Liedermacher

Liedermacher is the German tradition of the singer-songwriter: performers who write, compose and accompany their own songs, with the literary quality and political content of the text taking precedence. Rooted in cabaret, chansons and the folk revival, it was established in the 1960s by *Franz Josef Degenhardt*, *Wolf Biermann*, *Hannes Wader* and *Reinhard Mey*, whose albums combined guitar or piano accompaniment with satire, protest and narrative balladry. The West German Liedermacher addressed the Nazi past, the student movement and everyday class relations; their East German counterparts, including Biermann before his expatriation, worked under state scrutiny.