John Birmelin
Encyclopedia
John Birmelin has been called the Poet Laureate
of the Pennsylvania Dutch
and is one of the most popular poet
s and playwright
s in the Pennsylvania German language
.
, Berks County
, Pennsylvania
to a Pennsylvania German mother, and a German father who was a native of Baden, Germany. He studied music at a young age, and by the age of eleven was an organist
in the local church where his father was a member of the choir
.
in Lehigh County
. In 1901, he accepted a job as the organist and choirmaster of Allentown's Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, a position he held until his retirement only weeks before his death in 1950 (his successor as organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart was Karl Buesgen
, Birmelin's student and noted Pennsylvania impressionist
landscape painter). Birmelin was also the first music teacher at Allentown Central Catholic High School
, a position he held from 1926 to 1936.
, and writings from Birmelin were in 62 of the first 100 published columns. His most commercially successful work was Mammi Gans: The Dialect Nursery Rhymes of John Birmelin, a Pennsylvania German translation of many of the Mother Goose
nursery rhymes. Birmelin's poetry often dealt with aspects of Pennsylvania German life and history. "Gwendeltee", one of his earliest works, is a poem about a beautiful Pennsylvania German girl on a farm. "Regina Hartmann" tells about the return of a Pennsylvania German girl taken prisoner during the French and Indian War
. "Der Laaf Kaaf" pertains to the Walking Purchase
.
John Birmelin's Pennsylvania German translation of the song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
" (often known as "America") was, and still remains, regularly sung at Fersommling
and other Pennsylvania German events:
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
of the Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
and is one of the most popular poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
s in the Pennsylvania German language
Pennsylvania German language
The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
.
Early life
Birmelin was born in Longswamp TownshipLongswamp Township, Pennsylvania
Longswamp Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,608 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,608 people, 2,029 households, and 1,529 families residing in the township. The population density was 246.1 people per...
, Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to a Pennsylvania German mother, and a German father who was a native of Baden, Germany. He studied music at a young age, and by the age of eleven was an organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
in the local church where his father was a member of the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
Career
In 1896, he moved to the city of AllentownAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
in Lehigh County
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....
. In 1901, he accepted a job as the organist and choirmaster of Allentown's Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, a position he held until his retirement only weeks before his death in 1950 (his successor as organist and choirmaster at Sacred Heart was Karl Buesgen
Karl Buesgen
Karl Henry Buesgen, Sr. was an American landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist typically associated with the Baum Circle, a group of artists either taught by, associated with, or directly influenced by Pennsylvania impressionist painter Walter Emerson Baum.Buesgen was born on Christmas...
, Birmelin's student and noted Pennsylvania impressionist
Pennsylvania Impressionism
Pennsylvania Impressionism refers to an American Impressionist movement from the first half of the 20th century that was centered in and around Bucks County, Pennsylvania, particularly the area around the town of New Hope...
landscape painter). Birmelin was also the first music teacher at Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School is a private, parochial school located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, a position he held from 1926 to 1936.
Literary
Although he wrote some poetry and verse as a young child, Birmelin did not begin writing again until the later years of his life. During the early 1930s, Birmelin's poetry was included as part of "'S Pennsylvaanisch Deitsch Eck" ("The Pennsylvania Dutch Corner") column in The Morning CallThe Morning Call
The Morning Call is a daily newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The newspaper is owned by the Tribune Company, whose other publications include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun....
, and writings from Birmelin were in 62 of the first 100 published columns. His most commercially successful work was Mammi Gans: The Dialect Nursery Rhymes of John Birmelin, a Pennsylvania German translation of many of the Mother Goose
Mother Goose
The familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
nursery rhymes. Birmelin's poetry often dealt with aspects of Pennsylvania German life and history. "Gwendeltee", one of his earliest works, is a poem about a beautiful Pennsylvania German girl on a farm. "Regina Hartmann" tells about the return of a Pennsylvania German girl taken prisoner during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. "Der Laaf Kaaf" pertains to the Walking Purchase
Walking Purchase
The Walking Purchase was a purported 1737 agreement between the Penn family, the proprietors of Pennsylvania, and the Lenape . By it the Penn family and proprietors claimed an area of 1,200,000 acres and forced the Lenape to vacate it...
.
John Birmelin's Pennsylvania German translation of the song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
" (often known as "America") was, and still remains, regularly sung at Fersommling
Fersommling
A Fersommling is a Pennsylvania Dutch social event in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel are performed for entertainment...
and other Pennsylvania German events:
Legacy
According to Homer Tope Rosenberger, Birmelin "had the power to write compelling poetry in the dialect that makes one sad, or joyous, pensive, or reminiscent" and that Birmelin's poetry had "a special quality because he weighed carefully the sound of dialect words. Birmelin's poetry dealt with Pennsylvania German issues and life, "sometimes humorously and other times in serious vein" and he "wrote in the dialect with dignity, but with a warmth that went to the heart."Poems
- "'S Alder un der Dot"
- "Buchschtaaweschpielerei"
- "Celia von Berneville"
- "Gwendeltee"
- "Gezwitscher"
- "Der Laaf Kaaf"
- "Regina Hartmann"
Translations
- Mammi Gans: The Dialect Nursery Rhymes of John Birmelin (a collection of Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
rhymes translated into Pennsylvania German) - "My Country, 'Tis of TheeMy Country, 'Tis of Thee"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an American patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody derived from Muzio Clementi's Symphony No. 3, and is shared with "God Save the Queen," used by many members of the Commonwealth of Nations...
" (often known as "America") (translated into Pennsylvania German) - Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's A Child's Garden of VersesA Child's Garden of VersesA Child's Garden of Verses is a collection of poetry for children by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. The collection first appeared in 1885 under the title Penny Whistles, but has been reprinted many times, often in illustrated versions...
(translated into Pennsylvania German)
Collections and anthologies
- Poems in "'S Pennsylvaanisch Deitsch Eck" ("The Pennsylvania Dutch Corner") column in The Morning CallThe Morning CallThe Morning Call is a daily newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The newspaper is owned by the Tribune Company, whose other publications include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun....
- Gezwitscher (collection of poems, published in 1938 as part of the yearbook of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society)
- Later Poems of John Birmelin (published 1951)
Resources
- Barba, Preston A. Introduction to Gezwitscher. The Pennsylvania German Society, III. Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1938.
- Buffington, Albert F. (ed). The Reichard Collection of Early Pennsylvania German Plays. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania German Society, 1962. Pages 398-439.
- Haag, Earl C. A Pennsylvania German Anthology. Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania: Susquehanna University Press, 1988.
- Rosenberger, Homer Tope. The Pennsylvania Germans, 1891-1965. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania German Society, 1966. Pages 215-217.