Gerhard Schnitter

Gerhard Schnitter (born October 30, 1939 in Obercunnersdorf ) is a German musician , choir director and music producer. He is considered one of the most versatile composers of the New Spiritual Song as well as Christian pop music in Germany.

Gerhard Schnitter on December 6, 2013 in Simmersbach

Life

At the age of 17, Schnitter first passed the skilled worker examination as a carpenter , but then applied for a place at the Dresden Music Academy , but did not pass the entrance examination. In 1956 he was accepted at the Herford College of Church Music ; In 1958 he switched to piano studies at the Stuttgart State University of Music , where he later also taught.

In the 1960s he took part in the Moral Armament Movement (MRA) and in this context traveled around the world, including to India, to see a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi .

At the Whitsun youth meeting of the deaconess mother house in Aidlingen he led the choir for many years. To have found the Christian faith there, committed him to the deaconess mother house.

From 1980 to 1995 he headed the music department of Evangeliums-Rundfunks in Wetzlar, where he took over the ERF studio choir from Johannes Nitsch , with whom he sang songs for radio broadcasts. He went on concert tours with the choir, including to the USA and the former Soviet Union. During this time his first musicals were created, such as B. Adam & Co and The Finale .

For many years, Schnitter worked as a lecturer and music producer at Hänssler Verlag . In 1996 he founded the Time to Sing choir in Stuttgart , with which he still gives concerts today. At the end of the nineties he then founded Das Solistenensemble , which recorded mainly chorals and classical choral works in the studio. Schnitter is the editor of the song book Celebrations and Praises .

In retirement in 2006 he began musical activities in Asunción , the capital of Paraguay , where he lived for two years with his wife and youngest daughter Rahel. He worked there as a choirmaster in the German-speaking Mennonite congregation “Concordia”, which has around 400 members . This is also where his latest play, The Christmas Wonder , a scenic “Christmas CHORatorium”, was created .

In addition to musicals and plays ( Nah dran , Mar (r) yland , WeihnachtsPoPratorium , WeihnachtsCHORatorium ), he has been composing settings for annual slogans and songs in the style of modern Christian church songs for many years . Gerhard Schnitter's most famous songs include Big is your name , Jesus, after you, because you call You are our confidence and you are giving life that is really worthwhile .

Gerhard Schnitter lives with his wife Elisabeth near Tübingen . They have four children, two of whom are also musicians.

Discography

ERF studio choir and Time to Sing

year	title	subtitle	Artist	Label
1981	Joy in singing 1		ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1982	Graciously grant us peace	Martin Luther as a poet and singer	Hannelore Finkbeiner ; Wolfgang Isenhardt ; Wilhelm Pomerania ; ERF studio choir	S&G
1982	Joy in singing 2		ERF studio choir; Wetzlar Youth Choir ; Aidlingen youth choir ; Jubilate Choir ; Gospel Choir Stuttgart ; Community choir Rechtenbach; Joint choir Ulmtal-Allendorf	ERF publishing house
1983	You are our confidence	The most beautiful songs by Gerhard Schnitter	Aleksandra Sudzilovsky ; Yukio Imanaka ; ERF studio choir	Hänssler Music
1983	Joy in singing 3		ERF studio choir; We-sing-for-Jesus-Choir ; Jubilate Choir; Wetzlar Youth Choir; Youth Choir of FeG Siegen; Choir of the Christian Bakers' Association Stuttgart; Ulmtal-Allendorf community choir; Leun youth group	ERF publishing house
1984	Joy in singing 4		ERF studio choir; Youth Choir of the FeG Hannover; Mixed choir of FeG Giessen; Nineveh ; Youth choir Rechtenbach; FeG deer choir; Wetzlar Youth Choir	ERF publishing house
1985	Joy in singing 5		ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1986	Your word, my song	Bible words set to music	Aleksandra Sudzilovsky ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1986	Joy in singing 6		ERF studio choir; Aidlingen youth choir; Choir of the Evangelical Singers Association	ERF publishing house
1987	Joy in singing 7		ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1988	joy	ERF singing tour	Christine Plößer ; Edmundo Lemaitre ; ERF singing tour choir	ERF publishing house
19 ??	Through all times	Youth choir songs	Edmundo Lemaitre ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
19 ??	Paul Gerhardt songs		Hannelore Finkbeiner ; Eddie Gauntt ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1988	Joy in singing 8		ERF studio choir; Leun Children's Choir ; Aidlingen youth choir	ERF publishing house
198?	The joy of Christmas		Yukio Imanaka ; Eddie Gauntt ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1990	Kate Walter songs		Hannelore Finkbeiner ; Joachim Duske ; ERF studio choir	ERF media
1990	A star is rising	Christmas carols for the whole family	Christine Plößer ; Leun Children's Choir ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1991	Adam and Co.	musical	ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1994	Come on, sing with joy	Mosaic songs of the Jesus Brotherhood Gnadenthal	ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1994	Popular chorales		Joachim Duske ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1994	Evening songs		James Doing ; Matthias Mäder ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1994	Wish songs 1		Hannelore Finkbeiner ; James Doing ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1995	Wish songs 2		Hannelore Finkbeiner ; James Doing ; ERF studio choir	ERF publishing house
1995	Singing Around The World	ERF Choir Tour	Edmundo Lemaitre ; ERF singing tour choir	ERF publishing house
1995	Now, please ... sing along		Heidi Bieber ; Matthias Mäder ; ERF studio choir	Hänssler Music ERF-Verlag
1996	Listen, sing along		Heidi Bieber ; Manfred Siebald ; ERF studio choir	Hänssler Music
1996	Light in the dark	Christmas (p) o (p) ratorium	Heidi Bieber ; Andy Volz ; Michael Fajgel ; Hauke ​​Hartmann ; Time to sing ; ERF studio choir	Hänssler Music
1997	The final	musical	Heiko Bräuning ; ERF studio choir; Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
1997	Be there - sing along	Pro Christ 1997	Heiko Bräuning ; Lutz Scheufler ; Andreas Volz ; Pro-Christ-Choir Nuremberg	Hänssler Music
1997	The sky is open	Christmas carols by Peter Strauch	Heidi Bieber ; Frieder Jost ; Hauke ​​Hartmann ; Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
1998	Let The Praise Begin	CD for the songbook Sings the song of songs 4	Time to sing ; Christians At Work ; The bridge builders ; The water carriers ; I point ; Mark C	Hänssler Music
1998	Let The Praise Begin 2	CD for the songbook Sings the song of songs 4	Time to sing ; ERF studio choir ; Hüttenberg youth choir ; Christians At Work ; The bridge builders ; Mark C	Hänssler Music
1999	God is there!	Pro Christ 2000	Pro-Christ Choir 2000	Hänssler Music
2000	Mar (r) yland	Or: to the end of the world. musical	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2000	Breathe hope	New choir songs	Daniela Jooß-Kesselmeyer ; Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2003	Sing a song from God	Celebrate and Praise 1	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2003	Christmas joy	Celebrate and praise 2	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2004	That he is alive	Celebrate and Praise 3	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2004	Refuge and Strength	Celebrate and Praise 4	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2004	Close	The new songs	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music
2009	Always Jesus	New songs of hope	The eight	Hänssler Music
2009	The Christmas miracle	Songs and choirs from the Christmas choratorium	Time to Sing	Hänssler Music

The soloist ensemble

The soloist ensemble , made up of singers such as Hannelore Finkbeiner , Daniela Jooß-Kesselmeyer and Joachim Duske , regularly gathered Gerhard Schnitter from 1999 to record classical chorales and sacred songs , mostly a cappella .

year	title	subtitle	Artist	publishing company
1999	Carried on eagle's wings	Songs of salvation and faith	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2000	You command your ways	The most beautiful songs by Paul Gerhardt	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2001	I have had mercy	The most beautiful songs by Philipp Friedrich Hiller	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2002	God is present	The most beautiful songs by Gerhard Tersteegen	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2002	Heart and heart united together	The most beautiful songs by Nikolaus Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2003	Yes, I want to carry you	The most beautiful songs by Jochen Klepper and his contemporaries	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2004	Bright and clear in the sky	The most beautiful songs by Mathias Claudius and his contemporaries	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2004	From the sky above	The most beautiful Christmas chorels	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2005	Praise the lord	The most beautiful praise songs and chorales	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2005	Open the door	Songs for Advent	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2006	Oh head, full of blood and wounds	Songs for the Passion	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2006	God will carry you	Faith and comfort songs	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2007	Christ is risen	Songs for Easter	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music
2015	What God does is well done	14 encouraging chorales	The soloist ensemble	Hänssler Music

Tribute album

The American arranger and music producer Tom Keene , in collaboration with Klaus Heizmann, published an instrumental series with songs by well-known German Christian composers . In addition to Margret Birkenfeld , Peter Strauch , Manfred Siebald and Siegfried Fietz , an episode was also dedicated to the most successful songs by Gerhard Schnitter.

year	title	Artist	publishing company
1996	joy	Tom Keene	S&G

Works

Musicals / scenic pieces

• Father Ballad / The Story of the Father (1987)
• Adam & Co (1990)
• The Finale (1995)
• Christmas POPratorium - Light in the Dark (1996)
• Mar (r) yland ... or until the end of the world (2000)
• Close Up (2005)
• The Christmas miracle. A scenic Christmas CHORatorium (2007)

Songs

Gerhard Schnitter wrote many songs with Christian content, many of them in song books such as Celebrate Jesus! or I want to thank you! are printed.
His setting Lord, teach us that we must die has also found its way into the praise of God (No. 508). His most famous songs include:

• Your name is great
• You give life
• You are our confidence
• Jesus follow you because you are calling
• But the Lord is still greater
• Shalom, shalom, the Lord bless us

He also set several annual solutions to music .

literature

• Gerhard Schnitter: You give life that is really worthwhile. SCM Hänssler at SCM-Verlag , Holzgerlingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-7751-5283-9 (autobiography)
• Hans Steinacker (Ed.): My story with God: 30 experiences. SCM Hänssler in SCM-Verlag , Holzgerlingen 2000, ISBN 3-7751-3489-1 (Gerhard Schnitter as one of 30 personalities of Christian public life about his conversion to the personal Christian faith)

Web links

• Literature by and about Gerhard Schnitter in the catalog of the German National Library
• Works by and about Gerhard Schnitter  in the German Digital Library
• Official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gerhard Schnitter: Sing - a new song! Ed .: Evangelical news agency idea eV Wetzlar 2011, p. 20 (edition: ideaSpektrum 4/2011).
2. ↑ http://www.weltbild.de/3/16577984-1/buch/du-gibst-das-leben.html#produktbeschreibung
3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from August 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.