Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Busch (22 January 1900 – 8 June 1980) was a German singer and actor.

Biography

Busch originated from a

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

worker family. He started in life as a shipyard worker before he decided to make use of his acting and singing talent. Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of

Kurt Tucholsky Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel. Tucholsky was o ...

, in the Berlin Kabarett scene of the 1920s. He starred in the original 1928 production of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's ''

Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music b ...

'', as well as the subsequent 1931 film by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. He also appeared in the movie '' Kuhle Wampe''. A lifelong

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

, Busch fled

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1933, accompanied by his wife, Eva Busch, and with the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

on his heels, initially settling in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. By 1938 they had divorced, without acrimony, as their lives diverged. Eva settled in Paris while Ernst initially made his home in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

where he worked with Gustav von Wangenheim on the 1935 film "Kämpfer" (''"Fighters"''). In 1937 he joined the

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed ...

to fight against the Nationalists in Spain. His wartime songs were then recorded and broadcast by Radio Barcelona and Radio Madrid. After the Spanish Republic fell to General Franco, Busch migrated to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

where he was interned during the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...

and later imprisoned in

Camp Gurs Gurs internment camp was an internment camp and prisoner of war camp constructed in 1939 in Gurs, a site in southwestern France, not far from Pau. The camp was originally set up by the French government after the fall of Catalonia at the ...

, France and Berlin. Freed by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

in 1945, he settled in

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as West Berlin. From 13 August 1961 u ...

, where he acted in the first play to be produced in the American-occupied zone,

Robert Ardrey Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writer perhaps best known for ''The Territorial Imperative'' (1966). After a Broadway and Hollywood career, he returned to his academic tr ...

's '' Thunder Rock''.Aldgate, Anthony et al. ''Britain Can Take It: The British Cinema in the Second World War'' 2nd ed. London: I.B. Tauris, 2007. pp. 178. Print. He would go on to start his own record label and work with

and

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content o ...

at the "

Berliner Ensemble The Berliner Ensemble () is a German theatre company established by actress Helene Weigel and her husband, playwright Bertolt Brecht, in January 1949 in East Berlin. In the time after Brecht's exile, the company first worked at Wolfgang Langho ...

". A beloved figure in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

, he is best remembered for his performance in the title role of Brecht's ''

Life of Galileo ''Life of Galileo'' (), also known as ''Galileo'', is a play by the 20th century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and collaborator Margarete Steffin with incidental music by Hanns Eisler. The play was written in 1938 and received its first theatr ...

'' and his recordings of workers songs, including many written by Hanns Eisler. He also made a memorable recording of "

Peat Bog Soldiers "Peat Bog Soldiers" () is one of Europe's best-known protest songs. It exists in countless European languages and became a Republican anthem during the Spanish Civil War. It was a symbol of resistance during the Second World War and is popular w ...

Recordings of Spanish Civil War songs (incomplete list)

From "Canciones de las Brigadas Internacionales" and "Solidarität". *''Adelante Campesinos'' *'' Am Rio Jarama'' – "On the Jarama Front" * / ''Lied von der XI Brigade'' – "Song of the XIth Brigade" *''Los Campesinos'' – "The Peasants" *''Las Compañías de Acero'' *''Los Cuatro Generales'' *'' Himno de Riego'' / ''Riego Hymne'' – "Colonel Riego's Hymn" *''Hans Beimler'' *''Des Lied von der Einheitsfront / '' Einheitsfrontlied'' *''Lied der Internationalen Brigaden / ''Lied Der Interbrigaden'' – "Song of the International Brigades" *''Mamita Mia'' *''Die Moorsoldaten'' – "

" *''Nuestra Bandera'' – "Our Flag" *''Peter, Mein Kamerad'' – "Peter, My Comrade" *''" Spaniens Himmel" or "Die Thälmann-Kolonne"'' – "Spain's Heaven" or "The Thälmann Battalion" (Page 30f)

Recordings of Second World War and other songs (incomplete list)

*''Ach Ihr Wege'' *''Alle Waffen gegen Hitler'' *''Ami go home '' *''Aufbaulied'' *''Die Armeen Europas'' *''Ballade von den Säckeschmeißern'' *''Der Barrikaden'' *''Dank Euch Ihr Sowjetsoldaten'' *''Das Lied vom SA-Mann'' *''Diplomaten'' *''Der Graben'' *'' Der heimliche Aufmarsch'' *''Es Kommt der Tag'' *'' Einheitsfrontlied'' *''Frieden der Welt'' *''Kämpfen wie Lenin'' *''Kampflied gegen den Faschismus'' *''Korea'' *''Lenin'' *''Lied der Bergarbeiter'' *''Lied der Interbrigaden'' *''Lied der Partei'' *''Lied des Werktätigen'' *''Lied vom Adler Stalin'' *'' Lied vom Vaterland'' *''Linker Marsch'' *''Links Rechts'' *''Lob des Kommunismus'' *''Marsch der Antifaschisten'' *''Der Marsch Ins Dritte Reich'' *''Matrosen von Kronstadt'' *''Der rote Wedding'' *''Sehnsucht nach der Heimat'' *''

Solidaritätslied The "Solidaritätslied" ("Solidarity Song") is a revolutionary working song written between 1929 and 1931 by Bertolt Brecht, and set to music by Hanns Eisler. It was written against the background of the Great Depression, the Great War (1914� ...

'' *''Stalin Freund Genosse'' *''Trotz alledem'' *''Vorwärts Bolschewik'' *''Wir sind des Geyers schwarzer Haufen''

Awards, medals, and recognition

Germany's most prestigious school for stage acting and directing is named after the actor, the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts (Hochschule für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch", HFS) in Berlin. Busch was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize for 1970–71.

Filmography

References