Music, Rhythm and Persuasion: Hitler’s Oratory

  • Henry Campos Vargas
Keywords: Oratory, Hitler’s Oratory, Rhytmic Prose, Aristotle, Rhetoric, German Language, Argument

Abstract

Hitler’s oratory was powerful, awesome… As in 1930’s Germany, nowadays, it attracts millions of people around the world. What is the source of this frightening power? How could a man have it? By the Ancient theory of rhythmic prose, this paper studies the importance of rhythm in some German phrases and a Hitler’s speech and the role of their features in the persuasion process. The German language has long and short vowels, diphthongs and accents, like Latin and Greek; therefore, this article gives not only a syllabic and accentual analysis but also a quantitative one in connection with the political argument.

References

Aristotle, The “Art” of Rhetoric, With an English Translation by John Henry Freese [Rhet.], Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) & London 2006.

Aristotle, Problems. Books 20-38. Edited and Translated by Robert Mayhew. Rhetoric to Alexander. Edited and Translated by David C. Mirhady [Probl.], 1st Published, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.), London 2011.

Bergman, Ingmar (1987), Linterna mágica, Tusquets, Barcelona.

Broadhead, H. D. (1932), «Prose-Rhythm and Prose-Metre» in The Classical Quarterly. N. 1, vol. 26, pp. 35-44.

Burke, Kenneth (1957), «The Rhetoric of Hitler’s Battle» in The Philosophy of Literary Form: Studies in Symbolic Action, pp. 164-189 (primera aparición: The Southern Review n. 5, 1-21).

Cicero, Ad Brutum Orator, A revised Text with Introductory Essays and Critical And Explanatory Notes by John Edwin Sandys, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 1885.

Cureton, Richard D. (1985), «Rhythm: A Multilevel Analysis» in Orality and Rhythm, n. 2, vol. 19, pp. 242-257.

Cureton, Richard D. (2004), «Temporal Poetics: Rhythmic Process as Truth» in The Antioch Review, n. 1, vol. 62, pp. 113-121.

Domarus, Mark (1973), Hitler. Reden una Proklamationen 1932 bis 1945. Kommentiert von Einem Deutschen Zeitgenossen, Pamminger & Partner, Germany.

Duncan, Michael (2011), «Questioning the Auditory Sublime: A Multisensory-Organic Approach to Prose Rhythm» in JAC, n. 3/4, vol. 31, pp. 579-608.

Fishman, Sterling (1964), «The Rise of Hitler as a Beer Hall Orator» in The Review of Politic, n. 2, vol. 26, pp. 244-256.

Fontán, Antonio (1990), Los clásicos, norma y modelo de decir, Unión Editorial, S. A. Madrid.

Gubern, Román (2005), La imagen pornográfica y otras perversiones ópticas. Edición revisada y ampliada, Editorial Anagrama, S. A. Barcelona.

Hanfstaengl, Ernst «Putzi» (2012), Hitler: Los años desconocidos. Edición crítica de Fernando Navarro, 1ª edición. Sepha Edición y Diseñor, SL. Málaga.

Hermogenes (1993), Sobre las formas de estilo. Introducción, traducción y notas de Consuelo Ruiz Montero, Editorial Gredos, S. A. Madrid.

Herrera Zapién, Tarsicio (1975), La métrica latinizante. Estudio acerca de la teoría y la práctica de los metros latinos en italino, francés, inglés, alemán y castellano Ejempos traducidos métricamente al castellano, Univesidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.

Hitler, Adolf (1925), Mein Kampf Erste Ausgabe, München (Mein Kampf, eng. trans. by J. Murphy, Hurst and Blackett Ltd, London-New York-Melbourne 1939).

Hitler, Adolf (1943), Mein Kampf. Zwei Bände in einem Band Ungekürzte Ausgabe. Zentralverlag der NSDAP, Frz. Eher Nachf., G.m.b.H., München.

Hitler, Adolf (2019), Hitler’s First Address as Chancellor of Germany, in https://www.facebook.com/LaHistoriaEnVideo/videos/2217129908366811/

Horn, Eva and Golb, Joel (2011), «Work on Charisma: Writing Hitler’s Biography», in New German Critique, n. 114, pp. 95-114.

Jakson, Joshua Conrad et al. (2019), «Emotion and Language. Emotion Semantics Show Both Cultural Variation and Universal Structure», in Science, n. 366, pp. 1517-1522.

Longinus, On the Sublime. Translated by W. H. Fyfe. Revised by Donald Russell [De Sub.], Harvard University Press, Cambridge (MA) & London 1995.

Madell, Geoffrey and Ridley, Aaron (1997), «Emotion and Feeling», in Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Supplementary Volumes, vol. 71, pp. 147-176.

Quintiliano, M. Fabio, Institutciones Oratorias. Traducción Directa del Latín por los Padres de las Escuelas Pías Ignacion Rodríguez y Pedro Sandier [Inst. Or.], Tomo II, Librería de la Viuda de Hernando y Cía, Madrid 1887.

Ridley, Aaron (2004), The Philosophy of Music, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.

Ridley, Aaron (2012), «Musical Ontology, Musical Reason», in The Monist, n. 4, vol. 94, Music, pp. 663-683.

Riefenstahl, Leni (2001), Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. Special Edition, Synapse Films, Inc. Bloomington.

Shewring, W. H. (1930), «Prose-Rhythm and the Comparative Method», in The Classical Quarterly, n 3/4, vol. 24, pp. 164-173.

Zalampas, Sherree Owens (1990), Adolf Hitler: A Pshychological Interpretation of His Views on Architecture, Arts and Music, Bowling Green State University Popular Press, Bowling Green.

Published
2020-12-19
How to Cite
Campos Vargas, H. (2020) “Music, Rhythm and Persuasion: Hitler’s Oratory ”, Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio, 14(1). doi: 10.4396/202013.