Never brought this up before as I had no recollection of where I heard it. We artsy, phony types can feel quite the cognoscenti pronouncing Kurt Weill’s name the German way - ‘Vile’. But one of the hosts on our local classical music station just today related the same story I’d heard.
That is, when he and Lotte got out of fascist Germany, he began using the anglicized pronunciation. Can’t say for sure - this is almost ninety years ago. Anyhoo, kind of interesting for some reason or other.
‘Happy End’ (the name was in English) was one of Weill’s early German collaborations with Brecht.
Happy End
- Slava
- Great Grand Panjandrum
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Re: Happy End
I'm quite sure there are many such stories of people Anglicizing or even Americanizing their names. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a Lotte would be called Lotty. My grandmother was renamed Bernice when she came over. She was born Bronisłava.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
Re: Happy End
You’ve reminded me . . . ‘Disney’ is the anglicized version of ‘D’Igney’.
That or something quite similar.
Can’t find anything online, but I’m quite sure this is mentioned at the Disney Museum here in San Francisco.
That or something quite similar.
Can’t find anything online, but I’m quite sure this is mentioned at the Disney Museum here in San Francisco.
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