Herbert Roth

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herbert Roth with daughter Karin, 1981
Instrumental group Herbert Roth, approx. 1970 (from left to right Waltraut Schulz, Herbert Roth, Peter Lang, Willy Kolk, Willi Kiesewetter)
Herbert Roth memorial plaque in Suhl

Herbert Roth (born December 14, 1926 in Suhl ; † October 17, 1983 ibid) was a German composer and interpreter of popular music .

Life

Herbert Roth took music lessons (piano, accordion, clarinet) at an early age and performed publicly as a teenager. In 1948, after an apprenticeship as a hairdresser, he passed his master's examination and initially worked in his parents' salon. Herbert Roth started as an amateur musician and founded the Suhler Volksmusik in 1950 . The first public appearance of the ensemble took place on April 15, 1951 in Hirschbach , the last on March 3, 1983 in Oberhof .

From 1951 to 1983 he was on stage with singing partner Waltraut Schulz and his instrumental group in around 10,000 events, and from 1980 also with daughter Karin Roth . According to his own statement in various interviews, he considered the musical support of holidaymakers in the holiday resorts of the Thuringian Forest to be his most important and most beautiful task . In the autumn and winter months, the group mostly went on tour through numerous districts of the GDR . Herbert Roth was often present with his instrumental group in various radio events and had his own weekly program with Voice of the GDR , in which only his titles were played. From 1974 he was a regular guest on the TV show Oberhofer Bauernmarkt . Shortly before his untimely death, he produced several vocal titles for television ( “From the Wartburg to the Saale” ) and records together with his wife Edelgard.

Herbert Roth wrote over 300 compositions, including numerous songs such as Kleines Haus am Wald , Auf der Oberhofer Höh ' or Berge der Heimat . Most of the lyrics come from his childhood friend Karl "Kaschi" Müller , with whom Herbert Roth was on friendly terms throughout his life. The best-known work by the Thuringian is the Rennsteig song, which he composed and sang. Numerous instrumental titles were also produced, including some classics by West German composers, such as Ein Schwarzwaldfahrt by Horst Jankowski and Abendspaziergang by Rudi Knabl . In addition to the two accordions, the characteristic of the Herbert Roth sound was the solo use of the zither , whose natural sound on stage and in the studio was in some cases heavily modified by the use of magnetic pickups and guitar amplifiers. The consistent use of a double bass instead of a bass guitar, which he rejected, is just as typical of Herbert Roth's music. Herbert Roth also never made experiments with other line-ups in his instrumental group. Numerous titles are interesting from a studio point of view, as innovative reverb and echo effects were often used. From the end of the 1950s, Herbert Roth was one of the first GDR artists to play an accordion from the West German brand Hohner , model Atlantic IV Deluxe.

Herbert Roth's musical work was very controversial from the start. Since he wrote and interpreted his songs only in High German, critics accused him of having contributed to the death of the Thuringian dialect . In the 1950s in particular, various GDR musicologists, cultural officials and journalists viewed his songs as "homeland snouts" in the western style, and there were even efforts to have Roth's public events prohibited. During this time, anti-Roth demonstrations by music students and other intellectuals took place, which also came under the focus of the state security . Herbert Roth and his music only became salon-worthy at the end of the 1950s after a concert in front of Walter Ulbricht , who said at the time that he liked this music. Herbert Roth also composed Schlager under the pseudonym Matthias Wendt - for example, in 1967 Reisen, Reisen, in the far distance for the Gerd Michaelis Choir as well as dance and entertainment music for various performers.

Herbert Roth was married to Edelgard Roth. In 1996 a memorial stone ( 50 ° 38 ′ 47.1 ″  N , 10 ° 46 ′ 23 ″  E ) was placed on the Rennsteig , 800 meters south of the Schmücke , by his daughter, who was born in 1951 , in honor of Herbert Roth on the L 2632 Karin was revealed. A street and a circular hiking trail were named after him in Suhl.

Herbert Roth died of cancer at the age of only 56. His resting place is in the municipal cemetery in Suhl.

A permanent Herbert Roth exhibition is located in Vesser near Suhl. His daughter Karin is also a folk musician.

Discography (excerpt)

Record sleeve for a long-playing record with Herbert Roth

LPs:

  • 1963: With Herbert Roth through the Thuringian region (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1968: This is how it sounds in the mountains (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1971: Herbert Roth (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1971: Greetings from the Thuringian Forest (BEKA)
  • 1974: Greetings from the Rennsteig (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1975: Along the Rennsteig (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1976: Herbert Roth successes (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1977: Hiking through the winter forest (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1980: Herbert Roth Melodies (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1983: From the Wartburg to the Saale (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)
  • 1986: Herbert Roth - The Portrait (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)

Single:

  • 1967: Gerd Michaelis choir: Reisen, Reisen, in the far distance , composition under the pseudonym Matthias Wendt, (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin)

CDs:

  • 1990: Through the Thuringian region with Herbert Roth (Deutsche Schallplatten GmbH Berlin - Musicando, Order No. 2760 006 / DNB 352564156 )
  • 1992: Herbert Roth - I love to hike so much (Deutsche Schallplatten GmbH Berlin - Musicando / DNB 352991712 )
  • 1994: Herbert Roth - Greetings from the Rennsteig (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 1994: Herbert Roth - Kleines Haus am Wald (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 1994: Herbert Roth - A sleigh ride through the winter forest (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 1995: Herbert Roth - From the Wartburg to the Saale (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 1996: Herbert Roth - Thuringia, my homeland (6 CD compilation, BT-Music Berlin)
  • 2001: Herbert Roth - Auf der Oberhofer Höh '- The most beautiful winter songs (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 2002: Herbert Roth - The Great Successes 2 (BT-Music Berlin)
  • 2004: Herbert Roth - The great successes 3 (BT-Music Berlin, order no.BT 2732-2)
  • 2007: Herbert Roth & Waltraut Schulz - 25 great successes (BT-Music Berlin, order no.BT 2738-2)
  • 2007: Herbert Roth - shellacs and rarities 1952–1980 (BT-Music Berlin, order no. BT 2735-2)
  • 2011: Herbert Roth - Greetings from the Rennsteig (BT-Music Berlin, Order No. BT 2741-2)
  • 2011: Herbert Roth - Kleines Haus am Wald (BT-Music Berlin, Order No. BT 2742-2)
  • 2011: Herbert Roth - Im Thüringer Land (BT-Music Berlin, order no.BT 2743-2)
  • 2011: Herbert Roth - Auf der Oberhofer Höh ' (BT-Music Berlin, order no.BT 2744-2)
  • 2011: Herbert Roth - This path to the heights ... (double CD, Sony Amiga)

TV specials

Awards

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Roth, Herbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wendt, Matthias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer and interpreter of popular music
DATE OF BIRTH December 14, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Suhl
DATE OF DEATH 17th October 1983
Place of death Suhl