Mainz court singer
| Mainz court singer | |
|---|---|
| Seat: | Mainz / Germany |
| Founding: | 1926 |
| Genus: | Male choir |
| Founder: | Jakob Treichler |
| Head : | Michael Christ |
| Voices : | TTBB |
| Website : | die-mainzer-hofsaenger.de |
The Mainz court singers are a semi-professional amateur choir from Mainz on the Rhine. The choir was founded in 1926 under the name of Musik-Hochschul-Sänger as a carnival choir, which was composed of members of the extra choir of the Mainz Conservatory . The reputable institute for classical music did not want to be associated with Carnival and parody, so they decided - while retaining the initials "MHS" - for the name that is still known today.
Career
First appearances at smaller carnival clubs in and around Mainz followed; The choir had its first appearance at the Mainz Carneval Association in 1934.
After the Second World War , in 1947 the choir interpreted the title Sassa from the Fred Raymond operetta Mask in Blue . This was followed in 1955 by Walter Rothenburg (text) and Lotar Olias (music) interpreting the hit So ein Tag, as beautiful as it is today . In the same year, the first television appearance took place at a Cologne (sic!) Carnival event in the Williams building , and the following year at the television session “ Mainz, how it sings and laughs ”. The piece, interpreted as a carnival song, sold more than 300,000 copies.
From the 1960s onwards there were concert tours to America and almost all neighboring countries of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since the choir now mainly performs on cruise ships, it is popular to advertise with the statement that the choir has already sung on all continents.
In the past, the choir's repertoire mainly included songs from the fields of opera and operetta. For several years now, attempts have been made to open up the market segments of “church music” and “Schlager”. For each carnival campaign, a musical-political potpourri is rehearsed in which the titles that are sung during the year are provided with new satirized texts.
Television appearances
Since 1956 the choir has been an integral part of the programs “ Mainz, how it sings and laughs ” and the follow-up program “ Mainz remains Mainz, how it sings and laughs ”. In 1981 and 2008, the political contributions by the producing broadcaster and those responsible for the carnival clubs involved were canceled and the choir was given airtime only for mood songs. Both times the performances were completely canceled by the Mainz court singers.
In addition to reporting in the local press, in which the choir's non-participation in the television session was regretted, critical voices were repeatedly heard, in which newspaper readers in particular commented on the “incident”. This also reflects the statement made on the choir's homepage that the choir in Mainz is not undisputed.
In connection with the renunciation of the appearance at Mainz, Mainz remains, how it sings and laughs , it should be pointed out that there is an "unwritten law" in the cooperation between the executing associations and the television stations, according to which the speaker or singer in an unsatisfactory performance In the run-up to the broadcast, they are never unloaded by the broadcaster, but rather advised the active participants to refrain from appearing themselves so that no one loses face.
In the television program “Mainz stays Mainz, how it sings and laughs” on February 8, 2013, the choir only presented a short potpourri of mood songs, contrary to the previous statement that it was not available for a pure mood program. This shortened appearance of the court singers was commented by the press as "doing the show good".
Discography
| year | title | Sound carrier |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Mainz court singers | LP |
| 1976 | Such a day, as beautiful as today. 50 years of the Mainz court singer | LP, audio CD |
| 1986 | Come on, let's sing. 60 years of the Mainz court singer | LP, 1993 audio CD |
| 1994 | A musical sheet of images | Audio CD |
| 1995 | Singing, swaying, laughing | Audio CD |
| 1997 | Make a wish (+ SWF radio orchestra) | Audio CD |
| 1998 | Sing a new song for the LORD | Audio CD |
| 1999 | Mainz, how it sings and laughs | Audio CD |
| 1999 | Christmas magic | Audio CD |
| 2000 | Happy Rhine Cruise (+ Rheingold Orchestra) | Audio CD |
| 2001 | With music throughout life | Audio CD |
| 2002 | ... only the finest | Audio CD |
| 2003 | With music all over the country | Audio CD |
| 2004 | Sounds of joy | Audio CD |
| 2007 | Such a day ... as beautiful as today | Double audio CD |
| 2007 | Tatarä | Maxi CD |
Awards and honors
- 1959 “Golden Plaque of the City of Mainz”, presented by Mayor Jockel Fuchs
- 1976 “Rheingold plaque in silver” from the city of Mainz, Mayor Jockel Fuchs
- 1976 "Dom Plakette" of the city of Mainz, Mayor Jockel Fuchs
- 1977 “Gutenberg plaque” from the city of Mainz, Mayor Jockel Fuchs
- 1982 " Peter-Cornelius-Plakette " of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, presented by the Minister of Education, Georg Gölter
- 1996 “Rheingold Plakette in Gold” of the city of Mainz, presented by Mayor Herman-Hartmut Weyel .
Trivia
The choir, which does business as a GbR , operates all year round with various programs and is to be regarded as a medium-sized business enterprise.
This led to repeated labor disputes between singers who left or were excluded from the choir and the rest of the choir. These were gladly picked up by the tabloids. In 1998 the choir was in the headlines for weeks when the chairman Hans-Albert Demer was expelled and he secured the right to continue to participate in rehearsals and concerts and claimed loss of earnings by means of an injunction. The legal dispute was settled by paying an unspecified compensation amount in the “upper five-digit range”. Strange exclusionary practices emerged as the disputes progressed. For example, one singer was excluded from the choir because of his homosexuality , another because he suffered from hyperhidrosis pedis . The change at the head of the choir in 2001 received similar attention in the tabloids.
Web links
- official homepage
- ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: pictures of the Mainz court singers )
Individual evidence
- ↑ "I know that our choir in Mainz not only has friends ..." die-mainzer-hofsaenger.de; Quote from the “captain” (chairman) of the Mainz court singers (lower article), accessed on January 31, 2009
- ↑ Mainz relies on its speakers . Die Welt (newsticker), February 7, 2013: “Traditionally, the court singers are allowed to lead to the finale - but their political potpourri will be canceled this year. That is good for the show. "
- ↑ Mainzer-Rheinzeitung , March 21, 1998; BILD newspaper, April 4, 1998
- ↑ BILD newspaper, January 3, 2001