This article reconstructs the history of the famous anecdote about the battle at Langemarck, where German youth allegedly sang “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles” as they hurled themselves against British soldiers, bayonet in hand. Variants, including in poetry and other creative genres, helped to shape a public discourse about bravery. I also reconstruct the discourse on music and war in music journals and daily newspapers, suggesting possible influences on the German High Command, where the anecdote originated. The musical establishment initially ignored this lore—so remote was music in the concert hall from community music-making, including on the battlefield. Yet the enormous weight given to propaganda efforts eventually led musicians to write about and respond compositionally to the Deutschlandlied. The article concludes by examining the conflicting political meanings of the Langemarck anecdote in the decades after World War I.

本文重述了关于兰格马克战役的著名轶事的历史，据称德国青年在他们手中对着刺刀的英军士兵投掷歌唱“ Deutschland，Deutschlandüberalles”。包括诗歌和其他创造性体裁在内的各种变体有助于塑造关于英勇的公众话语。我还在音乐期刊和日报上重新构建了关于音乐和战争的论述，暗示了对轶事起源的德国高级指挥部的可能影响。音乐机构最初忽略了这一传闻，因此音乐厅中的音乐与社区音乐创作（包括在战场上）相距遥远。然而，由于宣传工作的巨大分量，最终导致音乐家撰写了有关德国的唱片，并对它们做出了反应。