Christian Blattl the Younger

Christian Blattl the Younger (born February 18, 1805 in Fieberbrunn , † December 20, 1865 in St. Johann in Tirol ) was an Austrian folk songwriter and farmer.

Christian Blattl the Younger

Life

Christian Blattl was the son of the rifle captain and Tyrolean freedom fighter Christian Blattl (1776-1856). He was born on February 18, 1805 on the Rain farm in Fieberbrunn. In 1841 his father gave him the name of the Wilhelmstätt farm in St. Johann in Tirol, which he managed until his death. He achieved fame throughout the region as a folk song writer and singer.

In 1844 he married Barbara Lackner and from this marriage there were 10 children: Maria, born in 1845, married Trixl in St. Georgen im Pinzgau. Josef, born in 1848, lived in Hessen , where he spread his father's songs. Anton, born in 1849, lived with brother Georg in Saalfelden. Barbara, born in 1851, married Brunner in Ausserfelden near Bischofshofen . Johann, born in 1854, landlord in Durchholzen am Walchsee. Elisabeth, born in 1856, called "s' blind Lisei." Gertraud, born in 1858, married Wörgetter, an Oid farmer in St. Johann in Tirol. Georg, born in 1860, brewery owner in Saalfelden .

The folk song writer

Memorial stone for Christian Blattl the Younger and his wife Barbara in St. Johann in Tirol

About Christian Blattls How to Make Songs reported Josef Felder, an excellent yodel was known far and wide and aphid long time as a Swiss , had worked that Christian aphid had forged his songs while he was the cows being milked. Daughter Lisei said that Blattl mainly wrote poetry while working outdoors, for example chopping wood. If he came up with a passage or a rhyme, he put the pick aside and wrote it down.

All children have sung their father's songs with him since they were very young. After his death in 1865 other chants found their way into the family, but the father's sister, Magdalena, insisted on maintaining his songs, and so she practiced and sang with the children so that the musical tradition in the Blattl family was carried on has been. This created the prerequisites for the later publication of a book with the songs of Christian Blattl.

The eighth child Elisabeth, called "'s blind Lisei", who probably had a particularly strong musical and textual memory due to her blindness, has kept her father's songs since she was a child and, as the lead singer, was diligent in the creation of the book with the songs of Christian Blattl contributed.

Publication of the songbook

The book with the songs by Christian Blattl

Christian Blattl had written down the lyrics of his songs, but these notes were already lost during his lifetime.

At the end of the 19th century, the youngest son, Georg Blattl, Bräuwirt in Saalfelden, decided that the father's songs had to be written down in order to preserve them for posterity. They therefore turned to the editor of the magazine Das deutsche Volkslied and founder of the Austrian Folk Song Works , Government Councilor Dr. Josef Pommer .

In just three days, from February 10 to 12, 1909, Pommer wrote down all of the Blattl songs and the book "Blattl-Lieder nach Wort und Weise", written by the Tyrolean peasant poet Christian Blattl (1805-1865), was published in July 1910 in Publishing by Georg Blattl, brewery owner in Saalfelden. Through this printed work 73 songs with text and notes including detailed explanations of the individual songs have been preserved to this day.

aftermath

Inspired by the book with the Blattl songs, the Musik Kultur St. Johann Association organized a culture festival in autumn 1998 under the title “Time Machine”. Songs by Christian Blattl were performed by the Saalfeldener Viergsang and the men's choir St. Johann in Tirol. In contrast, as a leap in time, works by the Upper Austrian composer Max Nagl were also heard at this event . Nagl had taken some Blattl songs as a template and transformed them into new musical concepts. These compositions were performed by Max Nagl's band and a specially assembled vocal ensemble from St. Johann under the name “The Seinehonsingers.” In the course of this cultural project, which was an attempted bridge between tradition and avant-garde, between the tried and tested, the preserved and the experimental, was also released a CD of the live recording of the concert.

literature

• Josef Pommer: Blattl songs by word and wise written by the Tyrolean peasant poet Christian Blattl * 1805 † 1865. Saalfelden 1910.
• The freedom fighter and the songwriter. In: Articles about local history by the Museum and Culture Association Sankt Johann in Tirol, No. 16, spring 2011 ( Online ; PDF; 882 KB)