ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Nazi exploitation of Mozart through the lens of occupied Belgium. The analysis focuses on the Mozart Herdenking in Vlaanderen (‘Mozart Commemoration in Flanders’) that took place in Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent in early May 1942, which was organised by the Flemish Cultural Council with financial support from the German Ministry of Propaganda. Although recent publications have begun to explore the mechanisms of Nazi propaganda at work in occupied countries during the ‘Mozart Year 1941’, no detailed study of the Flemish festival has yet been published. Drawing on Belgian and German archives, reviews published in the Belgian and German press, the official publications surrounding the Mozart Herdenking, and an analysis of the programmes and official speeches associated with the festivities, the aim is to demonstrate how the event exploited Mozart in a way that was specifically tailored for occupied Belgium, and how Nazi cultural propaganda was adapted to serve the ultimate goal of culturally assimilating Flanders into the German Reich.
