Music and Resistance

Experiencing music from Norway and visiting Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim in my teenage years sparked my first general interest for Norwegian culture. Political history of the Nordic countries and Norwegian music accompanied my academic career ever since I spent two semesters at the University of Bergen to study comparative politics and political sociology in 1995/96. After several years, a research question began to grow which would finally manifest itself in this manuscript. However, several pieces had to fall into place first, to focus in on the resistance and persecution of musicians in Nazi-occupied Norway. They are linked to people I am very grateful for advice, encouragement, and support: Albrecht Riethmüller, Joachim Dorfmüller, Arvid O. Vollsnes, and Arnulf Mattes. Albrecht Riethmüller taught me, both as student and as research staff member how to take care of solid source work when dealing with controversial matters, especially concerning the wide scope of “music and nazism”. It was in his intermediate examination I discussed Harald Sæverud’s life and work for the first time.