Manfred Siebald
Manfred Siebald (born October 26, 1948 in Alheim - Baumbach ) is a German songwriter of Christian popular music and was professor of American studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz .
Siebald is best known as a Christian songwriter . Many of the songs now have a permanent place in song books of various Christian denominations and are sung in parishes and youth groups.
Artistic and musical career
Childhood and youth
Manfred Siebald was born in 1948 as the son of the Reichsbahn inspector Friedrich Siebald (1914–2007) and his wife Anna Katharina (1920–2011). He grew up with his older brother Ulrich in a parental home that he describes as open to needy people from all over the world. This also ensured that the English language was important to him at this time so that he could converse with the guests. From the age of eight Siebald learned several instruments, including the violin , viola and piano . He began to learn the guitar when he took over a group of youngsters in order to be able to accompany the children appropriately. In addition to French chansons , Siebald mentions representatives of the American folk movement as musical influences , including Pete Seeger ; Peter, Paul and Mary ; Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel . He wrote his first song - Jesus is always there - before graduation. In 1967 he passed the school leaving examination at the Goethe School in Kassel and then studied in Marburg. Parallel to his studies he also received lessons in harmony and singing. Since 1966 he was active as a string player in the Youth for Christ Choir , with whose Deutschland Singers , a formation specially put together by Klaus Heizmann for a USA tour, he went on an overseas tour in 1969. After this choir was dissolved on his return, Siebald formed the Christ singers with a group of other singers from the 1970 trip . The group had produced their first single, Fröhlich I draw my street , back in 1969, still nameless.
First publications in the 1970s
Siebald's first single, Do you really think it's enough? was published by HSW-Verlag in 1970 , after meeting the publisher Hermann Schulte at several appearances in Kassel , who invited him to Wetzlar to make recordings. The year before, Siebald had already won 2nd prize at the first Youth for Christ song competition. The song, titled Happy I Pull My Street , was released in 1974. In 1972 he published his first solo album Da stand I now , which was produced by Siegfried Fietz . The next album I go on , which was released in 1974, was based on this collaboration. Two years later, Nils Kjellström produced Siebald's third solo album, Das ungedüngte Feld, with the participation of musicians from Hugo Strasser's dance orchestra . Siebald left the pop track that had been embarked on with the last two albums with the 1978 album Zeite , which was produced by Johannes Nitsch . Since then, his albums have been more in the chanson and songwriter style. In addition to the four LPs, Siebald also repeatedly released other singles and translated various songs from English into German. This includes, for example, his best-known song Ins water falls a stone , the recording of which can be found on the LP of Christussänger Weil he brings joy (1973). The song God Invites Us to His Celebration in 1976 is one of them. It was created at the request of Ulrich Parzany as the theme song for Christival 76 . Siebald became internationally known through appearances at mass evangelizations such as Eurofest '75 with Billy Graham in Brussels .
The 1980s
Since 1982 Siebald had the right to perform in the GDR , where he appeared together with Theo Lehmann at the Kirchentag in Dresden in 1983 . In the course of time he became one of the most famous German Christian songwriters and thus influenced many other Christian artists. Under the title Manfred Siebald and Friends , the former Christussänger Choir came together in 1983 to record the album Everywhere Gott seine Menschen , directed by Johannes Nitsch . From now on, almost all of the following albums were published by Hänssler-Verlag , including the next LP Kreuzschnabel (1985). This is also the first album recorded in the USA. Famous musicians like Phil Keaggy can be heard on Kreuzschnabel and the album was later counted among the 50 Christian music classics. For the last time on a solo LP it contains a song translated from English: Then it happened . Just one year later, the love songs LP was recorded Everything in its own way: love songs . In 1988, traces finally appeared with the well-known blessing song Geh unter der Gnade , which Manfred Siebald had written for his publisher Friedrich Hänssler .
The 1990s
Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Siebald recorded his eighth solo album Von Wegen (published in 1991). The title Über Nacht refers to the political upheavals of that time. Two years later Siebald followed up with Du bist mein Rabe: Lieder von der Liebe from his love songs album from 1986. Similar to this first LP, you are my raven already contains well-known, but mostly new songs. The following two CDs were then produced in Germany, but are not purely solo albums by Manfred Siebald. In 1994, the second album was released together with the former Christ singers Words like Bread , which mainly contains new songs for the service that Siebald for his home parish in Mainz ( Church of the Resurrection ) had written. In 1996 the CD Let us be friends was released, on which there are various children's songs such as The trees rustling in the wind , which Siebald often performs with a ukulele in his concerts . After these project albums, a new solo CD was released in 1998: Not forgotten , on which the songwriter worked with Manfred Staiger for the first time. He has since been involved in all subsequent CDs produced in the USA. This was soon followed in 1999 by the album Weltbrechende Winzitäten , on which Siebald - with the exception of the 2010 live CD - played guitar for the last time.
The 2000s
In 2000 Johannes Nitsch produced the Christmas album What the Angels Tell Us , which Manfred Siebald recorded together with the former Christ singers. Well-known musicians like the drummer Ralf Gustke or the flautist Heike Wetzel can be heard on the CD. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the work of the humedica aid organization , for which Siebald's wife Christine is regularly on missions abroad. The next album produced in the USA was entitled Maybe you come with me and was released in 2001. As a special feature, the CD contains both an instrumental intro and an outro with the titles Invitation One and Invitation Two , composed by Manfred Staiger.
In the meantime, several generations of other Christian artists had matured during Manfred Siebald's musical activity. Many of them were influenced by him. This can be seen, among other things, from the publication of the production In Dein Haus - A Tribute to Manfred Siebald in 2003. Well-known artists of Christian pop music (for example Michael Janz from Beatbetrieb ) reinterpreted songs by Manfred Siebald here. The album was arranged by Florian Sitzmann , among others ; Arne Kopfermann produced the CD.
Siebald himself recorded the album Morgenmantelmorgen at the end of 2003 . Two years later the CD I won't let you fall followed . A special feature of this album is a hidden track ( you keep your word ), which Siebald points out with a little tip in the booklet.
With the CD But Safe from 2008, for the first time in almost 25 years a Siebald album was not recorded in Joe Bellamy's Peace in the Valley Studio , but in Stagg Street Studio . Joe Bellamy was still involved as a sound engineer. In 2010 two productions were released: on the one hand the studio album The best is still to come , on the other hand the live CD recorded in Mainz with the simple title Manfred Siebald: Live . In 2013 a new studio album was released: high time . The current album, which was released in 2017, is entitled To celebrate the day .
further activities
Manfred Siebald also works as a translator of English-language songs and as a copywriter for other artists such as Beate Ling or Johannes Nitsch ( Jesus, I can come to you this way ). He wrote, for example, all the lyrics for the album World of 1000 Because of Cae Gauntt from 1995. Again and again he was also asked to "theme song" for special events or conferences, for example, in 1992, when he for the year with the Bible , the Song We can live by your words, written on the album Not Forget . A total of around 400 lyrics were written over the years. To date, Siebald has published 22 solo albums and seven volumes of poetry. Parts of his short story volume Pitti smiles have also been published as an audio book . He repeatedly participates in various book projects such as the crime novels Allegro Mortale and In the Beginning Was Murder , each of which he contributed a chapter to.
Manfred Siebald gives around thirty concerts a year, at which he accompanies himself on various acoustic guitars and which take him across Germany. For concerts abroad, including in the USA and Sri Lanka , he also developed an English-language program of his songs.
academic career
After graduating from the Goethe Gymnasium in Kassel (1967), Siebald studied English and German at the Philipps University in Marburg . After completing his legal traineeship and the second state examination, he began his academic career in 1977 at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. His dissertation dealt with the subject of rebellion in Herman Melville's novels . He remained active in Mainz even after completing his doctorate ; he received his habilitation there on the subject of The Prodigal Son in American Literature (1996) and was Professor of American Studies at the same position from 2002 to 2012. His work in Mainz was interrupted by visiting professorships at Wheaton College (1992), Georgia State University in Atlanta (1996 and 1997) and York University in Toronto (2011).
Others
Manfred Siebald is a member of the board of trustees of the Institute for Faith and Science of the SMD . In 1979 he co-founded the community DAS RAD - Christians in Art. In 2008 he and his wife received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon from Federal President Horst Köhler . Siebald donates all income from concerts to charity. He has also been supporting the ERF association and Heinz-Horst Deichmann's aid organization wortundtat since 1972 .
Manfred Siebald is married to the doctor Christine Siebald; the two have a son.
Known songs
- A stone falls into the water , according to the English Pass it on , music: Kurt Kaiser (contained in the Evangelical Hymnal EG 637, Württemberg edition)
- It goes into the darkness without God
- Go under grace (blessing song)
- In your house
- Jesus, I can come to you as I am (Music: Johannes Nitsch )
- Good To Have Each Other (Song About The Benefits Of Christian Congregation / Fellowship, Also Known As The Home Circle Song )
- Peace be with you (blessing song)
- You are my raven (love song)
- Overnight (song about the fall of the wall and reunification 1989/90)
- With a feather-light hand (love song)
- When the mouth is mute (song for September 11, 2001 )
- What did the donkey think (Christmas carol)
- The Joy of Christmas (a well-known Christmas carol originally taken from the cartoon The City That Forgot Christmas )
- When we honor God on high (Christmas carol)
- We need courage
Discography
| year | title | publishing company |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | There I stand now | Gerth media |
| 1974 | I go on | Gerth media |
| 1976 | The unfertilized field | Gerth media |
| 1978 | Points in time | Gerth media |
| 1985 | Crossbill | SCM Hänssler |
| 1986 | Everything in its own way: love songs | SCM Hänssler |
| 1988 | traces | SCM Hänssler |
| 1991 | Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that | SCM Hänssler |
| 1993 | You are my raven: songs of love | SCM Hänssler |
| 1998 | Do not forget | SCM Hänssler |
| 2000 | World-shaking tiny things | SCM Hänssler |
| 2001 | Maybe you come with me | SCM Hänssler |
| 2004 | Dressing gown morning | SCM Hänssler |
| 2006 | I won't drop you | SCM Hänssler |
| 2008 | Why, surely | SCM Hänssler |
| 2010 | The best is yet to come | SCM Hänssler |
| 2013 | High time | SCM Hänssler |
| 2017 | To honor the day | SCM Hänssler |
Live albums
| year | title | publishing company |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Manfred Siebald live: songs of lust for life and the burden of life | SCM Hänssler |
Concepts
| year | title | Contributing artist | publishing company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | God has his people everywhere | Manfred Siebald, The Christ Singers | SCM Hänssler |
| 1994 | Words like bread: songs for worship | Manfred Siebald, The Christ Singers | SCM Hänssler |
| 1996 | let's be friends | Manfred Siebald with children's choir | Kawohl publishing house |
| 2000 | What the angels tell us: songs for Christmas | Manfred Siebald, The Christ Singers | SCM Hänssler |
Compilation and tribute albums
| year | title | publishing company | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | How did I deserve this? | Gerth media | Collaborative compilation album with Doris Loh for the benefit of the Kandy City Mission |
| 1987 | Give me the right words: The most beautiful songs by Manfred Siebald | Gerth media | Compilation from the albums 1972–1978 |
| 1999 | The most beautiful songs by Manfred Siebald | Gerth media | Reissue of Give Me the Right Words (1987) |
| 2008 | God invites us: early songs | Gerth media | Compilation of singles before the first album |
| 2009 | Everything rests in you | SCM Hänssler | Compilation from the albums 1984–2008 |
| 2018 | Manfred Siebald (CD box) | SCM Hänssler | Compilation of the 22 solo albums for his 70th birthday |
Tribute albums
| year | title | subtitle | publishing company | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Amazement | Instrumental arrangements of popular songs by Manfred Siebald | Gerth media | Tribute album by Tom Keene |
| 2003 | In your house | A Tribute To Manfred Siebald | Gerth media | Tribute album produced by Arne Kopfermann with Yasmina Hunzinger , Lemon Sisters , Michael Janz , Cae Gauntt , Sharona , Linus Kraus , ProJoe , Sarah Kaiser and Katrin Lauer |
| 2009 | Will you be singing along soon? | Popular songs by Manfred Siebald for the community | SCM Hänssler | Compilation of albums by Manfred Siebald as well as cover versions of the Evangeliumschor Stuttgart, the Christussängern , Johannes Nitsch , Time To Sing u. a. |
| 2013 | Under grace | Richard Souther plays songs by Manfred Siebald | SCM Hänssler | Tribute album by Richard Souther |
| 2018 | Praise CD 5 | Songs by Manfred Siebald and others | CLV | Praise chorus. For Manfred Siebald's 70th birthday |
Volumes of poetry
- 1976: Everything has already been said
- 1980: What are you waiting for?
- 1983: Crossbill
- 1992: We need courage
- 1992: lean back
- 1993: You are my raven (with Christine Siebald)
- 1993: read from the eyes
more books
- Rebellion in the novel by Herman Melville . Dissertation. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main a. a. 1979. ISBN 3-8204-6337-2 .
- Ed. With Horst Immel: Americanization of Drama and Dramatization of America. Studies in honor of Hans Helmcke. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main a. a. 1985. ISBN 3-8204-5524-8 .
- A handful of beautiful thoughts . Collection of aphorisms. Coprint-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1986. ISBN 3-922819-27-3 .
- Life is a boules court. Meditations under the southern sun . R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 2003, ISBN 3-417-24724-1 .
- The Prodigal Son in American Literature . Habilitation thesis. Winter, Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 3-8253-1302-6 .
- The Whole Width: An America Reader . 2004, ISBN 3-87630-525-X .
- Give me the right tone. Lots of song stories . SCM Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2006, ISBN 3-7751-4355-6 .
- Dorothy L. Sayers : Life - Work - Thought . Neufeld Verlag, Schwarzenfeld 2007, ISBN 978-3-937896-51-9 .
- Pitti smiles and other stories . 2008, ISBN 978-3-7655-1982-6 .
- Let's cheer quietly. More song stories . SCM Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-7751-5463-5 .
- Accept one another. The book for the annual solution . SCM R. Brockhaus, Witten 2014, ISBN 978-3-417-26611-5 .
- And we in his hands. A year and a day with Matthias Claudius . SCM Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2014, ISBN 978-3-7751-5580-9 .
- Manfred Siebald - His songs - 1968–2018 (song book). SCM Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2018, ISBN 978-3-7751-5900-5 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Manfred Siebald in the catalog of the German National Library
- Website of Manfred Siebald
- Interview from June 8, 2007 (PDF; 45 kB) in the BR-Alpha Forum
Individual evidence
- ↑ Manfred Siebald: Do what you do faithfully. In: Jörg Swoboda (ed.): Mothers of men. 25 sons remember . 2nd Edition. Neukirchner Verlagsgesellschaft, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 2011, p. 182 f.
- ↑ Interview with Manfred Siebald in: Lebenslust 4/2013, p. 32
- ↑ Interview with Manfred Siebald in: Lebenslust 4/2013, p. 33.
- ↑ siebald.org accessed on March 4, 2014
- ↑ Siebald.org
- ^ Jan Vering: Siegfried Fietz. Of good powers and turbulent times. Gerth Medien, Aßlar 2011, p. 62.
- ↑ see CD booklet: Manfred Siebald. God invites us. Early songs. Gerth Medien, Asslar 2008.
- ^ Jan Vering: Siegfried Fietz. Of good powers and turbulent times. Gerth Medien, Aßlar 2011, p. 65.
- ↑ Manfred Siebald: Give me the right tone. Lots of song stories. Hänssler-Verlag, Holzgerlingen 2006, p. 94.
- ↑ Ibid., P. 28.
- ↑ siebald.org accessed on March 5, 2014
- ↑ uni-mainz.de
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Siebald, Manfred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German songwriter Neuer Geistlicher Lieder |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 26, 1948 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Alheim- Baumbach |