Frankel was born in London on January 31, 1906, the son of Polish-Jewish parents. He started learning the violin at an early age, showing remarkable talent; at age 14, his piano-playing talents attracted the attention of Victor Benham, who persuaded his parents to let him study music full-time. He spent a few weeks in Germany in 1922, but quickly returned to London, where he won a scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and attempted his first serious compositions while earning his income as a jazz violinist, pianist and arranger.
By the early 1930s, Frankel was in high demand as an arranger and musical director in London; he gave up theatre work in 1944, though, even though he retained an interest in movie composing until his death, writing over 100 scores. Frankel also became widely-known as a serious composer after World War II; his first work to gain fame was the violin concerto dedicated "in the memory of 'the six million'", a reference to the Jews murdered during the Holocaust, commissioned for the 1951 Festival of Britain and first performed by Max Rostal.
Frankel's most famous pieces include a cycle of five string quartets and eight symphonies as well as a number of concertos for violin and viola; his single best-known piece is probably the First Sonata for Solo Violin, which, like his concertos, resulted from a long association with Max Rostal. During the last 15 years of his life, Frankel also developed his own style of 12-note composition that retained contact with tonality.
Frankel died in London on February 12, 1973 while working on the three-act opera Marching Song and a ninth symphony which had been commissioned by the BBC. When he died, Marching Song had been completed in short score and was orchestrated by Buxton Orr, a composer who had studied with Frankel and whose advocacy has been at least partly responsible for the revival of interest in his works.
In the twenty years following his death, Frankel's works were almost completely neglected. In 1996, BBC featured him as "Composer of the Week", allowing many people a first opportunity to hear his music (they did so again in 2006). A major turning point, however, came when a German record company CPO (Classic Produktion Osnabrück, since bought by JPC) decided to record his entire output with the help of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This has allowed, for the first time, an appraisal of his output.
Panzerlied
Benjamin Frankel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß,
oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Ist unser Sinn;
Es braust unser Panzer,
Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß,
oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Ist unser Sinn;
Es braust unser Panzer,
Im Sturmwind dahin
Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß,
oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Ist unser Sinn;
Es braust unser Panzer,
Im Sturmwind dahin
Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Der Tag glühend heiß,
oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Ist unser Sinn;
Es braust unser Panzer,
Im Sturmwind dahin
The lyrics to Benjamin Frankel's "Panzerlied" describe the experience of being a soldier operating a tank in various weather conditions, emphasizing the joy and camaraderie that comes with being part of a military unit. The first verse sets the scene with the contrasting images of stormy weather and sunny days, and the heat of battle and cold of night. The soldiers' faces are covered in dust, but their spirits are high. The second verse repeats these lines, but with an added emphasis on the soldiers' happiness and sense of purpose. The final verse reiterates these themes once again, emphasizing the power and speed of the tank as it roars through the wind.
The song was originally a German military marching song used during World War II, and has since become controversial due to its association with the Nazi regime. While the lyrics don't explicitly glorify war or extremism, they do paint a romanticized picture of military service that some consider problematic. Nonetheless, the song remains popular to this day and is often performed at military parades and rallies.
Line by Line Meaning
Ob's stürmt oder schneit,
Regardless of the weather conditions - be it stormy or snowing,
ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Whether the sun shines upon us,
Der Tag glühend heiß,
On a day that may be scorchingly hot,
oder eiskalt die Nacht,
Or in a frigid night,
Bestaubt sind die Gesichter,
Even though our faces may be covered in dust and dirt,
Doch froh ist unser Sinn,
Our spirits remain high and content,
Ist unser Sinn;
That is our frame of mind;
Es braust unser Panzer,
Our tank roars and charges forward,
Im Sturmwind dahin
As it sweeps through the wind and storms towards victory
Writer(s): Benjamin Frankel
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@donoo1021
Whether it storms or snows,
Whether the sun smiles upon us,
The day's scorching heat,
Or the ice-cold of the night,
Dusty are the faces,
But joyful are our minds,
Yes, our minds.
Our tanks roar there,
There in the storm winds.
@godagesilrex2954
in 1974 I was a student in Munich Germany and I was returning from the Oktoberfest a bit drunk and was riding a S-Bahn. I started whistling the Panzerlied, song of the German Panzer Corps in WWII. Well about half way through the song I hear another person whistling along and look in the back of the bus to see an old German gentleman in his fifties or sixties, whistling along. We finished and he had a big grin on his face so I did another repeat. No words were exchanged, but I have an idea that it made his day that a Scheisse Ami knew the song and was whistling it in public.
@Katerpff
thats not a "Scheisse Ami " Song ! this is the German Tank Song !
@gottkomplex9211
@Eddie Eagle ...that it made his day that a Scheisse Ami knew the song... You definately got smth wrong, Eddie.
@CaptainCanuck63
Did you ask him if he had any relatives or friends in OTHER sections of the SS......who operated the crematoriums? And if so.....did you/he know any "songs" that "made" both of your "days"? Please: do tell.
@1legomaster
@Canuck 1963 Hey goofball, he never said the old man was in the SS. Learn to read, or just stop trying to be offended when there's no reason to be!
@CaptainCanuck63
@1legomaster Who said I was "offended"? Just asking Nazi-sympathizers some honest questions, is all.
@raytheron
In 1970 I was in the South African Army gymnasium. Our commanding officer was a colonel in the South African Armoured Corps and he loved this song, so it became the unit song as well. Imagine 800+ of us young men in a hall, singing full blast and stamping our feet. I still get goosebumps at the memory.
@crimsonfuckr5133
i get goosebumps reading this
@breizizel3256
Deuchtland uber ALLES ! JA GENAU. !
@clevelandwilliams5922
Military discipline is the best