Michel-Türmer

The Michel-Türmer , also known as tower guard , is a trumpeter who, in the tradition of the office of the tower blower from the tower of Hamburg's main church St. Michaelis, plays chorales in all four directions every morning and evening . The custom was introduced in Hamburg during the Reformation and has been practiced in the Michel , as the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg is called, for more than 300 years. Until the lifting of the gate on January 1, 1861, the trumpet chorale was the symbol for the opening and closing of the city gates.

Tower of the St. Michaeliskirche

Today, the Michel-Türmer goes to the 7th floor of the tower, the so-called Türmerboden , which is 279 steps high, on weekdays at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. and on Sundays only at 12 p.m. He plays a stanza from an open window, beginning with the east window and then clockwise: “To praise God, to joy to people!” - so a board at the tower entrance. A different chorale is played every day, mainly Protestant hymns from the 16th and 17th centuries, coordinated with the church year .

The office, which is designed as a sideline, is shared by two freelance musicians. Horst Huhn has been a Michel-Türmer since 1992 and also directs the St. Michaelis brass ensemble . Josef Thöne has also been playing from the tower since 1992 and has been leading the church's trombone choir since 1995 .

Web links

• Heilig's Blechle - Der Türmer am Michel Short film by Thomas Müller on behalf of Michaeliskirche
• Turmbläser St. Michaelis Hamburg private recording You Tube
• 25 years of service: When Michel's sounds in two voices (welt.de, July 28, 2017)
• The Michel-Türmer: Three minutes pause (FINK.HAMBURG, May 14, 2018) , accessed on May 31, 2018

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Florian Harms: Hamburg from above. Blow in the bag , Der Spiegel from August 15, 2006 , accessed on December 28, 2011
2. ↑ https://www.st-michaelis.de/michel-musik/tuermer/ Michelmusik / Türmer
3. ↑ Josef Thöne: My life with music. I'm tower blower time online on June 25, 2006 , accessed December 28, 2011
4. ↑ Homepage St. Michaelis: Horst Huhn. Retrieved April 30, 2018 . 
5. ↑ Homepage St. Michaelis: Josef Thöne. Retrieved April 30, 2018 .