Angela Merkel, Germany's New Chancellor, Sends 'Heart-Felt Thanks' to American Composer, Jennifer McDowell

Angela Merkel, Germany's New Chancellor, Sends 'Heart-Felt Thanks' to American Composer, Jennifer McDowell

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- If you ask popular-music composer, Dr. Jennifer McDowell, whether having women in high office makes a difference, she will answer "Absolutely!"

Germany's first woman chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel, was in the midst of a hair-raising battle for Germany's top spot, fighting off Party barons determined to sink this upstart female from East Germany, when she received a warm letter of support from McDowell in Dec. 2004, enclosing words and music for the opening song in her musical revue, "The Burkas' Can-Can."

This song, "Multiculturalism Died of Despair," makes fun of mindless multiculturalism while defending women's human rights and indicting anti- Semitism, issues close to Merkel's heart. McDowell was deeply touched by Merkel's speeches insisting on equal rights for Germany's Islamic women, and for an end to anti-Semitism, so she wrote her a letter of appreciation.

When on Feb. 1, 2005, Merkel answered McDowell with a letter of "heart- felt thanks" for her support, saying, "[Women's] human rights will stand at the very top of my agenda." She made a good friend in America.

Excerpts from McDowell's song are: "Multiculturalism, women's rights/ Are far apart like day and night/ Bride burning, honor killings, violence at home/ Things like this turn hearts to stone. You have to choose, you have to choose, you have to choose, choose, choose." Also "It is fashionable to say today 'Anti-Semitism's cool/ The Middle East grows it in the schools/ But East or West cruel is cruel."

This song compares favorably with John Lennon's "Woman Is the Nigger of the World."

Highlights of the gender prejudice Merkel experienced in her campaign include Frank Schwemmer's opera "Angela," with Michael Frowen's libretto, in which an eight-voice choir sweeps Merkel back into the kitchen to make plum cake, crooning she "can't make it [become chancellor]. She'll never be able to now." Famous last words.

Like Sandra Day O'Connor, McDowell believes women must hold positions of authority throughout society. In O'Connor's words, "citizens can have more confidence...in...government[s] that [have] representatives of both sexes." Having the brilliant, idealistic Merkel in the top office of the world's third most powerful country is a breath of fresh air, and an asset for Germany and the world's women.

McDowell's multiculturalism song is part of an award-winning project McDowell wrote titled "She, a Tapestry of Women's Lives." This powerful celebration of women has an 18-song, multi-genre CD released by Abbie & Dolley Records. The project has eight musical revues with 37 songs.

CD singers include Pamela Polland, Barbara Lymberis, Teresa Baker, Georgann Gaines, JoAnn Koobatian, and Mark Purcell. David Dumont, known as "Mr. Piano," plays in several songs including "Cinderella with a Ph.D."

"She's" revue "The Burkas' Can-Can" sizzles with "Airplane I and II"-type humor as an honest Muslim woman turns her upside-down world right-side up by calling for reforms East and West.

In another "She" revue, "Four Young Women of Valor," the Pearly Gates Judge, Barbara Jordan, asks Arlen Specter and Alan Simpson why they preferred America's son, Clarence Thomas, over America's daughter, Anita Hill. Monica Lewinsky notes that the media defended America's erring son, Bill Clinton, but humiliated America's daughter.

"She's" CD and revues received an award from the Calif. State University - ERFA Foundation.

Janet Gray Hayes, the first woman mayor of a major U.S. City, San Jose, said "She's" songs are "original, unique, timely." Anne C. Kjelling of The Nobel Institute commented "She" is "impressive" and "enjoyable." Rita Skillman, AAUW official, said "She" is "thought-provoking and remarkably brilliant."

Stanford University's Debra Gore-Mann, Assoc. Athletics Director, Title IX defender, supports "She's" women's sports songs. McDowell has written 18 altogether, the first and only collection of women's sports songs ever made.

Dr. McDowell is listed in "Who's Who in America," and profiled in "The Gifts of Music" along with Whoopie Goldberg, Judy Collins and Yo-Yo Ma. Her next book is "Jousting with the Russians Over Stalin's Secrets."

Abbie & Dolley Records is the only record company with music collected by both The Smithsonian and The Nobel Institute.

For further information, and photos, go online to the homepage of http://www.abbieanddolleyrecords.com/ .

Contact:
Margaret Loventhal, Ph.D.
408.251.6775

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.

Source: Abbie & Dolley Records

CONTACT: Margaret Loventhal, Ph.D., for Abbie & Dolley Records,
+1-408-251-6775

Web site: http://www.abbieanddolleyrecords.com/

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