Abstract will be posted shortly.

With a background in both music and history, Bethan Winter’s research is interdisciplinary in nature, focusing on music and politics in the German Democratic Republic and, more specifically, on the appropriation of the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her work explores the ways in which the East German Bachbild overlapped with various policy concerns including the legitimisation of the new communist government, foreign policy and international relations, education, tourism, and music composition. A concurrent project for a forthcoming publication explores the soundscapes of socialism in 1950s East Berlin. Whilst completing her doctorate, Bethan currently works as a lecturer in Modern European History at Magdalen College.