German Choirs of Fredericksburg, TX

 "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...

Another song from Maifest - performed by Arion Männerchor.   "I trink jetzt kan Schnaps mehr"   Studying the song lyrics, you may notice that the German language used in it is a bit different from the language version you might have learned at school. We wanted to know more about it and here it is what we have found out. The lyrics are written in a regional Carinthian dialect spoken in Carinthia (Eastern Alps), Austria.  𝅘𝅥𝅮 The music was created by Gretl Komposch (Margaretha Maria Elisabeth Komposch née Höfferer), an Austrian composer and choir director. She was born on February 22, 1923 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. When Margaretha was a little baby, her family moved to Arnoldstein/Carinthia, Austria. The lady studied at Villach Conservatory and also received musical training from Ferdinand Grossmann and Hans Gillesberger. Gretl Komposch founded several singing societies, including Grenzlandchor Arnoldstein and Die Junggebleiben choir. In the 1970s, G. Komposch collab...

 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 ...

  March 8th, 2024 We were honored to be part of the celebrations marking the 175th anniversary of Fort Martin Scott .   As you can here in the recordings, it was a very windy evening.   After the event, the Choirs' received this kind thank you note: "Please pass along our thanks to everyone in the choirs who were part of this afternoon's ceremony and this evening's concert.  They did a tremendous job.  We always enjoy hearing the German choirs, as it reminds us of the lovely years we spent in Germany.  Your concert prior to the start of the ceremony itself helped tie the fort to the local community that was established here by the time the soldiers arrived.  And your rendition of the German anthem at the beginning of the Army Band's concert was a great reminder that those German settlers still cherished their own heritage. Thank you, in particular, for facilitating the participation of the choirs.  Without your help, this probably wouldn't have h...