Franz Xaver Reihing

Franz Xaver Reihing (* in Rottenburg am Neckar on November 17, 1804 , † in Schmiechen near Schelklingen on June 2, 1888 ) was a Catholic pastor, parish chronicler and composer of church music

Origin and education

Franz Xaver Reihing was a son of the furrier Jakob Reihing and his wife Katharina Ruckgaber (Rukgaber, Ruggaber), a farmer's daughter, in Rottenburg aN Reihing was the first child and was born before the parents' marriage in 1811.

He showed his love for music early on. In 1817 at the age of 13 he wrote a "singing foundation". His "piano exercises" are dated to 1821 (at the age of 17). He was probably given piano or organ music lessons at an early age. Reihing was a choirboy at Rottenburg Cathedral until 1819.

Reihing was privately taught Latin for two years before moving to high schools in Ellwangen (Jagst) and later in Rottweil . In autumn 1824 he was accepted into the Tübingen Wilhelmsstift to study theology. In Tübingen he attended lectures by Johann Sebastian von Drey , Johann Baptist von Hirscher , Johann Georg Herbst , Johann Adam Möhler and Andreas Benedict Feilmoser, among others .

In 1829 he left the university and attended the seminary in Rottenburg aN, where he was ordained a priest on September 20, 1830. On March 12, 1833, he was certified by the legal examination for church service.

Professional background

His first job was that of a vicar in Christazhofen near Wangen im Allgäu from October 6, 1830 to December 15, 1832. He was then pastor in Altheim near Horb until June 7, 1833. He then represented the vacant parish in Urlau near Leutkirch in Allgäu . From there he applied for the newly established Bavendorf parish , which was not approved. Until 1836 he represented the orphaned parish in Leutkirch in the Allgäu . The Württemberg king finally granted Reihing his first parish as the local pastor of Schmiechen on November 16, 1836 On the evening of December 21, 1836, Reihing "arrived here (= Schmiechen) in silence".

Schmiechen had about 330 inhabitants in 1836 and the parish was endowed with an annual income of 640 guilders. Reihing had apparently decided to put his musical plans into action in Schmiechen. As early as 1837, he applied for funds for a new organ, which was installed in autumn 1837. His goal was to found a church choir: the recruitment and training of singers in normal school lessons took time, and a conductor could not be found until 1848.

Reihing had a lot of contact with Adolf Kaim , who took private music lessons from him. Reihing was friends with the Blaubeurer chief magistrate Wilhelm Dodel (lawyer) . Reihing enabled the later Father Maximilian Kneer (1864–1934) to study theology.

In addition to church music, Reihing was also interested in history, although he did not write any published treatises, he kept the parish chronicle very detailed, which today is an important source of historical events in Schmiechen in the 19th century.

The inclusion of "unserved" family members in the household of a local Catholic pastor was common practice. Reihing took two single sisters into his household in Schmiechen: first Sophie , born (in Rottenburg aN?) On April 3, 1818 (calculated), † in Schmiechen on April 6, 1860. The second sister Katharina acted as his housekeeper and survived her older brother and administered the estate.

It can be seen as a curiosity that Reihing experienced three generations of the Hirschwirt family Kneer as altar servers in his 52 years of service as pastor in Schmiechen: for example the grandfather Medard Vitus (1824-1910), mayor, his son Andreas, also Hirschwirt (1849-1901 ) and his grandson Franz Xaver (1875–1910).

Reihing died at the age of 84.

Composer of hymns

As vicar in Christazhofen, he wrote an article on the relationship between music and religion, which received a lot of attention (see works). Already at this point he asked for a diocesan hymn book, which he was to be commissioned with by Bishop Josef von Lipp in 1859 . The "Catholic hymn book (...) in the Diocese of Rottenburg (...)" was published in 1865.

Reihening's passion was the composition of hymns for church music. He dedicated himself to this task during his 52-year tenure in Schmiechen. This work resulted in a large number of partly printed (see works), partly unprinted musical works.

Honors

• Awarded the Royal Order of Frederick I Class on the occasion of his 50th jubilee as a priest on December 21, 1886
• Naming of a street in Schmiechen to the "Reihingweg"

Works

• What is the relationship between the fine arts, painting, music, poetry, etc., to religion, and how should the clergyman use them to represent, awaken and strengthen the spirit of religion through them. In: Church papers for the Diocese of Rottenburg , ed. by Lorenz Lang 1834, pp. 243-266.
• Together with J. Storr (model teacher in Rottweil) and Johann Baptist Braun (teacher and organist in Schramberg), invitation to an association for the promotion of church music in general, especially church singing and organ playing: [Manifold]. In: Magazine for pedagogy and didactics: Catholic quarterly for public education and public instruction . Stuttgart: Expedition of the magazine for pedagogy; Ulm: Ebner, Vol. 4 (1839), Issue 4, pp. 158-165. [1]
• Together with J. Storr (model teacher in Rottweil) and Johann Baptist Braun (teacher and organist in Schramberg), invitation to an association for the promotion of church music in general, especially church singing and organ playing. In: Freimüthige Blätter über Theologie und Kirchenthum , ed. by Benedict Alois Pflanz, born 1839, issue 4, pp. 470–478.
• (Ed.) Cantilenae chorales quae in sacro sancto missae sacrificio celebrando cantari solent . Ehingae ad Danubium (Ehingen an der Donau): Feger, 1840. 35 pp.
• (Ed.) The chorales of the Holy Mass with organ accompaniment: namely: 11 solenne praefationen, 1 pater noster, 11 ite missa est and four-part Latin and German responsories. 2nd ed. Ehingen ad D .: Feger, [1840]. 35 pp.
• Devotions at the working parish and student mass. 2nd edition Ehingen a. D., 1844.
• Speech at the inauguration of the new cemetery in Gross-Eislingen on the All Saints Festival in 1847 . Wissensteig (= Wiesensteig), 1848.
• Franz Xaver Reihing (arr.); Association for Catholic Church Music (publisher), Cantionale chori sive or Gregorian church chants: for the office of Holy Mass and all related celebrations throughout the church year / arranged harmonically for organ by Franz Xaver Reihing. Edited by the Association for Catholic Church Music. Gmünd: Verlag zum Mozart, 1855. 206 pages: mostly sheet music.
• Processionale, or manual for processions, supplications and funerals for clergy and choristers . Ehingen a. D .: Feger, 1856. VI, 134 S .: sheet music example.
• Cantionale chori sive compendium gradualis romani: complectens selectos cantus gregoriani modulos ad sacrum missae officium, benedictiones solemnes aliasque ceremonias per totius anni ecclesiastici circulum occurrentes / selegit et disposuit Franciscus Xaverius Reihing . Stuttgartiae: Metzler, 1856. 131 p .: mainly notes.
• Vespers, or the vespers on Sundays and feast days throughout the church year: a manual for organists and choristers / arranged and harmoniously edited. by Ms. Xaver Reihing . Tübingen: Laupp, 1858. VIII, 232 S .: Notes.

literature

• Robert Bollow (1985), Life and Work of the Schmiechener Pastor Franz Xaver Reihing. Church musician and chronicler (1804–1888) . Schelklingen: City Archives (Schelklinger Hefte, No. 9).

• Robert Bollow (1991), The local chaplains of St. Vitus, Schmiechen . Schelklingen: City Archives (Schelklinger Hefte, No. 17).

Individual evidence

1. ^ The University Archives of Tübingen, where he was registered in November 1824, does not keep any student files from Reihing.
2. ^ Government gazette of the Kingdom of Württemberg of November 23, 1836.
3. ↑ Bollow 1985.
4. ↑ Listed by Bollow 1985.

Web links

• Robert Eitner:  Reihing, Franz Xaver . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 27, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, p. 697 f.