Thomas Gabriel
Thomas Gabriel (born August 25, 1957 in Essen ) is a German church musician , composer and arranger . As a regional cantor, he composes modern church music.
Life
Gabriel studied Catholic church music at the Folkwang University in his home town of Essen until 1983 . From 1983 to 1986 he worked as a cantor at the Liebfrauenkirche Recklinghausen . In 1987/1988 he worked as a freelancer for Westdeutscher Rundfunk and the Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen . From 1989 to 1991 he was district cantor in St. Martin Idstein , from 1992 to 1997 regional cantor in Saarbrücken . From 1998 on he worked as regional cantor for the Institute for Church Music in the Diocese of Mainz with a focus on New Spiritual Song for the Deaneries Offenbach , Rodgau and Seligenstadt at the Einhard Basilica of St. Marzellinus and Petrus in Seligenstadt . Felix Ponizy has been his successor since 2017.
Gabriel gives concerts as an organist, harpsichordist and especially as a pianist of the Thomas Gabriel Trio , whose artistic focus is on jazz arrangements of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach .
Projects
St. Gabriel
Thomas Gabriel has been working closely with the Theresien Children's and Youth Welfare Center in Offenbach since autumn 2011. There he leads, among other things, the annual Ketteler Music Days, at which young people are brought closer to singing. This partnership resulted in a musical center in the former St. Gabriel Monastery in Hainstadt in early 2015 , where many of Gabriel's pieces are rehearsed and performed. So this idea has become a long-term project.
Oratorios
Daniel
Daniel is a work composed in 1996 that deals with the subject of flight and displacement. It tells the story of the captive Jewish people and that of the prophet Daniel, who trusts in God's power and hopes for a way out to freedom. In seven pictures the listener is told how the prophet guides the deportees of Israel through the difficult time of captivity. The style of music ranges from rock to jazz to traditional church music, the text is by Eugen Eckert
Emmaus
The work is based on the biblical account of the two disciples' walk to Emmaus . It was written in 2002 and consists of six images. In the oratorio it is Cleopas named in the Gospel and a disciple named Thekla who travel to Emmaus. On the way they are joined by a stranger whom they recognize as the risen Jesus. The oratorio illustrates the process that goes from disappointment to certainty, from life to death and from yesterday to today. Eugen Eckert wrote the text.
Boniface
The score Bonifatius , named after the missionary Bonifatius and written on the 1250th anniversary of his death, is about the desire for peace, unity and the spread of Christianity. Boniface gets the Pope's permission to do missionary work in France. He reformed the churches there and contributed to changes in the Catholic Church. The oratorio was written in 2004. Text: Barbara Nichtweiß
Simeon
Simeon is an Advent Oratorio. It was written in 2007 and contains six images . The oratorio tells the story of the pious Simeon, who waits for God's promise to be redeemed that he will not die without seeing the consolation of Israel. All his life Simeon waits in vain until he holds that child in his arms and knows that he can now die in peace. Text: Eugen Eckert
Junia
Junia , written in 2009, is about the apostle and the letter of the apostle Paul to the church in Rom. Paul is in prisonwith Junia and Andronicus . The roles of women in the congregations at the time are manifested in seven images. Text: Eugen Eckert.
... and then there was light
The Oratorio of Creation ... and then was light was written in 2013 for the Merseburg Organ Days. It tells the creation of the earth in seven pictures that stand for seven days.
Maria
The oratorio Maria was written in 2014 as a commissioned composition for the Friedenskirche Ratingen . It deals with the life of the Virgin Mary and describes Mary's fears and uncertainties about what should happen to her child. The story of Elizabeth is also told in the work. In between, the oratorio traces aspects of the life of Jesus and tells of gossip to which Mary is exposed as an unmarried mother. It is about the arbitrariness of the Roman occupying power, the solidarity of God and the pubescent Jesus. Text: Eugen Eckert.
Brother martin
Brother Martin is an oratorio composed on behalf of Martin Ufermann for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation . In the work, the individual stages of Martin Luther's life are told. The text was written by the evangelical pastor Eugen Eckert. Brother Martin's premiere took place on September 18, 2017 in Tecklenburg . The organizers received positive reactions from the press, as they did not cancel the performance despite a serious traffic accident on arrival with a dead singer.
Santa Cecilia
Santa Cäcilia is a commissioned composition for the church choir Cäcilia, St. Michael in Münster . It traces the life of St. Cecilia of Rome . The world premiere took place on the day of commemoration of the patron saint of church music on November 22, 2017.
Gabriel - On behalf of the Lord
This oratorio is a commissioned work by the Seligenstadt choir Vox Musica, which was premiered on December 28, 2019.
Musicals
Rachel
Rachel was born in 2005 on the occasion of World Youth Day and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. written. The world premiere took place on August 10, 2005 in the Arena in Trier and another on August 17 in Cologne . The musical is about a young woman whose father is interested in selling a slum to a real estate agent. In order to save taxes, he wants to marry his daughter to the realtor and give the neighborhood as a wedding present. But Rachel finds out about the plans.
The work was awarded the Filippas Engel in 2005. Text: Johannes Maria Schatz
Bach Forever
In Bach Forever the life of Johann Sebastian Bach is traced. He wakes up as a statue today, climbs from his pedestal and tells his story to young people passing by. The 2015 musical also deals with the differences between today's culture and that of the 17th century. Text: Andreas Bomba
Martin in Mainhattan
The musical was written in 1999 and carries the story of St. Martin into the present day.
Mother Hulda
The work was written in 2000 and uses texts from the fairy tale "Frau Holle" by the Brothers Grimm as a template. Text: Benjamin Baumann
Towards the sun
The musical illustrates the life of Saint Edith Stein and was arranged and performed in 2006 in cooperation with the Edith Stein School in Darmstadt. The text was written by students from the Edith Stein School in Darmstadt.
Broken Hartz
In cooperation with the Caritas Association Offenbach, Thomas Gabriel developed the musical "Broken Hartz" based on Holger Senft's text. The world premiere on October 7, 2017 and another performance took place in Offenbach, and further performances until 2017 in Mainz and Bensheim. The choreographic direction was directed by Peter Strauss.
Broken Hartz deals with the topic of unemployment benefit II , how the job center deals with the "benefit recipients" and the standard benefit rate . The long-term unemployed complain that they are repeatedly pushed from one measure to the next. This time it is a “cultural measure”, a music project that is to be published at the fictional international music fair. If the beneficiaries refuse, sanctions are imminent. The aim of the entire project is to give the unemployed a voice and make them heard.
When selecting the choir singers and protagonists, people affected by the topic were taken into account and supported by professional singers. The rest of the team, such as direction, backstage and technical direction, consisted mostly of volunteers. The project was supported by the German Caritas Association and the diocese of Mainz .
Albums and cycles
Misa de Solidaridad
Misa de Solidaridad is a commissioned composition for the diocese of Trier for the 40th anniversary of the partnership with the diocese and Bolivia in 2000. The composition unites Bolivian and European music in a common language. It contains eight titles:
- To move in
- Lord, have mercy
- Gloria a Dios
- We believe and trust
- Santo
- Our father
- Cordero del Dios
- Thanksgiving hymn
Mainz Fair
The work is designed for the Christmas season and was written in 2001. It is written in a contemporary text in Latin and German and is accompanied by modern music. The five titles included are:
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Creed
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
Text: Raymund Weber
Creator spirit
In Creator Spiritus - Gregorian Changes , the Gregorian chant runs through the entire composition and is accompanied by jazzy polyphony . The arrangement was written and performed for the first time in 1999. It consists of ten titles:
- Kyrie
- Introit to the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
- Psalm 23
- Offertory
- Sanctus
- Ave Maria
- Introit at Pentecost
- Pentecost sequence
- Psalm 22
- Hymn
The lord is my shepherd
The arrangement, which arose from the planning of a youth choir week in St. Thomas , was written as a modern word service . The content mainly revolves around Psalm 23 . It includes five titles:
- Kyrie
- Now praise God in the high throne
- Psalm 23
- Magnificat
- Our father
Manic Herzeleit
In Manic Herzeleit old texts of Minnesang from the Middle Ages such as Der noble Sang ( Walther von der Vogelweide ) and Wolauff, wir wellen slaffen ( Oswald von Wolkenstein ) are underlaid with contemporary music. There are nine titles in the composition:
- Swem is where with noble Sange
- May miracle
- Under the linden trees
- Serve ane lon
- But I hear the birds sing
- Wolauff, we're slacking off
- Sine klawen
- Frouwe, will you please me
- Sumercite
organ meets guitar
The album contains works by Rodrigo and Vivaldi, which have been newly set to music with classical guitar and organ. The album was arranged by Thomas Gabriel and Jan Masuhr.
- Joaquin Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez: II. (Adagio)
- Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto: I. (IAllegro)
- Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto: II. (Largo)
- Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto: III. (Allegro)
- Thomas Gabriel - Concert for MA: I. (Introit)
- Thomas Gabriel - Concert for MA: II. (Romance)
- Thomas Gabriel - Concert for MA: III. (Exilo)
- Jan Masuhr - Go People go
- Thomas Gabriel - Pièce modale
- Thomas Gabriel - Out of deep need
- Jan Masuhr - Sunday morning
- Jan Masuhr - The Cross
- Jan Masuhr - A Dieu
Misa Terra Supermontale
The exhibition Misa Terra Supermontale ( "Mass of the Oberbergische Land"), was commissioned in 2005 for the choirs of Catholic churches in the county deaneries Gummersbach and Altenkirchen:
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Creed
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
Children's blessing - children's stuff
The work was written in 2006 for two Caritas institutions for disabled children. The songs are partly composed by myself, partly taken over with revision for polyphony . The work contains the following 15 titles:
- Stars, flowers and children
- My God owns the world
- We come a long way
- When i'm little
- The bird has found a house
- The child is there
- Do you know how many little stars there are
- Have no fear
- Sing alleluia all
- I am baptized
- The angel of childhood
- Where the wild things live
- In our hearts
- Stay with us, God
- the moon has risen
Text: Eugen Eckert and others
The Way of the Cross - 14 meditations
The score was made in 2005 and contains several eight-part motets . The score contains 14 pieces, the text is derived from psalms, among other things.
Adveniat lumen tuum
The mass Adveniat lumen tuum ("Let your light come") revolves around Pentecost, refers to the Holy Spirit and interrupts at one point for a reading. The work was written in 2006. The instrumental accompaniment for the choir is piano , organ and oboe .
South Tyrolean fair
The South Tyrolean Mass is a commissioned composition for the Association of Church Choirs in South Tyrol. It was written in 2006 and premiered in Brixen. Nine pieces are included:
- opening
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Creed
- Gift preparation
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
- Communion
- Thanksgiving
Gospel Music of King Solomon
Gospel Music of King Solomon was written in 2006. Despite the biblical texts that have their origins in the Book of Proverbs , the music is gospel-style. Most of the work is aimed at women. There are five titles included:
- The proverbs of Solomon
- For the Lord gives wisdom
- Wisdom has built her house
- Listen to your father
- My soon keep my words
- Watching daily at my door
Mainz diocese fair
The CD Mainz diocese mass was recorded in 2010 in the church of St. Martin in Dietzenbach. It is a joint composition of the six regional cantors of the diocese of Mainz, Andreas Boltz , Thomas Gabriel, Nicolo Sokoli , Ralf Stiewe, Ruben J. Sturm and Dan Zerfaß . Published by the Diocese of Mainz, the musicians contributed existing works from their pen.
- Lord have mercy (Dan Zerfass)
- Glory to God on high (Nicolo Sokoli)
- I believe in god (Thomas Gabriel)
- Deity deeply hidden (Andreas Boltz)
- Holy (Ralf Stiewe)
- Lamb of God (Ruben J. Sturm)
- Toccate 2 + 3 + 4 (Thomas Gabriel)
- Victimae paschali laudes (Andreas Boltz)
- Improvisation on "O filii et filiae" (Ruben J. Sturm)
- I live my life (Andreas Boltz)
- Romance in A major (Thomas Gabriel)
- Canticum: Christ the Head (Andreas Boltz)
Church days
1st Ecumenical Church Congress Berlin
For the Ecumenical Church Congress in Berlin in 2003, Thomas Gabriel composed several pieces for the opening ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate. Since this Kirchentag was held together with the Protestant and Catholic Kirchentag, Gabriel asserted himself with a different style of music, including without canons , in order to distinguish this opening ceremony from previous church days.
95th German Catholic Day, Ulm
For the 95th German Katholikentag in Ulm in 2004, Thomas Gabriel musically designed the closing service with the specially composed mass for male choirs " Christ Guys " and conducted the performance " That faith is awake in us ".
World Youth Day 2005
At the World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne , Thomas Gabriel performed the closing mass Missa Mundi (“The World’s Fair”), which was written especially for this World Youth Day. The mass consists of five parts, which, also due to the instruments used, can be associated with the five continents. It contains a European Kyrie , a South American “Gloria”, an Asian Credo , an African Sanctus and an Australian Agnus Dei . Gabriel also composed and organized the musical Rachel on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI's visit . for World Youth Day 2005.
96th German Catholic Day Saarbrücken
For the 96th German Katholikentag 2006 in Saarbrücken , Gabriel composed the Saarbrücken mass for the closing church service.
97th German Catholic Day, Osnabrück
Gabriel wrote mass4men for the 97th German Catholic Day in Osnabrück in 2008 . It was written in collaboration with the church agency for male pastoral care. The arrangement contains nine tracks:
- Indent
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Answer chant - Lord, my God
- Gift preparation - God, so much is still open
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
- Communion - Like a father
- Thanksgiving - God, you lead me out to freedom
100th German Catholic Day in Leipzig
The oratorio Daniel was rehearsed together with the St. Gabriel Choir , the Refugee Choir Seligenstadt and for the choreography with the dance ensemble Änne Meyer and performed on May 28th in the Arena Leipzig as part of the 100th Catholic Day.
Individual works
The lands of the stars
The work from 2004 is motet-based in blocks. Between quiet moments with the harp there are always impulsive outbursts of music.
Text: Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Immutemur
The score Immutemur ("Change") was written in 2004 and is intended for Ash Wednesday , with particular emphasis on antiphonic quotations. The piece is designed for three female voices, a vibraphone and three cellos .
Popule Meus
The motet Popule Meus uses the beginning of the improperia from the celebration of the passion and death of Christ with the Trishagion , and was dedicated to the choir of the Seligenstadt basilica. The text is from the 9th century , the music is Gregorian and modern at the same time.
Awards
- 1985: Culture Prize of the City of Essen
- 2002: Culture Prize of the City of Seligenstadt
- 2003: Culture Prize of the Offenbach District
- 2005: Filippa's angel
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Seligenstädter Klosterkonzerte ( Memento from May 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (short biography)
- ↑ Regional Kantor Felix Ponizy , accessed on August 8, 2018
- ^ Website of the Theresien Child and Youth Welfare Center
- ↑ Ketteler Musiktage Facebook page
- ^ Website of the Ketteler Musiktage .
- ↑ Hainstadt Monastery acquired the " Offenbach-Post " article
- ^ New projects in the abandoned monastery. Report of the Mainz diocese
- ↑ Daniel Oratorio (www.engelsklang.de)
- ^ "Emmaus" ( Memento from April 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Press information on the Emmaus work with texts (PDF)
- ^ Review of the premiere of "Bonifatius" website of the Mainz diocese
- ↑ Simeon Oratorio (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ Junia Oratorio (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ The "Creation" accompanied by the twittering of birds Article of the Main-Echo Text: Eugen Eckert.
- ↑ World premiere: congregation performs pop oratorio “Maria” based on an article in the Westdeutsche Zeitung
- ↑ Maria Oratorio (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ The premiere of Brother Martin is intended to provide consolation and answers. Report of the Westphalian News
- ↑ First performance of the oratorio Santa Caecilia report of the Offenbach Post on November 28, 2017
- ↑ Gabriel - On behalf of the Lord
- ↑ a b Winner of the Filippas Engel 2005 (www.filippas-engel.de)
- ↑ Musical Bach Forever ( Memento from May 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (www.aschaffenburger-bachtage.de)
- ↑ Martin in Mainhattan Information from the brochure on the musical
- ↑ Loan “Frau Holle” ( Memento from April 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (date of the premiere in the details)
- ↑ Towards the Sun Archive of the Diocese of Mainz
- ↑ a b Announcement from the Edith Stein Society 12-2007 (last page)
- ↑ Broken Hartz website
- ^ Choir of the unemployed report of the Frankfurter Rundschau
- ^ Hessenschau from October 8, 2016 ( Memento from November 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Report by the Hessischer Rundfunk
- ↑ Date of the composition Misa de Solidaridad (www.basilika.de)
- ↑ a b Composition Misa de Solidaridad (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ Mainzer Messe in Baiereck Article of the SWP
- ↑ Composition Mainzer Messe (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ a b Creator Spiritus- Gregorianische Wandlungen Website of the diocese of Mainz
- ↑ a b The Lord is my Shepherd (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ a b Manic Herzeleit (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ Album organ meets guitar (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ a b sample copy of Misa Terra Supermontale (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ Children's blessing - Kinderkram (www.engelsklang.de)
- ↑ Stations of the Cross - trial score (date on top of page)
- ↑ Way of the Cross - Trial Score Table of Contents
- ↑ The Way of the Cross (general information in the descriptions)
- ↑ Adveniat lumen tuum analysis of a contributor
- ^ South Tyrolean Mass at the Parish Festival 2007 Report by the KlangTraum choir
- ↑ South Tyrolean Mass (individual items at the end of the description)
- ^ Gospel Music of King Solomon sample copy
- ↑ Mainz diocese mass on Organo Phon. In: Organo Phon. 2010, accessed April 13, 2018 .
- ↑ The man for the start signal newspaper report of the Frankfurter Rundschau about the preparations for the Ecumenical Church Congress 2003
- ↑ Christ Guys Album (evidence of "commissioned composition" in the description)
- ↑ Program of the 95th Katholikentag in Ulm ( Memento from May 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (pages 11 and 126)
- ↑ Missa Mundi (individual references in description)
- ^ Coffee, Katholikentag and Saarbrücker Messe ( Memento of May 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Press release of the 96th Katholikentag Saarbrücken
- ↑ mass4men (www.engelsklang.de)
- ^ Daniel - a rock oratorio for choir, soloists, orchestra and band , announcement of the 100th German Catholic Day
- ^ Rockoratorium Daniel report of the Catholic Day
- ↑ Date p. 2 (www.musikschulen.de)
- ^ The countries of the stars Strube Verlag
- ↑ Thomas Gabriel - Immutemur ( itemized in description)
- ↑ Popule meus (www.strube.de)
Note: Individual references can also be found in the respective scores of the works.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gabriel, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German church musician, composer and arranger |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1957 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | eat |