Sing Out! magazine had an article entitled, "Folk Music in Germany, The Replenished Wellspring" in the Winter 1997 issue (Vol. 42, No. 3), and an article entitled, "Alde Deitsche Lieder; The Pensylvania German Folk Music Tradition," in the May/June/July 1997 issue (Vol. 42, No. 1). Back issues can be ordered here.

In the first article the author, Ken Hunt, states (perhaps optimistically, given the thoughts of those above?), "Today, Germany is no longer burdened with the perception that its 'lost tradition' is the goose of propaganda force-feeding or, at the other extreme, the lamb of politicla malnourishment. German folk music has broken free of its association with state politics." He recommends Tanz&FolkFeset Rudolstadt in early July, and its cds produced each year. There's a long list of recommended recordings at the end of the article,and contact info for numerous groups.

Tthe second article focuses on the dying Pennsylvania German dialect (and associated music) and folks who are working to preserve it. A few small festivals are mentioned, and a few cassettes listed.

(I've got no particular expertise in either area, but the thread caught my eye because of my mother's Pennsylvania German family connections, and I remembered seeing these articles. Hope they're of use.)

~ Becky in Tucson, Arizona