German Choirs of Fredericksburg, TX

We are working hard getting ready for this year's Sängerfest. 

 "What A Friend We Have in Jesus", translated into German by A. Flamman ( "Welch ein treuer Freund ist Jesus ), is part of the Choirs' repertoire. The post we share, brings information about the hymn lyrics' author. Did you know it all? 𝅘𝅥𝅮 Joseph Medicott Scriven , a poet and the author of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", was born in Ireland (in 1819). The man planned a military career, but his poor health made him quit his studies at a military college. In 1844, Joseph's fiancee drowned (in an accident) on the day before their wedding. In the same year, Scriven moved to Ontario, Canada, where he worked as a teacher at a private school and was also a preacher. In 1860, the man was to be married again. It did not happen, though as his fiancee died of pneumonia. After that, Scriven did odd/temporary jobs only. As an active member of Plymouth Brethren , he tried to live his life following the Sermon on the Mountain as well as he could.  J. M. Scriven...

✧ Arion Men's Choir was founded in 1908. At the beginning its seat was at Palo Alto Creek. Arion also had a mixed choir - its members were ladies (wives and daughters) of the Arion singers. Clipping source: Dietel, William. The Radio Post (Fredericksburg, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, August 30, 1935 , newspaper , August 30, 1935; Fredericksburg, Texas . ( https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1510164/ : accessed June 7, 2024 ), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu ; crediting Gillespie County Historical Society . ✧ Hermannsons Mixed Choir (Hermannsöhne Gemischter Chor) came into being in 1934.  In May 1935, Arion Men's Choir hosted the annual Gillespie County S ä ngerfest. The ladies of the Arion Mixed Choir assisted the men in organizing and preparing the celebrations. Clipping source: Source:  Di...

 On September 28, the German Choirs of Fredericksburg host the annual Sängerfest (Singers' Festival). In relation to that, we are going to post some history-related notes regarding the Texanisher Gebirgs Sängerbund (Texas State Association of German singing societies), past Sängerfest events, and German Choirs of Fredericksburg, Texas. 𝅘𝅥𝅯 The first post of the series is dedicated to "Concordia" , one of the oldest (non-church related) choirs (the first men's choir) of Fredericksburg, Texas. The Men's Chorus "Concordia" was organized on November 30, 1880. Its first officers were: President: Ed. Maier, Secretary: Robert Fresenius, Secretary: Treasurer: F. Koeppen, Director: Julius Hansen  March 18, 1881 - "Concordia" had 13 members. On that day, the choir became part of the Texas Choral Society. "Concordia" was the host of  Sängerfest (Singers' Festival) in 1882, 1890, and 1895.  Clipping source: Hanschke, Robert. Freie Presse ...

 Our Maifest took place on May 05. The Choirs did enjoy meeting with the guests who attended the event. Hopefully, they all had at least as much fun as we did. Thank you guys for your support!  ♪ One of our newer pieces: "Im Wald und auf der Heide"  - a German folk and hunting song.  Text: Wilhelm Bornemann Music based on folk tune: Ferdinand Ludwig Gehricke More videos from the fest - soon.

We are getting closer and closer to our 2024 Maifest concert/event, the time with Gemütlichkeit and German songs! The Choirs are very busy with mastering songs for the May concert.

 Our final 2023 performance was the Caroling event at the Heritage Retirement Center. It was followed by the Choir's annual Christmas gathering. See you next year!

 On December 15, the Choirs took the Christmas cheer to Knopp Retirement Center.    The Choirs also sang German Carols at the Golden Hub Community Center. We met Mr. and Mrs. Santa there!

December is the annual caroling time. The Choirs are going to sing German Christmas carols at three places. December 15 11 am - Knopp I (Healthcare & Rehab.), 11: 45 am - Golden Hub. December 21 6 pm - Heritage Assisted Living

Our words of appreciation to the guests who visited with the Choirs and listened to our songs at the annual Herbfest event. Special kudos to all of you who were able to accompany us until the very end of the fest. The videos with our Herbfest songs are available on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.