Willy Mommer

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Willy Mommer Jr. as a young pianist with the awards of the Belgian Resistance (autographed photo by Eupener photographer Felix Vanderheyden, probably around 1946)

Willy Mommer junior (born December 12, 1921 in Eupen / Belgium ; † August 25, 1972 there ) was a Belgian pianist and organist, choir and orchestra director, composer and music teacher and concert organizer. As a member of the Belgian Resistance in World War II , he made a name for himself as a resistance fighter against the National Socialist regime.

Childhood and youth

Mommer was born into a Catholic family as the eldest of three children of the married couple Willy Mommer (1882–1943) and Clara Peters (1898–1996). His grandfather, the church musician and choirmaster Robert Mommer (1844–1908) and his father, who was also a church musician, composer, music educator, promoter of culture and choir director, shaped the musical life of Eupen. After attending primary school in Eupen, he received his Abitur certificate at the College Patronné grammar school there (today Pater Damian secondary school in Eupen ). As a child and adolescent, he was taught piano as well as harmony and composition by his father, the Belgian pianist Elise Dehin-Delacroix from Liège and the pianist Heinrich Nelting in Aachen.

After the annexation of Eupen-Malmedy-Moresnet by the German Reich in May 1940, the Aachen school authorities took over the administration of the Collège Patronné and offered the then senior class a university course on condition of voluntary entry into the Reich Labor Service . Trusting this promise, later not kept by the school authorities, Mommer went to Cologne in the autumn of 1940 to inquire about studying German and music at the University of Cologne and the Cologne University of Music .

War and resistance

In October 1940 Mommer came to the Reich Labor Service in Reifferscheid near Hellenthal and on March 10, 1941 he was drafted into the German Wehrmacht . In Munster he was trained as a radio operator for intelligence activities with the 4th Company of the intelligence replacement department 16 and was transferred to reporting squadron VI in Cologne-Wahn in October 1941 . In the spring of 1943 Mommer successfully passed an exam with which he rose to the radio department of an army corps leadership. On June 9, 1943 he was transferred from Wahn to Belzig / Brandenburg to the secret radio reporting service of the High Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW), Defense / Foreign Office under Admiral Wilhelm Canaris .

In Belzig (code name "Burg" in the radio network of the German military secret service and next to the overseas radio center in Hamburg-Wohldorf from 1939 to 1945 the seat of the largest German radio station for wireless communication) he was entrusted with musical tasks in addition to his work as an elite radio operator. As a pianist and leader of several chamber music ensembles, a symphony orchestra ("Das Berliner Orchester") and a salon orchestra, he has given numerous concerts in cities such as Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt / Oder, Küstrin / Oder as well as in Belzig and the surrounding area. Due to his musical ability, he was in a privileged position and thus had access to high circles of power in the Abwehr and the OKW and went on business trips with Canaris to Spain and Turkey himself. In April 1945, the Abwehr, which was in the process of being disbanded, commissioned him to work as a radio operator in Bavaria to support the werewolf activities of the Wehrmacht and the SS against the advancing American forces. After a short period of service at the Abwehr branch in Obing am Chiemsee, shortly before the end of the war , he traveled via Prague and the Bavarian Forest to the so-called Alpine fortress . After the end of the war, Mommer returned to his hometown of Eupen in early July 1945.

Mommer had already joined the Belgian resistance network TEGAL within the Resistance in 1940 and worked for it from October 1940 until the end of the war. From his locations in Munster, Cologne-Wahn (via couriers of the French Resistance Network ZERO) and Belzig (via radio with a special technology), he sent the Belgian Resistance and the British Secret Intelligence Service information important to the war effort. In April 1945 he was imprisoned in Berlin on suspicion of espionage, but could evade conviction. The Belgian historian Emmanuel Debruyne later described Mommer as probably the most fertile East Belgian Wehrmacht soldier in the service of the Tégal resistance network.

Honors

Memorial plaque to Willy Mommer in the Eupener Friedhof

After the war, Mommer was honored with several awards in Belgium for his services as an active resistance fighter, including

  • the Belgian war cross with a bronze palm,
  • the Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1940-1945,
  • the Décoration militaire pour service exceptionnel ou acte de courage ou de dévouement with silver palm and
  • the Medal de la Resistance.

A commemorative plaque placed by the city of Eupen on the grave of the Mommer family of musicians in the Eupener Friedhof not only highlights their musical achievements, but also the active commitment of Willy Mommer junior in World War II "as one of the few Wehrmacht members from his city" for the resistance against the Nazi regime emerged.

Musical career

After his return from the war, Mommer actually wanted to pursue a career as a pianist, but after the death of his father stayed in the town of Eupen, which is now part of the German-speaking community of Belgium , in order to continue the music scene established there by his grandfather, his father and his uncle Hubert Mommer to expand. He took over the direction of several private and school choirs from Eupen and the surrounding area and occasionally appeared as a solo pianist and chamber musician and as a piano accompanist for Walter Berry , Josef Greindl , Walter Raninger , Renato Capecchi and Ivan Rebroff, among others .

Mommer primarily promoted the next generation of musicians and headed the organization for youth and music in Eupen and East Belgium for many years, and later, as vice-president, of the Fédération Nationale des Jeunesses Musicales de Belgique (National Association of Youth and Music). So he obliged u. a. well-known Belgian and international ensembles and soloists. Until his death he campaigned again and again for the creation of a music academy and - in vain - for the construction of a cultural center in Eupen. In addition, as a concert organizer, he enlivened the musical life of Eupen and in 1967 brought the “Christmas in the City” concert series from Brussels to East Belgium. In the meantime, he was also to be heard as the presenter of weekly classical music broadcasts on Belgian radio in German (he also composed the broadcasting symbol for the broadcasts in German on the Belgian radio) and was for a time on the board of directors of the Orchester Philharmonique de Liège .

Like his father, he devoted himself to composing both sacred and, in particular, secular music, and his inclination for German and French literature resulted in several settings of poems by important poets. He also composed music for the stage, an operetta and a few piano works and created numerous choral arrangements of folk songs from all over the world in their original language.

Choir conductors

As early as 1945 he got a job as a language and music teacher at the upper level of the Collège Patronné, where he took over the boys' choir there. At the same time he was entrusted with the management of the girls' choir at the neighboring Heidberg Lyceum. Furthermore, he took over the direction of the Eupener Kgl, founded in 1905, as the successor to his uncle . MGV Marienchor Eupen in 1905 and one year later launched the Eupen men's quartet founded by his father in 1926. Mommer undertook numerous tours with this choir at home and abroad, including to France, Portugal, Germany, England, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia as well as the Netherlands and the Nordic countries and successfully participated in several choir competitions. In 1958, 1959 and 1963 alone, his choir was the only one to win three first prizes at the International Choir Competition "Concorso Polifonico Internazionale 'Guido d'Arezzo'" in Arezzo / Italy, and Mommer won the 1959 conducting award there.

At the beginning of the 1950s Mommer had also headed the Cäciliengesangverein at the St. Nikolaus Church in Eupen , with whom he performed the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus by Georg Friedrich Handel , for which he received excellent reviews in the local press , on the occasion of its 100th anniversary . In addition, he conducted the La Royale Union Wallonne choir in Malmedy from 1960 until his death, and in the same year took over the direction of the choir of the municipal technical school. Especially with his choirs, which he led to great concert successes, Mommer significantly shaped the cultural life of his hometown Eupen and beyond.

Memorial plaque on the house of the Mommer family in Eupen

Mommer was no longer able to lead his choir himself when the men's quartet performed, which had been called the “National Vocal Ensemble César Franck” for a short time and was chosen to represent Belgium for the cultural program of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich . A few days later he succumbed to a serious illness and found his final resting place in the Eupen cemetery. Mommer left behind his wife Hilde nee Pankert and six children.

In 1982 the city of Eupen had a memorial plaque put up on the former home of Willy Mommer's father and son at Gospertstrasse 89 in Eupen. Thereupon it is acknowledged that “her musical work has made Eupen known far and wide” . On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his death in 1997, the Kgl. MGV Marienchor Eupen in honor of its former conductor Willy Mommer the CD Die Eupener composer family Mommer - musica sacra between Rhine and Maas , which was published with a booklet by Alfred Minke.

In 2017, his daughter Marie-Claire and the historian at the University of Luxembourg , Christoph Brüll, published a book about Willy Mommer's life.

Compositions (selection)

Spiritual works

measure up

  • Mass for mixed choir, op.18
  • Mass for male choir 4 voices a capella in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, op. 84, (Missa "In Conceptione Immacul. BMV" ad quator voces viriles - most kindly dedicated to Reverend Josef Pankert, 1953)
  • Missa Festiva in E minor for solos, 4 voices, choir and organ
  • Mass in D minor for 3-part female choir, 4-part male choir and organ
  • Missa Regina Coeli for male choir (dedicated to the memory of my father and my sister Else, 1963/64)
  • Fragments of a mass in B

Motets and other sacred choral works

  • Jesu dulcis memoria (Motet, 1983)
  • Panis angelicus (1983)
  • Hodie christus natus est (1955)
  • O salutaris hostia (double choir, 1960)
  • Ave verum for male choir
  • Pange lingua for 8-part male choir, op. 23 a
  • Adoramus te for 4-6 part mixed choir (1961)

Secular works

Solo songs

  • Versuchs for mezzo and piano (text by Franz Peter Kürten) (1953)
  • Mother for voice and piano (text by Franz Peter Kürten) (1955)
  • Serenade for voice and piano (based on an own text) (1955)
  • All Souls Spring for alto and piano (dedicated to the memory of his father and sister)


Choir songs So far, around 40 songs have been recorded, mostly for male choirs. Texts by important German poets such as:

These compositions were primarily published by well-known German choir publishers such as Schwann, Spiess, Hartkopf, Engels, etc.

Stage works

  • Joli Gilles, Opéra comique en deux actes: Musique Willy Mommer
  • La double ereur, Opérette en un acte (text by Arthur Nisin)
  • Choral music for Sophocles Antigone
  • Bell song for soprano solo and mixed choir

Piano works

  • Nocturno for piano "To Hilde" (dedicated to his future wife Hilde Pankert, 1942)
  • In the 1944 war correspondence from Willi Mommer jun. The following two piano works, albeit lost, are named for Hilde Pankert as intended for her:
    • Ballad for piano
    • Concert pieces for piano (around 1943/44)

Sound carrier (selection)

  • Kgl. Eupen men's quartet, DNB / NDB (Belgian National Discotheque) 30.001, Studio FONIOR, Brussels, June 13, 1964
  • Kgl. Eupen men's quartet, DNB / NDB (Belgian National Discotheque) 30.005, Studio FONIOR, Brussels, January 22, 1966
  • Kgl. Eupen men's quartet, KME 503, Studio FONIOR Brussels, 10 February 1968
  • Kgl. Men's quartet Eupen and its soloists: Christmas all over the world , KME 504, without location and date.
  • Belgian National Ensemble Kgl. Eupen men's quartet, page 1: Musical treasures of the Renaissance , page 2: Choral music from all over the world - From the treasure chest of folk songs , KME 505, Studio FONIOR Brussels June 27, 1970 (in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture)
  • National Vocal Ensemble Kgl. Men's quartet Eupen, Hubert Vanaschen, medal of the Belgian government 1970, and the Kgl. Men's quartet (Belgian national ensemble) EUPEN, KME 506, without location and date
  • National ensemble Kgl. Men's quartet Eupen - Belgium: choral works from 4 centuries , page 1: from motet to romantic choral song , page 2: folk songs all over the world , KME 507, recording: Eupen, November 1971 (in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Culture Office for the German-speaking region)
  • National ensemble Kgl. Men's Quartet Eupen - Belgium: Choral Works from 4 Centuries , Page 1: From Madrigal to Choral Song , Page 2: Songs of the Peoples and Nations , KME 508, recording: Eupen, November 1971 (in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Culture Office for the German-speaking region).
  • La Royale Union Wallonne Malmedy chante. Le Chant à travers les siècles ..., le Folklore à travers le monde! , without the location and date of the recording.
  • La Royale Union Wallonne Malmedy: Le Monde En Chansons , without location and date.
  • Kgl. MGV Marienchor Eupen, choral music from time and the world, musical journey through countries and continents , MCE 301.
  • Kgl. MGV Marienchor Eupen, The Eupen composer family Mommer - musica sacra between Rhine and Maas , with an accompanying booklet by Alfred Minke, BEMA PGmbH, Eupen 1997

literature

  • Freddy Derwahl : The Maéstro dies , in: Like a candle in the night, Caterina of Siena and the Chapel of Astenet , Eupen, Belgian national group of the Ecumenical Association of the Caterinati, 1978, p. 123.
  • Harald Kurth: The Mommer family of musicians from Eupen a century in the service of choral singing - Willy Mommer (son) (1921–1972) in: Kgl. MGV Marienchor Eupen (Ed.): 75 Years of the Marienchor Eupen , Grenz-Echo-Verlag, Eupen, 1980, pp. 75–87 ( PDF )
  • Marie-Claire Mommer: The music carried on hands: Willy Mommer's musical career began 50 years ago , in: Grenz-Echo , December 31, 1997, p. 6. ( PDF )
  • Marie-Claire Mommer & Christoph Brüll: In the realm of sharp notes. Willy Mommer jun. (1921–1972): musician, spy, cultural manager , Grenz-Echo-Verlag, Eupen 2017. ISBN 978-3-86712-129-3 .
  • Harald Kurth: Willy Mommer father and son - Eupen's unforgotten cultural ambassadors in pictures of life from East Belgium , Heinz Warny, Grenz-Echo-Verlag, Eupen 2017, ISBN 978-3-86712-1316 .
  • Freddy Derwahl: The spy played Schumann , Nachtnotizen, in: Grenz-Echo from November 29, 2017, p. 2.

Web links

Commons : Willy Mommer  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heiko Suhr, historian at the University of Vechta, notes on this in an expert report to Marie-Claire, written down in her book: In the realm of sharp tones. Willy Mommer jun. (1921–1972): musician, spy, cultural manager on page 120:

    “Your father was of age (21) and rank (corporal) when he was transferred to the OKW in a subordinate position. His statements from the immediate post-war period ("Das Deutsche Spionagewesen" or "The German counter-espionage") clearly indicate that he was in contact with people from the Foreign News / Defense Office who were far above him in terms of rank and with whom he was on duty may not have had to do directly. This group of people must also have trusted your father very much. So your father had extensive knowledge that his rank and position (radio operator at the most important radio center in the office) cannot be explained in any way. Most likely he owes this knowledge to his extraordinary musical talent. The music gave him access to the inner circle of power of the German military intelligence service. ... It is said that he belonged to Canaris' entourage and that he also accompanied Canaris on business trips in this capacity. This also suggests that Willi Mommer has found access to very high circles of power in the defense through music (third or fourth row of the defense hierarchy under the head of office Canaris and his group leaders) "

  2. ↑ Die Deutsche Gegenenspionage , report by Willy Mommer from September 8, 1945, pp. 1–16
  3. ↑ Willy Mommer: Das Deutsche Spionagewesen , in: Findbuch BArch RW 49/646, Freiburg March 6, 2016
  4. ↑ Emmanuel Debruyne: C'était Tégal - Un réseau de renseignements en Belgique occupée de 1940–1944 , Editions Labor, October 1, 2003, pages 118–119, ISBN 2804018156
  5. ^ Family archive Mommer, now State Archive Eupen
  6. ↑ History of the Marienchor Eupen , on the homepage of the Marienchor Eupen
  7. ↑ Men's Quartet of the Marienchor , in the article about Willy Mommer sen. on the homepage of the Marienchor Eupen
  8. ↑ In the realm of sharp notes. Willy Mommer jun. (1921–1972): musician, spy, cultural manager Book presentation on the website of the University of Luxembourg
personal data
SURNAME Mommer, Willy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mommer, Willy junior
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian conductor, composer and cultural manager
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Eupen
DATE OF DEATH August 25, 1972
Place of death Eupen