Willi Ostermann

This article covers the composer and lyricist. For the soccer player, see Willi Ostermann (soccer player) .

The expressionist Heinrich Hoerle portrayed contemporaries Ostermann (left) together with Konrad Adenauer , Soubrette Trude Alex , boxer Hein Domgörgen and himself in his 1931/32 painting

Willi Ostermann - songs booklet Rheinlandmädel (1927)

Willi Ostermann - There, where the seven mountains ...

Memorial plaque on the house where Ostermann last lived

Wilhelm "Willi" Ostermann (born October 1, 1876 in Mülheim am Rhein (now Cologne), † August 6, 1936 in Cologne ) was a composer and lyricist of folk and carnival songs, mainly in the Cologne dialect , which he also performed as a scabies singer Has. One of his best-known pieces is Heimweh nach Köln (Ich möch zo Foss noh Kölle gon) .

Life

Childhood and youth

Ostermann was born in Mülheim am Rhein. Fire station 9 in Cologne- Buchheim is now on the site of his birthplace . Ostermann was the son of the railway worker Peter Ostermann and his wife Gertrud, b. Paas. In 1878 the family moved to Deutz , where their father, who was employed by the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn , had been offered a better job. Since Deutz was a garrison town at that time , Willi Ostermann came into contact with the military bands that passed through from an early age.

Ostermann attended the Catholic elementary school in Deutz from 1883 to 1891 . At that time he was nicknamed "Ostermanns-Fuss" or "dä jlöhndije Fuss" ( jlöhndije = "glowing", foot = "the fox", in Kölsch the word for "the redhead") because of his red hair . Classmates later reported that he had already made dialect parodies of poems in school and always knew the latest carnival songs by heart.

After his father could not get an apprenticeship as a locksmith for him, Ostermann began an apprenticeship in the electrical trade, but was dismissed after a few months due to conflicts with his teacher. He then learned the profession of stereotype and electroplating in a printing company in Deutz , which was more in line with his own wishes. He was probably active in this profession up to 1900, details about this are not known.

Career

In 1895 Ostermann became a member of an amateur theater group. He had already gained experience with a puppet theater and performed his own poems and songs at family celebrations and in inns in Deutz. As a result, he also had a side income; However, since completing his apprenticeship, he tried to get permanent engagements in variety shows or theaters. Ostermann first became known in 1899 through his song Et Düxer Schötzefeß (The Deutzer Schützenfest), which he performed during a performance at the Deutz Schützenverein:

Jo nom Düxer Schötzefeß, do loß mer gonn,
when de Lappe vun de Stivvele fleute gonn,
jo om Düxer Schötzefeß, do eat nice,
do mowing joy and fun yourself, the oldest Möhn!

Ostermann could not read or write notes, but instead brought his compositions singing on sound carriers (initially a wax cylinder or a zinc plate). In 1903 he married Katharina Maria Striebeck; this marriage was divorced again. In the following years he was discovered by the chairman of a Cologne carnival society, who suggested that he write a carnival hit for the 1906/1907 session. In collaboration with the composer Emil Neumann, Kapellmeister at the Reichshallentheater in Cologne, the title Dem Schmitz sing Frau eß durchgebrannt (Die Frau vom Schmitz has burned out) was created, which became the success of Rose Monday in 1907. The piece consisted of an introductory march by Neumann and Ostermann's song as a trio . In 1908 Ostermann won the award for the best song in Cologne dialect with Wä hätt dat vun d'r Tant Gedaach! (Who would have thought that from the aunt), to which the pop composer and conductor Emil Palm had contributed the music. It was Palm who transcribed many Ostermann compositions into sheet music.

In 1911 Ostermann married his sister, the revue dancer Käte Palm. In the following years he continued the success he had started. He wrote songs and carnival hits, published them himself and was able to earn a living with them. He performed most of the songs himself; however, some were also created for other performing artists. He has now been booked by an agency to perform throughout Germany. He did not limit himself to pure Cologne songs, but also wrote High German hits, especially waltzes and marching songs with the common themes of "Rhine", "wine", "woman" and "song". Several records became exceptional sales successes; he also wrote songs for revue films.

A single Ostermann hit ( Rhineland girl : “So I should have a girl free in my life, then it just has to be born on the Rhine”) went through the record press in 1927 with a million circulation and earned a season profit of 130,000  gold marks . Altogether there are at least nine versions of it at the time of its creation, first published in 1927 by Ostermann-Musikverlag in Cologne-Sülz . Robert Koppel brought out the title in 1929 with the B-side When you have a mother-in-law , also written by Ostermann. When the film of the same name was released in cinemas on May 6, 1930, Ostermann's Schunkellied was heard again in the version by actor Werner Fuetterer .

Towards the end of the 1920s, the economic situation in Germany deteriorated. Ostermann had fewer and less paid appearances. He also published sheet music and lyrics by other composers and authors, and wrote advertising copy. In addition, he had published the humorous weekly Tünnes und Schäl since the end of 1930 , but was discontinued the following year. In 1930 the evergreen Och, wat wor dat nice but en Colonia (oh, how nice it used to be in Cologne) was created.

Ostermann's relationship to National Socialism has not been reliably researched. The biographer Hans W. Krupp mentions the anecdote of a "contemporary and long-time musical companion", which is supposed to refer to an infected party badge at Ostermann, but emphasizes at the same time that this story alone party membership could not prove. According to Fred K. Prieberg's Handbook of German Musicians , there was no entry on membership in the NSDAP's central card index . In 1936 Ostermann and other artists took part in a vacation trip to Madeira by the NS organization KdF and wrote the song Madeira and the poem Madeirafahrt :

And if no dat veezehndäjije Jlöck
it goes by - un mer come zoröck
then mer still have eimol su vill Loß am Jeschäff
dat thanks mer all then the KdF

Sickness and death

Tombstone of Willi Ostermann in the Melaten cemetery in Cologne

Ostermann gave his last guest appearance in July 1936 in Bad Neuenahr , where he collapsed on the stage in the Kurhaus and was immediately admitted to the Lindenburg hospital in Cologne . After a serious stomach operation, he stayed there until his death and wrote his so-called “last song” Heimweh nach Köln , better known under the song line “Ich mööch zo Foss noh Kölle gon” (I want to go to Cologne on foot). In doing so, however, he used the melody from an earlier composition "Longing for the Rhine", which was created for the film " The Dream of the Rhine " (1933, director: Herbert Selpin ).

Ostermann died in hospital on August 6, 1936. When he was buried on August 10, 1936, 35,000 spectators lined the funeral procession from Neumarkt to the Melaten cemetery on Aachener Strasse. His composition Och, wat was beautiful before, but en Colonia was playing a band when Ostermann was buried. Cologne's shops closed until the deceased was buried in tails in the city's grave of honor . In one of the obituaries on the open grave, the carnivalist Thomas Liessem recited the refrain of Ostermann's last song Heimweh nach Köln for the first time . After his death, it was to become one of his most famous typically melancholic, Cologne mood songs:

When I think of my homeland
un sin d'r Dom su vor me ston,
I want to wave directly to home,
I want to go to Foss no Cologne.

Estate and souvenirs

Willi Ostermann monument in Koenigswinter

On February 16, 1939 ( Weiberfastnacht ) the Willi-Ostermann-Fountain was inaugurated in the old town of Cologne. For 38,000 Reichsmarks, the sculptor Willy Klein carved those 15 figures that Willi Ostermann had sung about in his songs from a 14 cubic meter block of shell limestone delivered from Bavaria. After 13 years Ostermann was still popular, because in 1949 the widow sold 45,000 copies of his Cologne songs.

Ostermann's lyrical and musical legacy was administered by his own publishing house, which his wife Käte continued after his death. Later it was taken over by the music publishers Hans Gerig KG. The Willi Ostermann Society Cologne 1967 e. V. looks after the artist's memory. In 1949 a memorial for Willi Ostermann was erected in Königswinter in the nightingale valley of the Siebengebirge .

A figure was dedicated to him on the Cologne Council Tower .

Willi Ostermann Medal

In honor of Willi Ostermann, the Willi Ostermann Medal was donated in 1967 as the highest honor at the Cologne Carnival . Since then it has been awarded at irregular intervals for special services to the Cologne songs and is usually presented at the prince proclamation .

Some of the winners:

Fritz Weber August Schnorrenberg (1967) Ludwig Sebus (1968) Karl Berbuer (1970) Jupp Schmitz Willy Schneider Marie-Luise Nikuta (1973) Jupp locks Willi Ostermann Society Cologne 1967 e. V. (1976) Toni Steingass (1977) Gerhard Jussenhoven (1978)

Bläck Fööss (1981) Hans Knipp (1986) Reinold Louis (1987) Willy Millowitsch (1994) Hellige Knäächte und Maägde (1997) Höhner (1999) King Size Dick (2002) Peter Schnitzler (2003) Hans Süper (2004) Otto Scheiblreiter (2004) Fritz Pleitgen (2007)

Works

List of Ostermann titles:

But otherwise Oh dear conductor (parody) Adelche - Adelche! Goodbye Schäng! All kinds of dolls Everything, everything because of the girls! All because of the men Am dude Jüd [d] (Lila lila Söckcher) (Et Schäfersch Nett) (Melodie Vincent Scotto 1906, La Petite Tonkinoise ) On the Ahr, on the Ahr ... Charge! Go hiking! information desk Barbarians! At de Kämmelings - do de Dühr nit op Don't bother yourself, Leve Schängemann Billiards comparisons! Blue Adria You (parody) Chrestian, you have a fine man! D'r King of Belgium D'r Zeppelin That damn! Dä throat - from Frau Schmalz You are flabbergasted - and can't say a word anymore One can research there, one can peek The little one must have a nuggel! (Yo, what huh then?) (1928) Dä Kölsche Boor en Iser You don't have to be with he jebore The beautiful thread edge There where the seven mountains (September 1930) Schmitz's wife had run away! (1907) Then wave me that gläuve The German bowling song Only available in Cologne on the Rhine The kingdom of heaven Dat eat zovill! I started to look at it from Här Ostermann Dat correct kölsch flat De Gripp De Wienanz have a blast! The ladies! Don't think about tomorrow Because carnival is only once a year Because only the Rhine with its cheerfulness ... (October 10, 1931) The Alfred with the Schillerlocken The anti-alcoholic "Frau Bellmann" has to walk down a rollercoaster The real Cologne poetry (that is not from Goethe) The Fastelovendsred The whole company! The Höhnerfarm vum Zilla! Today's youth The girl has to go to the Huhs The Mösch The Neugass pilgrims The number "42" The future Dröm loß still ens schunkele! So I advise you - move to the Rhine! (December 1929) Through the whole of Krohm - make me a Schrohm! jealousy A German sportsman about the world war An apiary parody Once on the Rhine (1931) "One into the other". Musical and humorous mess (September 1930) Railway Couplet There is only one German Rhine Et Düxer Schötzefäß There’s nothing for a real Polakschrett Et Griet knows Et hät och esu jejange Et Lißge uhs the Deepegass Et Littiti Et Stina must have a man! Eu-Eu-Eugenie French Fröhjohr Birthday condolation It has no gold or diamonds Hä can et Ha säht - un be säht Homesickness for Cologne Mr. Wenzel! The song about alcohol sounds "high"! hope Hooray! Minna got a husband! I have a long Kölsche I am from Cologne am Rhing ze Hus I stayed wat i ben ... I dumped the money I hann you to mind Hermann on Sunday day I drink to your health, my darling! (1931) I know something about you!

In spring, summer, autumn and winter Yes, the girls, they are dangerous to us Jet vum beer Jim! what hate do för en Bötzge ahn! Say no to anyone Kinddauf-keg unger kahn-trees Kindermungk Klapphorn verses Kölner Lokal-Kouplet, No. 1 Cologne Local Couplet II Koelsch Zaldate-Leed Cologne girls künne bütze ... Might not have a million dollars Kutt erop! Kutt erop! Kutt erop! Lieschen, just a little bit Song of praise for the "34" wine Song of praise to Cologne Lohß mer ens show, man for man (Laach-Leed) Madeira Madeira trip Girl, girl come with me along the Rhine (October 10, 1931) Malche, oh Malche, don't make a sentence Mummy! Mummy! our Heinemann Marie! - Grab it now! Mau-bow My Mathilde, she is in the picture My most dat dei nit? Mimmi, I know something about you! Minge wish "Me" Everything is the same to me! Modern, current couplet Nah - I don't like you mie Namur - Namur Ne gohde root New hunter's song Nothing to do Nit lied Oh, I! Wat han se the Herrmann! O Marie! Oh come with me to the registry office! O Rhineland, how beautiful are you! Waiter! Quickly another round! (November 1928) Oh, then mom is happy! Och wat wor dat earlier beautiful but en Colonia (1930) Oh, if only there Kreeg am Eng! Paula! Come and give your uncle a kiss "Bad luck" Pingswedder Pressa-Lied (Griet, kumm let the whole Brassel pound!) Rhenish songs, beautiful women enjoying wine (November 1928) Rhinelander Rhineland Girl (And should I free a girl in my life) (1927) Rötsch mer jet, angenies Russian It's nice to be a soldier It's nice when you know how to tell Schrrrumm! Ald widder en Fleeg kapott! Six pairs of Stivvele Longing for the Rhine So is England Soldier songs refrains Ssssst! watch out for a strong wind that comes! Su it et Su nice wor et never! (Su beautiful as instantly) Humming and humming leed telegram Devil dreams One would like to shed tears U 9 Us big they have screwed up their space! Nothing can happen to us! Our board of directors v. stone Four Seasons Villa Billa (now Schmitze has Billa) Caution Vun wäje zo fat jekoch Wagen de Zemmermanns don't do me any good Wammer vörnehm weed Wat then suffered 10,000 dhalers Wat summb dat, Wat brummb dat, Wat eß en d'r Luff ... Christmas gifts To whom God gives an office, he also gives understanding If you eat it, then Broß! If it weren't for love! When you have a mother-in-law! (1928) If you only knew ... [my child] If someone has jett om Häzze (I ben d'r city indicator) If only I had a mustache! When the carnival begins in Colonia! If more than fifteen children! When more of the cowslip goes for a walk! Who would have thought of the aunt! We also We are loyal to you! Woröm should gonn me ald en de Heija Two to fifteen

Film music

• Das Rheinlandmädel , 1930, directed by Johannes Meyer , in it Willi Ostermann also as an actor (Der Schlagerdichter)
• For once I don't want to have any worries , 1932, directed by Max Nosseck
• The Dream of the Rhine , 1933, directed by Herbert Selpin , in which Willi Ostermann also plays the role (The boss of the four Rhenish singers)

literature

• Thomas Liessem: Willi Ostermann. Life and work of the Rhenish folk song writer . Josef Höfer, Cologne 1936. 2nd, modified edition 1951. New edition (extended by notes) as: Willi Ostermann - A life for the happy song on the Rhine . Willi Ostermann Verlag, Cologne 1958, ISBN 3-87252-232-9 .
• Wilhelm Staffel: Willi Ostermann . Greven Verlag Cologne, 1976. ISBN 3-7743-0137-9 .
• Hans W. Krupp: Willi Ostermann. Dialect poet and song singer. City of Cologne [1986]. New edition as: Willi Ostermann. 'En Kölle am Rhing…'. A biography of Hans W. Krupp, re-edited by Anne Krupp. Wienand Verlag, Cologne 1995, ISBN 3-87909-432-2 .
• Sabine Giesbrecht , Hendrikje Enders: Greetings from the Rhineland - "I want to go to Foss noh Kölle gon". Songs by Willi Ostermann on historical picture postcards . In: Arne Bense, Martin Gieseking, Bernhard Müßgens (eds.): Music in the spectrum of technological developments and new media: Festschrift for Bernd Enders . EpOs-Music , Osnabrück 2015, ISBN 978-3-940255-60-0 , p. 471-488 .

Web links

Commons : Willi Ostermann  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Willi Ostermann in the catalog of the German National Library
• Website with additional information on Willi Ostermann
• List of all Ostermann titles and texts
• Article on the inauguration of the Ostermann fountain in 1939
• Website of the Willi Ostermann Society Cologne 1967 e. V.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ page 73 (PDF; 2.6 MB) discography.phonomuseum.at
2. ↑ Illustration of the music edition at willi-ostermann.de, accessed on August 10, 2019
3. ^ With Wilhelm Staffel, Willi Ostermann , 1976 spelling "Käthe" throughout, on the tombstone "Käte".
4. ↑ ^{a b} Who should pay for that? In: Der Spiegel . No. 1 , 1950, p. 6-9 ( online ).
5. ↑ Willi Ostermann. 'En Kölle am Rhing…'. A biography of Hans W. Krupp, re-edited by Anne Krupp. Wienand Verlag, Cologne 1995, ISBN 3-87909-432-2 . P. 93
6. ^ Fred K. Prieberg : Handbook of German Musicians 1933–1945 . CD-Rom-Lexikon, Kiel 2004, p. 5056.
7. ↑ Willi Ostermann. A life for happy songs on the Rhine. Complete edition. Edited by Thomas Liessem. Willi Ostermann Verlag, Cologne 1958. Contrary to common pronunciation, the spelling with “g” is correct here. See also Adam Wrede : New Cologne vocabulary. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1956–1958 under the letter "G": "In general it is retained by Cologne poets and writers because of the typeface [...]"
8. ↑ Inauguration of the Ostermann fountain. Retrieved November 6, 2016 . 
9. ↑ williostermann.de
10. ↑ Kölnische Rundschau , July 13, 1973, HK edition, p. 14.
11. ↑ karneval-plattform.de and koelnhochelf.de (PDF) P. 7 top left
12. ↑ cologne-info.de
13. ↑ willi-ostermann.de
14. ↑ vvv-opladen.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
15. ↑ koelschakademie.finbot.com ( Memento of the original from March 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and archived copy ( memento of the original from October 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
16. ↑ mwk-koeln.de ( Memento of the original from April 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) p. 26 below 
17. ↑ gerig.de ( Memento of the original from July 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
18. ↑ guenter-lehnen-koeln.de
19. ↑ hkm-ev.de ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
20. ↑ koelschenarrengilde.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) p. 6  
21. ↑ hkm-ev.de ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. P. 8, right column; as well as koelschenarrengilde.de  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) p. 10   
22. ↑ ksta.de
23. ↑ zukunftspreis.com ( Memento of the original on 14 September 2011 at the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link is automatically inserted and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
24. ↑ kallendresser.de
25. ↑ bmarcore.perso.neuf.fr

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