international twentieth-century folk revivals
The rediscovery of democratic traditions of folk song in Germany after the Second World War was not just the counter-reaction of singers and academics to the misuse of German folk song by the Nazis. Such a shift to a more 'progressive' interpretation and promotion of folk tradition at that time was not distinct to Germany and had already taken place in other parts of the Western world. After firstly examining the relationship between folk song an…
Playing with the ‘Erbe’
After the twelve‐year rupture caused by the Nazis, in the Soviet zone after 1945 attempts were made to reconnect with the traditions of workers’ songs and critical folk songs that were viewed as the cultural heritage of the communist movement. One of these ‘repertoires’ of song was that of the 1848 Revolution. In the 1950s GDR researchers such as the Germanist Bruno Kaiser, the musicologist Inge Lammel and in particular the folklorist Wolfgang St…
The Influence of Brigitte Reimann's Franziska Linkerhand on the Political Songs of Gerhard Gundermann
Gerhard Gundermann was an East German open cast miner and ‘Liedermacher’ who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of forty‐three. Although he is known for his controversial involvement with the Stasi in his early career, very little has been written about his art, including the ‘Liedertheater’ work he performed with Brigade Feuerstein in the GDR. This article looks at the role of literary intertextuality in the productions of this group between 19…
Ton Steine Scherben
This article will examine the relationship of the anarchist rock group Ton Steine Scherben to the tradition of the German battle song. After setting the group in the context of the countercultural scene of West Berlin of the 1970s, the article will identify a key battle song trait in the group's militant lyrics that, combined with the music, are geared towards inspiring direct political action rather than mere critical contemplation. In this resp…
Court jesters of the GDR
The Da Da eR clown productions of Hans-Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching were deemed too risky for publication in East Germany (the GDR) and have largely remained a secret among the initiated. Originally members of the Liedertheater (song theatre) group 'Karls Enkel', Wenzel and Mensching branched out from 1982 onwards into the realm of clowns, acquainting themselves with the history and theory of this theatrical tradition from commedia dell'a…
Reply to Noordhof on Mental Causation
In my paper ‘The Properties of Mental Causation’, PQ, 47 (1997), pp. 178–94. I proposed (as others have) a trope‐based solution to a problem of mental causation. Noordhof in PQ, 48 (1998), pp. 221–6, has objected that the solution raises new problems just as intractable as the original. Some of his criticisms are based on misunderstandings of the role of tropes in the theory and of my general aim. He does, however, usefully develop an objection I…
The Properties of Mental Causation
Journal Article The Properties of Mental Causation Get access David Robb David Robb Davidson College, NC 28036, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 47, Issue 187, April 1997, Pages 178–194, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00054 Published: 07 January 2003
Rescuing Frankfurt-Style Cases
The thought-experiment Suppose someone-Black, let us say-wants Jones to perform a certain action. Black is prepared to go to considerable lengths to get his way, but he prefers to avoid showing his hand unnecessarily. So he waits until Jones is about to make up his mind what to do, and he does nothing unless it is clear to him (Black is an excellent judge of such things) that Jones is going to decide to do something other than what he wants him t…
Recent work in the Philosophy of Mind
Journal Article Recent Work in the Philosophy of Mind Get access Language, Thought and Consciousness. By Peter Carruthers. ( Cambridge UP, 1996. Pp. xv + 291. Price £35.00.)The Conscious Mind. By David J. Chalmers. ( Oxford UP, 1996. Pp. xvii + 414. Price $29.95.)Naturalizing the Mind. By Fred Dretske. ( MIT Press, 1995. Pp. xvi + 208. Price $25.00.)Symbols, Computation and Intentionality. By Steven W. Horst. ( Univ. of California Press, 1996. Pp…
Literary Heritage in the ‘Clowns‐Liedertheater’ of Wenzel and Mensching
Hans‐Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching are two highly acclaimed East German poets who together play the clowns ‘Weh’ and ‘Meh’ in a musical and literary cabaret act which has successfully spanned two political systems. They achieved fame in the 1980s with satirical productions such as the Hammer=Rehwü and the Da Da eR clowns’ series. Due to the heightened sensitivity surrounding the GDR public stage they decided to abandon singing their own ly…
The Churchlands and Their CriticsRobert N. McCauley, editor Cambridge, MA
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Reply to Noordhof on Mental Causation
In my paper ‘The Properties of Mental Causation’, PQ, 47 (1997), pp. 178–94. I proposed (as others have) a trope‐based solution to a problem of mental causation. Noordhof in PQ, 48 (1998), pp. 221–6, has objected that the solution raises new problems just as intractable as the original. Some of his criticisms are based on misunderstandings of the role of tropes in the theory and of my general aim. He does, however, usefully develop an objection I…
Causation and Persistence
A Common European Song Heritage in the Nineteenth Century Songs of Ireland and Germany
This paper deals with thematic similarities between German and Irish folk songs of the nineteenth century, particularly the period surrounding the 1848 Revolution. While clear commonalities can be seen to exist in songs about exploitative masters, hunger, emigration and army recruitment, there are differences in terms of the situation of Germany as a rapid industrialising nation while Ireland was still rural. At the same time the plight of the di…
Court jesters of the GDR
The Da Da eR clown productions of Hans-Eckardt Wenzel and Steffen Mensching were deemed too risky for publication in East Germany (the GDR) and have largely remained a secret among the initiated. Originally members of the Liedertheater (song theatre) group 'Karls Enkel', Wenzel and Mensching branched out from 1982 onwards into the realm of clowns, acquainting themselves with the history and theory of this theatrical tradition from commedia dell'a…
Playing with the ‘Erbe’
After the twelve‐year rupture caused by the Nazis, in the Soviet zone after 1945 attempts were made to reconnect with the traditions of workers’ songs and critical folk songs that were viewed as the cultural heritage of the communist movement. One of these ‘repertoires’ of song was that of the 1848 Revolution. In the 1950s GDR researchers such as the Germanist Bruno Kaiser, the musicologist Inge Lammel and in particular the folklorist Wolfgang St…
Popular Music in Eastern Europe
The mobilising of the German 1848 protest song tradition in the context of international twentieth-century folk revivals
The rediscovery of democratic traditions of folk song in Germany after the Second World War was not just the counter-reaction of singers and academics to the misuse of German folk song by the Nazis. Such a shift to a more 'progressive' interpretation and promotion of folk tradition at that time was not distinct to Germany and had already taken place in other parts of the Western world. After firstly examining the relationship between folk song an…
MacDonald’s Northern Voice
Ton Steine Scherben
This article will examine the relationship of the anarchist rock group Ton Steine Scherben to the tradition of the German battle song. After setting the group in the context of the countercultural scene of West Berlin of the 1970s, the article will identify a key battle song trait in the group's militant lyrics that, combined with the music, are geared towards inspiring direct political action rather than mere critical contemplation. In this resp…
The Krabat Motif in the Songs and Musicals of Liedermacher Gerhard Gundermann
This article looks at Gerhard Gundermann’s use of the Krabat motif from Jurij Brězan’s novel Krabat or the Transformation of the World in his Liedertheater productions with Brigade Feuerstein in the GDR and, post-unification, in his solo songs. From Hoyerswerda in South-East Germany, Gundermann was simultaneously an open-cast miner and a singer/songwriter and dramatist who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of 43. Emerging out of the GDR singing…
The Influence of Brigitte Reimann's Franziska Linkerhand on the Political Songs of Gerhard Gundermann
Gerhard Gundermann was an East German open cast miner and ‘Liedermacher’ who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of forty‐three. Although he is known for his controversial involvement with the Stasi in his early career, very little has been written about his art, including the ‘Liedertheater’ work he performed with Brigade Feuerstein in the GDR. This article looks at the role of literary intertextuality in the productions of this group between 19…
A heroism for the new times in the protest songs of Gerhard Gundermann
The story of East German singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann provides a vibrant illustration of a much-neglected area of protest song history. Gundermann, who died prematurely in 1998 at the age of 43, was an excavator driver in an open cast mine for most of his adult life. A stalwart of the singing club and Liedertheater (song theatre) movements in the GDR, he emerged after 1990 as a musical and poetic mouthpiece for the culturally and economic…
Parables, Fairy Tales, and the Stasi
The East German protest singer, dramatist, and coal miner Gerhard Gundermann came to international attention in 2018 with the release of Andreas Dresen’s film Gundermann. This coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the artist’s premature death in 1998. While the film concentrates on Gundermann’s personal life, his complex relationship with the Socialist Unity Party (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED) hierarchy in the coal mine,…
Art (11 works) · History (10 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · German (8 works) · Literature (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · German History and Society (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · History (6 works) · Law (6 works)