Gregor Schwake

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Gregor Schwake OSB (real name: Theodor Schwake) (born April 15, 1892 in Emmerich ; † June 13, 1967 in Billerbeck ( Gerleve Abbey )) was a Benedictine , Catholic priest , church musician ("Apostle of the People's Choir"), composer, Poet and a staunch opponent of National Socialism .

Life

Theodor Schwake grew up in his family in his hometown. There he attended elementary school, then high school, where he passed his Abitur in March 1911. One of his fellow high school graduates was Adolf von Hatzfeld .

Benedictine

At Easter 1911 Theodor Schwake entered the Benedictine order in Gerleve Abbey ; on September 8, 1912 he made his profession and from then on bore the religious name Gregor. In the summer of 1911 he began his philosophical and theological studies at the Benedictine religious schools in Maria Laach and Gerleve. On July 25, 1917, he was ordained a priest in Gerleve Abbey .

From 1917 to 1920 he was trained in church music (among others with Schlüter in Coesfeld, Nather in Switzerland, Friedrich Wilhelm Franke and August von Othegraven ). From December 1920, Schwake completed his musicological studies with Fritz Volbach (1861–1940) at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster . In October 1923 he submitted his dissertation on the organ builder Jacob Courtain and his work, and on January 3, 1924, he received his doctorate. After completing his musical training, Father Schwake took on the role of organist at Gerleve Abbey.

Church musician

Since 1924, Father Schwake has devoted himself in particular to the further training of church musicians, always combined with spiritual education through retreats . "Much of what the recent liturgical renewal has brought us ... was groundbreaking for Father Gregory." In 1929 he published an introduction to the celebration of St. Mass: People's High Mass in basic liturgical form ; more than 1 million copies of this issue have been sold. In the same year he began to hold “Folk Weeks for Liturgy and Church Music”, commonly referred to as Choral Weeks or Folk Choral ; he himself preferred to speak of “religious weeks” or “liturgical weeks”. "Singing is not the last goal of the weeks, but rather to get closer to the Eucharist with the help of singing ." From 1932 he also held it in Switzerland and in 1933 in Austria. In March 1935 he received an audience with Pope Pius XI. on the state of liturgical renewal. In 1937/1938 he gave folk liturgical courses in Yugoslavia. At times he taught church music in Frankfurt am Main. From 1930 to 1939 he published the magazine Liturgie und Kirchenmusik .

Persecution by National Socialism

On July 13, 1941, the Benedictine convent was expelled from Gerleve Abbey as part of the National Socialist monastery tower. While he was giving a choral course in Linz , Father Gregor was arrested by the Gestapo on October 6, 1943 and initially imprisoned in the local police prison. In the protective arrest warrant of the Berlin State Police of December 18, 1943, signed by Gestapo chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner , the reasons given for arrest were "that as a clergyman he incites openly and covertly against the state to undermine the people's trust in the government and seeks to stir up a mood against the government ”.

On January 2, 1944, Father Gregor was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp . From February 6, 1944, he took over the management of the priestly choir in the Dachau concentration camp and was the organist in the chapel in the concentration camp block 26 ( pastor block ). His Gerlever confrere and fellow prisoner from Dachau, Augustin Hessing OSB (1897–1975), succeeded in placing Father Gregor in the “Experimental Department for Natural Agriculture” so that - for Dachau conditions - he had to do comparatively easier work. During his imprisonment he wrote many poems and composed the Dachau Mass in September 1944 , which was premiered on September 24, 1944 in the chapel of the pastors' block, meaningfully on the feast of Mary of the Ransom of Prisoners .

After his liberation from Dachau concentration camp on April 10, 1945, Father Gregor worked as a pastor in the Ettenkirch parish near Friedrichshafen from August 29, 1945 . There he noted the memories of his imprisonment in a concentration camp under the title “Meine Dachauer Chronik”. From May 2, 1947, he lived in the Beuron Archabbey .

Musical, pedagogical and poetic work

In September 1948, Father Gregor returned to his home Abbey in Gerleve, took up the chorale apostolate again and organized numerous Low German recitals in the Münsterland and on the Lower Rhine. So he became widely known as "The Singing Father". He also founded the Gerleve singing and playing group and began studying theater performances.

Since 1949, at the urging of the Westphalian Heimatbund, he published his poems written in Westphalian dialect. The poems of his great-uncle Augustin Wibbelt had inspired him to do this . Father Gregor wrote 17 Low German plays, including “Anntrinken Emmerik” (two parts: “Annthrinken, vertell us wat”, 1952, and “Wat ut Annthrinken wuoern is”, 1953), “Liudger, Biskop van Mönster” and “Dat Christmas play van ´n Friäden "and" Sünt Nikolausbellerbok ". They were mainly performed on open-air theaters in the Lower Rhine and Westphalia region. The West German Broadcasting aired several radio plays by Gregor Schwake, u. a. at Christmas 1967 the radio play The Stolen Pastor .

Father Gregor set numerous poems by Augustin Wibbelt to music. His first Wibbelt compositions ( twelve Wibbelt songs for children's, male and mixed choirs ) were premiered in Dülmen in 1923. He also set poems by Ferdinand Zumbrock (1817-1890), Anton Aulke and his own poems as well as a Christmas play by Friedrich Castelle . He was convinced that Low German would be easier to preserve if it was sung and therefore more catchy.

In 1967, Father Gregor Schwake died in Gerleve Abbey six weeks before his golden jubilee as a priest. Radio and television spread the news of the death. Numerous fellow prisoners from Dachau attended his funeral.

Awards

Commemoration

  • October 18, 1997: Commemoration and performance of the Dachau fair, believed to be lost, in Ettenkirch
  • January 18, 1998: Performance of the Dachau Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross in Dachau
  • March 25, 2000: Performance of the Dachau fair in St. Aldegundis (Emmerich)
  • November 2, 2002: Performance of the Dachau Mass in the Church of the Holy Cross in Dachau
  • November 1, 2004: Performance of the Dachau Mass in Gerleve Abbey Church in memory of all deceased monks of Gerleve Abbey and further performances in Gerleve, most recently on January 25, 2015.
  • In the Ettenkirch district of the city of Friedrichshafen there is a Gregor-Schwake-Strasse in memory of the Benedictine monks who worked as pastors in the local Catholic parish from 1945 to 1947.

Works

Fonts (in selection)

  • Fritz Volbach's works. To the master on the 60th birthday . Regensberg, Münster 1921.
  • Organ builder Jacob Courtain. Its organ building from 1778 to 1800, its artistic importance, its personality . Dissertation, University of Münster, Münster 1923.
  • Contributions to the history of church music in Emmerich . Mensing, Emmerich 1925.
  • Folk high mass in a basic liturgical form. A supplement to every Volks-Missbuch . Laumann Publishing House, Dülmen 1929.
  • The people learn Gregorian chant. Folk choral practice . Laumann Publishing House, Dülmen 1932.
  • Choral work letter 1‒10 . Jugendhaus Verlag, Düsseldorf 1936.
  • About the status of the popular choral movement in autumn 1938 . In: Bibel und Liturgie , Vol. 13 (1938/1939), pp. 6-11.
  • People's high mass . Verlag Laumann, Dülmen 1948 (revised and expanded new edition of the 1929 publication).
  • Dat Kiärkenjaohr bi'n sick people . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1952.
  • About the design of my eight songs for home dances . In: Westfälischer Heimatkalender , vol. 7 (1953), pp. 93–95.
  • I sang with hundreds of thousands. A report on thirty years of work . In: Theodor Bogler (ed.): Church music in the present (= liturgy and monasticism. Laacher Hefte, 3rd episode, vol. 18). Maria Laach 1956, pp. 77-87.
  • Wallis to Waterkant. Singing a year . Laumann Publishing House, Dülmen 1959.
  • Marcel Albert (ed.): Monk behind barbed wire. Memories of the Dachau concentration camp . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-402-00210-8 .

Marcel Albert OSB has compiled a bibliography of the writings of his friar Gregor Schwake.

Printed compositions (selection)

  • The first twintig Schwake-Leeder . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1952 (= Westfälisches Liederblatt , issue 6).
  • De twedden-twintig nieen mönsterländsken Volksleeder. I music sett't van Gregor Schwake . Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1962.

Between 1923 and 1962 a good dozen compositions by Gregor Schwake appeared in print, most of them as choral pieces .

Audio documents

  • De stolen pastor. Christmas radio play , based on a story by Heinrich Luhmann . Text by Hermann Homann, music by Gregor Schwake. Fono Schallplattengesellschaft, Münster 1976 (record).
  • Gregor Schwake, Anton Roth: Dachauer Messe - In viam pacis, Regina Pacis - Dachau concentration camp in the summer of 1944 . City of Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen 1998, ISBN 3-89549-500-X (audio cassette).

literature

in order of appearance

  • Art. Schwake, Gregor . In: The great Herder. Volume 8: Sade - Ticino. Herder, Freiburg 1956, column 466.
  • Hermann Quistorf , Johannes Saß : Low German authors' book. Verlag der Fehrs-Gilde, Hamburg 1959, p. 175: Art. Schwake, Gregor.
  • Basilius Senger: Father Gregor Schwake 1892-1967. In: Heritage and Mission . Vol. 43 (1967), pp. 498-500.
  • Eleonore Philipp: Priest composers in the Dachau concentration camp. Musical work 1941–1945. In: Amperland, local history quarterly for the districts of Dachau, Freising and Fürstenfeldbruck. Vol. 32 (1996), pp. 242-247.
  • Hans Maria Wellen : The Benedictine monk Gregor Schwake, his meaning and his work in the liturgical choral movement of the 20th century. In: Mitteilungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rheinische Musikgeschichte eV Issue 54, December 1977, pp. 51–61.
  • Albert Tinz: P. Gregor Schwake OSB. A life for the folk chorale. In: Henricus P. Litjens, Gabriel M. Steinschulte (eds.): Divini cultus splendori. Studia musicae sacrae necnon et musico-paedagogiae. Liber festivus in honorem Joseph Lennard's doctoris cantus gregoriani honoris causa. Consociationis Internationalis Musicae Sacrae publicatio (CIMS), Rome 1980, pp. 375-411.
  • Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB. In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. 38 biographies. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, ISBN 3-402-05427-2 , pp. 179-185.
  • Hildegard Pickers: Making other people happy - Father Gregor Schwake OSB Verlag des Emmericher Geschichtsverein, Emmerich 1992, ISBN 3-923692-15-3 ( HTML file, approx. 180 kB ).
  • Winfried Hönes : Problems with the Sanctus. Memories of P. Gregor Schwake OSB In: Calendar for the Klever Land , vol. 44 (1994), pp. 145–146.
  • Marcel Albert: Father Gregor Schwake - monk, musician and poet. In: Home care in Westphalia. ISSN  0933-6346 , vol. 18 (2005), issue 2, pp. 1–12 ( PDF file, approx. 600 kB ).
  • Uli Backmann: Father Dr. Gregor Schwake OSB - music lover and homeland friend. In: Haltern Yearbook 2020. Haltern 2019, pp. 79–81.
  • Christoph Weyer: Gregorian chant under the swastika, Vier Türme Verlag, Münsterschwarzach 2019. ISBN 978-3-89680-601-7 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Bernhard Bröckerhoff: P. Dr. Gregor Schwake OSB, 1892–1967, Abitur 1911 . In: Städtisches Willibrord-Gymnasium Emmerich (ed.): Festschrift for the 150th anniversary of the reopening in 1832 , Emmerich 1982, pp. 121–126.
  2. ^ A b Basilius Senger: Pater Gregor Schwake 1892-1967 . In: Erbe und Einsatz , Vol. 43 (1967), pp. 498–500, here p. 498.
  3. ↑ Fritz Volbach: Experienced and strived for . E. Schneider, Mainz 1956, p. 148.
  4. ^ Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179–185, here p. 179.
  5. ^ A b Basilius Senger: Pater Gregor Schwake 1892-1967 . In: Erbe und Einsatz , Vol. 43 (1967), pp. 498–500, here p. 499.
  6. ^ Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179–185, here p. 180.
  7. ↑ Hans Maria Wellen: The Benedictine monk Gregor Schwake, his meaning and his work in the liturgical choral movement of the 20th century. In: Mitteilungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rheinische Musikgeschichte eV , Issue 54, December 1977, pp. 51–61.
  8. ^ Christoph Weyer: Gregorian chant under the swastika . Vier Türme Verlag, Münsterschwarzach 2019, ISBN 978-3-89680-601-7 .
  9. ↑ Facsimile of the protective custody order in: Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179–185, here p. 181.
  10. ^ Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179–185, here p. 182.
  11. ↑ Wolfgang Jacobeit , Christoph Kopke : The biodynamic economy in the concentration camp. The goods of the "German Research Institute for Food and Meals" of the SS from 1939 to 1945 . Trafo-Verlag Weist, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-89626-128-2 , p. 96.
  12. ^ Eleonore Philipp: Priest composers in the Dachau concentration camp. Musical work 1941–1945 , in: Amperland. Local history quarterly for the districts of Dachau, Freising and Fürstenfeldbruck , vol. 32 (1996), pp. 242–247, here pp. 245–247.
  13. ^ Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179–185, here p. 41. His manuscript in the archive of Gerleve Abbey was published by Marcel Albert under the title Monk behind barbed wire. Memories of the Dachau concentration camp published in 2005.
  14. ^ A b Gregor Schwake in the Lexicon of Westphalian Authors
  15. ^ Art. Schwake, Gregor . In: Hermann Quistorf, Johannes Saß : Low German authors' book . Verlag der Fehrs-Gilde, Hamburg 1959, p. 175.
  16. ↑ Bruno Oelmann: My most beautiful hiking trip. Chronicle of the Haardwald . Verlag Rudolf Winkelmann, Recklinghausen 2000, ISBN 3-921052-75-0 , pp. 8-9. The title of this book, My very most beautiful hiking trip , is the first line of the “ Flaesheimer Heimatlied”, composed and set to music by Gregor Schwake .
  17. ^ Friedrich Castelle: Hilly night. En game to Christmas . Music by Gregor Schwake. Soest 1950.
  18. ^ Basilius Senger: Father Gregor Schwake 1892-1967 . In: Erbe und Einsatz , Vol. 43 (1967), pp. 498–500, here p. 500.
  19. ^ Christian Frieling: Theodor Schwake (P. Gregor) OSB . In: Ders .: Priest from the diocese of Münster in the concentration camp. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 1992, pp. 179-185, here p. 185.
  20. ^ Siegfried Kessemeier (arr.): Courage to use your own language. The Rottendorf Prize for services to the Low German language 1963-1997. Documentation . Regensberg Publishing House, Münster 1997.
  21. ↑ Letters from Gerleve Abbey , vol. 46 (2015), issue 4, p. 29.
  22. ↑ Bibliography P. Gregor Schwake (status: 2006), accessed on November 12, 2015.
  23. ↑ See Heribert Limberg: Das Westfälische Liederblatt. A document of contemporary history . In: Augustin Wibbelt Society (ed.). Jahrbuch , Vol. 19 (2003), pp. 19-30.
  24. ↑ Gregor Schwake in the Low German Bibliography and Biography (PBuB)
personal data
SURNAME Schwake, Gregor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schwake, Theodor (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German religious, church musician and anti-Nazi
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Emmerich (today: Emmerich am Rhein )
DATE OF DEATH June 13, 1967
Place of death Billerbeck