Cabaret song
Art song with a politically satirical text.
What it means
The cabaret song (German Kabarettlied) is a song with a satirical, socially critical, or political text, as it is performed in cabaret. Musically it stands between art song and light music: it uses catchy forms — usually verse with refrain — but often works with sophisticated accompaniment and with musical allusions that comment on the text. Decisive is the relation of music and word: the music does not only illustrate but can contradict the text and thereby produce irony.
Musical use
The genre developed with cabaret since the late nineteenth century (Le Chat Noir in Paris, regarded as the first modern cabaret, opened in 1881) and experienced a heyday in the German-speaking area in the 1920s. Typical is the combination of dance and functional-music models — march, waltz, foxtrot — with texts that undercut their harmlessness. The delivery lies close to speech; clarity and timing matter more than beauty of sound. Numerous composers who also wrote serious music worked for cabaret, so that the separation between the fields is less sharp than it seems.
Composers such as Friedrich Hollaender, Mischa Spoliansky, and Kurt Weill wrote songs for cabaret and revue. Characteristics are satirical texts, distinct diction, and a music that serves the word.
Performance practice
Work out the text and its punchlines first; the musical shaping follows from that, not the other way round. Sing close to speech, with sparing vibrato and precise articulation, and plan the timing of the punchlines together with the accompaniment. Avoid taking the music too seriously or exaggerating — the effect arises from the contrast. With historical texts, check whether allusions are understandable today, and explain them in the programme if necessary.