Johanna Schell

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Johanna Schell in October 2006
Gravestone in the New Cemetery Potsdam

Johanna Schell (born November 18, 1927 in Erfurt ; † February 12, 2017 in Potsdam ) was a German church music teacher and organist at the Catholic parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Potsdam.

Live and act

Johanna Schell received her first organ lessons from the then Erfurt cathedral organist Heinrich Stockhorst, whom she also frequently represented at church services in the post-war years. After graduating from high school, she began studying church music in 1947 at the University of Music in Berlin-Charlottenburg (with Joseph Ahrens ), which she completed in 1951 with the state examination. As early as 1950 she accepted the position as organist and choir director at the Catholic parish of St. Peter and Paul in Potsdam and stayed here for 37 years. To do this, she moved her residence from West Berlin to Potsdam. In 1954 she began studying musicology and philosophy at the Free University of Berlin, where she received her doctorate in July 1961. phil.

After the building of the Wall in August 1961, the church music training for choir directors and organists had to be reorganized for the eastern part of the Catholic diocese of Berlin . Johanna Schell took over and taught alone, later with other teachers from 1961 to 1998 a total of around 150 students. In addition, she had been an organ expert for the area already mentioned since 1959 . To this end, she advised parishes on new organs or major repairs (preparation of dispositions; review of expert reports and cost estimates; organ acceptance). Another concern for her was the organization of advanced training conferences for Catholic church musicians from the GDR with the involvement of West German colleagues.

After reaching legal retirement, Johanna Schell was entrusted with national tasks for a further eleven years until 1998. After that she remained organist, but had to reduce her workload due to health reasons and played mainly on the organ of the St. Josefs Chapel in Potsdam.

Her grave is in the New Cemetery in Potsdam .

Volunteering

Johanna Schell was active in the following bodies:

  • Member of the Conference of Consultors for Church Music
  • preparation and implementation of the Catholic prayer and hymn book " Praise God " from 1975
  • Organizer of the conferences for church musicians from the GDR

honors and awards

Publications (selection)

  • Aesthetic Problems of Church Music in the Light of the Encyclica of Pope Pius XII. " Musicae Sacrae Disciplina ". Diss. Phil. Fac. Of the FU Berlin, July 1961, 251 pp.
  • Mass chants for children. With foreword, zsgest. v. Dieter Grande. Musical. Design: Kurt Glaßl, Esther Feuer u. Johanna Schell. Texts: Alexander Ziegert. Düsseldorf 1972, licensed edition. d. St. Benno Publishing House; First edition Leipzig 1971, 31 pp.
  • My God, what a joy! T. 1: House music edition. With sentences by ... Johanna Schell. Leipzig 1987, 103 pp.
  • All-German church music conferences in East Berlin (1972–1990). In: Informations, No. 43, 1990, H. 2, pp. 26-42.
  • The four Spee songs in the new Evangelical hymn book . In: Spee-Jahrbuch, H. 1, Trier 1994, pp. 69-86.
  • Church music in the GDR. In: church music. Jahrb., 83, 1999, 2000, pp. 7-27.
  • Church music director Wilhelm Kümpel from Erfurt - obituary. In: WerkGemeinschaft Musik e. V., 57, 2000/2001, 46-48.
  • Joseph Ahrens (1904–1997) in the field of tension of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council. In: church music. Jahrb., 86, 2002, pp. 59-72.

literature

  • HL: A young woman at the St. Peter and Paul organ. The work of the Potsdam organist and choir director Johanna Schell. In: Neue Zeit , No. 15, Jan. 19, 1960.
  • W. Th: Ten years of training as an organist. In: St. Hedwigsblatt , No. 37, Sept. 10, 1972.
  • Klaus Büstrin: The familiar becomes a new discovery. Dr. Johanna Schell Cantor in Potsdam for 30 years. In: Märkische Union, 24./25. May 1980.
  • NN: 40 years church musician in parish and diocese. In: St. Hedwigsblatt, No. 49, December 6, 1987.
  • Wolfgang Hanke: 50 years in the service of church music. Laudation for Dr. Johanna Schell at the Catholic Academy in Berlin. In: Katholische Kirchenzeitung, No. 16, April 20, 1997.
  • Fritz Zirner: 50 years in the service of church music. Ceremony for Dr. Johanna Schell. In: Musica sacra , 1997, 257f.
  • Peter Wistuba: Served the music. Two church musicians honored with Hedwig's medal. In: Katholische Kirchenzeitung, No. 5, February 7, 1999.
  • Klaus Büstrin: To honor and edification. The church musician Dr. Johanna Schell celebrated her 75th birthday. In: Potsdam Latest News , Nov. 20, 2002.
  • Klaus Büstrin: Grande Dame of Potsdam Church Music Johanna Schell receives medal of merit. In: Potsdamer Latest News v. 23rd June 2015
  • Klaus Büstrin: A Life for Church Music. Obituary for Johanna Schell in the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung , February 17, 2017.
  • Klaus Büstrin: Church musician Johanna Schell has died: under the spell of the organ. in the Potsdamer Neuesten Nachrichten, February 18, 2017.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schell, Johanna
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German church musician
DATE OF BIRTH November 18, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Erfurt
DATE OF DEATH February 12, 2017
Place of death Potsdam