Friedrich Silcher
Encyclopedia
Weinstadt
Weinstadt is a town in the county Rems-Murr, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located in the Rems Valley approximately 15 km east of Stuttgart. As the name implies, it is best known for its vineyards and production of wine...
) 26 August 1860 in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
), was a German composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, mainly known for his lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er (songs), and an important folksong collector.
Life
Silcher was meant to be a school teacher, but dedicated himself entirely to music in the seminary in LudwigsburgLudwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
after he met Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
. He was taught composition and piano by Conradin Kreutzer
Conradin Kreutzer
Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer was a German composer and conductor. His works include the opera for which he is remembered, Das Nachtlager in Granada, and Der Verschwender, both produced in 1834.Kreutzer owes his fame almost exclusively to Das Nachtlager in Granada , which kept the stage for...
and Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...
. In 1817 he was named musical director at the University of Tübingen. He is regarded as one of the most important protagonists of choir singing. He arranged many German and international folk songs that even today remain standard repertoire of many choirs in Germany and became an integral part of German daily life. In 1829 Silcher founded the "Akademische Liedertafel" in Tübingen and directed it until his death.
He was married to Luise Rosine Ensslin (6 September 1804 in Tübingen – 17 June 1871 ibid.). They had two daughters and one son.
A wine varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
was named after him, the Silcher (not to be confused with Schilcher
Schilcher
Schilcher is a wine produced solely in the Austrian region of Western Styria , in the districts of Deutschlandsberg and Voitsberg, sharing a border with Slovenia and Carinthia to the south and west. The wine growing area is the smallest in Europe. The Schilcher wine itself is a distinct rosé made...
). The asteroid 10055 Silcher
10055 Silcher
10055 Silcher is a main-belt asteroid discovered on December 22, 1987 by Freimut Börngen at Tautenburg. It is named after German composer Friedrich Silcher.- External links :*...
also bears the composer's name.
Works
Amongst his best known songs are:- "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden"
- "Alle Jahre wiederAlle Jahre wiederAlle Jahre wieder is a well known Christmas carol, written in 1837 by Johann Wilhelm Hey and set to music by Friedrich Silcher. The last two verses are omitted from many editions...
" - "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore" (Original version by SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, best known in Silcher's adaptation) - "Die LoreleiLoreleiThe Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat...
" - Abschied ("Muss i' denn zum Städtele hinaus"), which was adapted to "Wooden HeartWooden Heart"Wooden Heart " is a song best known for its use in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues. The song was a hit for Presley in the United Kingdom, making number one for six weeks, but wasn't released as a single in the United States until November 1964 as the B-side to "Blue Christmas"...
"
External links
- Silcher Museum in Weinstadt
- "The song of the Lorelei" (English lyrics and MP3)