Fritz Graßhoff (9 December 1913 – 9 February 1997) was a German painter, poet and songwriter. He was known for hits sung by

Lale Andersen Lale Andersen (23 March 1905 – 29 August 1972) was a German chanson singer-songwriter and actress born in Lehe (now part of Bremerhaven). She is best known for her interpretation of the song ''Lili Marleen'' in 1939, which by 1941 transcend ...

Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn (born Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl; 27 September 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity in the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. As Hans Albers had done two generations before him, Quin ...

and Hans Albers. As a painter, he participated in important exhibitions; as a writer, he was known for his lyric volume '' Halunkenpostille'' and his auto

biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fict ...

''Der blaue Heinrich''. He translated poetry by the Ancient Roman Martial and the Swede

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...

. Many of his writings have been set to music by composers such as

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015), also known as Hansi, was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist" in Germany in each of ...

Norbert Schultze Norbert Arnold Wilhelm Richard Schultze (26 January 1911 in Brunswick – 14 October 2002 in Bad Tölz) was a prolific German composer of film music and a member of the NSDAP and of Joseph Goebbels' staff during World War II. He is best remem ...

and

Siegfried Strohbach Siegfried Strohbach (27 November 1929 – 11 July 2019) was a German composer and conductor. He founded and directed choirs and the vocal ensemble Collegium Cantorum and is notable for the composition of choral music. He was a conductor of major t ...

Life

Graßhoff was born and spent his youth in

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it th ...

, where his father, a former sailor, worked as a coal merchant and farmer. Traces of the rugged environment later appeared in his ballads and songs. He attended the "Humanistisches Gymnasium", learning Greek and Latin. After his Abitur (college entrance exam) in 1933, he began an apprenticeship as a church painter. Later, he was involved in journalism. In 1938, he was drafted into the military and fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

against Russia, later falling into British captivity. He wrote his first collection of

poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

in captivity in 1945. From 1946 to 1967, he lived in Celle,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. He traveled extensively to Greece and, from 1956, regularly to Sweden. In 1947, he published his most famous collection of ballads, songs and poems, the '' Halunkenpostille'', which sold more than 300,000 copies. His paintings were first shown in Celle in 1947, then in 1954 in his first important art exhibit at the

kestnergesellschaft Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and , ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

along with works by

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920s ...

and

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented ...

. His work was purchased by the

Kunsthalle Hamburg The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. The museum consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaa ...

and the

Lehmbruck Museum The Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum - Center for International Sculpture is a museum in Duisburg, Germany. Sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, after whom the museum is named, make up a large part of its collection. However, the museum has a sub ...

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...

. However, his income came primarily from his lyrics for pop songs. He wrote several hits for singers, such as

and Hans Albers, for whom he wrote "Nimm mich mit, Kapitän, auf die Reise" ("Take me along, captain, on your trip"). In addition to his often crude songs and ballads, set to music by such composers as Heinz Gietz,

, Lotar Olias, Wolfgang Schulz,

and

, he translated from Greek, from Latin, including texts by the Roman Martial, and from Swedish, with works by the national poet,

. In 1967, Graßhoff moved to Zwingenberg. He stayed away from the literary world because he felt that his reputation was primarily from his hit lyrics. When his biographical novel, ''Der blaue Heinrich'', was published in 1980, it received little attention. In 1983, he and his family left Germany for Canada, where he spent the last 13 years of his life at his home on the Ottawa River. He died in

Hudson, Quebec Hudson is an off-island suburb of Montreal, with a population of 5,135 ( 2011 Census). It is located on the south-west bank of the lower Ottawa River, in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. Situated about west of downtown Montreal, ...

. His late poetry brought him a respected place in the literary world, reflected in numerous essays. His paintings are held by museums, such as the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. In Celle, an archive is kept at the Bomann Museum, his

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...

in the garden of his home still exists, and the street Fritz-Grasshoff-GasseGrasshoff is an alternate spelling for Graßhoff. The German letter, "ß" can be written as a double-s, if the special character is unavailable. Non-Germans often mistake the letter for a B; Graßhoff may have changed the way he wrote his name after moving to Canada. is named after him.

Selected works

Literary works

* ''Zeltlieder und Barackenverse''. J.M. Klopp, Lütjenburg/Holstein 1945 * ''Das Heiligenhafener Sternsingerspiel 1945''. J.A. Keune, Hamburg 1946. * '' Halunkenpostille''. J.A. Keune. Hamburg 1947 * ''Das Gemeindebrett. Allgemein-ungültiger Jahresweiser für Landleute''. Lange. Duisburg 1954 * ''Im Flug zerfallen die Wege der Vögel''. Gedichte. Lange, Duisburg 1956 * ''Die klassische Halunkenpostille''. Epigramme und Satiren. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1964 * ''Graßhoffs unverblümtes Lieder- und Lästerbuch''. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1965 * ''Der neue Salomo. Eine Art Predigt an der Straßenecke''. Edition Esplanade. Hamburg 1965 * ''Carl Michael Bellman. Durch alle Himmel alle Gossen. Ein Bündel Fredmanscher Episteln und Songs. Aus dem Schwedischen singbar ins Deutsche gebracht''. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1966 * ''Der singende Knochen. Kurzgelochte Parahistorie zur echten Flötenforschung''. Edition Edition Moeck. Celle 1971 * ''Seeräuber-Report. Songs, Lieder & Balladen''. Erdmann. Tübingen/Basel 1972. * ''Philodemos und die antike Hintertreppe. 20 griechisch–römische Autoren neu übersetzt und umhost mit Graphiken des Autors''. Eremiten-Presse. Düsseldorf 1975 * ''Foxy rettet Amerika. Ein Musical für Kinder von 8-80'' (a musical for children from 8 to 80). Schott. Mainz 1976 * ''Der blaue Heinrich''. novel, Nymphenburger. München 1980. * ''Prosit ein Leben lang. Wollust & Müßiggang. Carl Michael Bellman, Episteln & Songs''. Fritz Graßhoff, Nachdichtungen. Edition Handpresse Gutsch. Berlin 1985. * ''Les animaux en pantalons. Tiere in Hosen. Eine Auswahl aus Menschenfabeln''. (animals in trousers,

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

s) Éditions du Silenoe. Montréal 1991 * ''Bellman auf Deutsch. Fredmans Episteln. Aus dem Schwedischen des 18. Jahrhunderts singbar ins Deutsche gerückt''. (Bellman in German) Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg. Potsdam 1995. * '' Martial für Zeitgenossen. Epigramme von Marcus Valerius Martialis''. Eremiten Presse. Düsseldorf 1998. * ''Von der Wichtigkeit der Dinge''. Heritage Fritz Graßhoff / Stiftung. Deutsches Kabarettarchiv. Mainz 2003 * ''Satire''. Preface by Roswitha Grasshoff, postscript by Pierre Filion. German and French. Éditions du Silence. Montreal 2007.

Picture books, exhibition catalogs

* Bilder und Zeichnungen von Fritz Graßhoff. Städtisches Kulturamt. Celle 1947 * Gerhard Händler: Fritz Grasshoff. Städt. Kunstmuseum Duisburg. Museumsverein. Duisburg 1956 * Paintings, Peintures, Gemälde 1984–1986. Montreal (Kanada) * Graphik − Graphic − Graphique. 1943–1993. Éditions Vaudreuil

anada Anada (russian: Анада; av, АнгӀада) is a rural locality (a selo) in Khidibsky Selsoviet, Tlyaratinsky District, Republic of Dagestan, Russia. The population was 49 as of 2010. Geography Anada is located 19 km north of Tlyarata ...

1993

Recordings and music books

* ''Halunkensongs'' for baritone, trompet, violin, akkordeon, double bass and percussion. music:

, sheet music:

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf. The catalogue currently contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on ...

1956 * ''Großer Kalender'' (after texts from "Das Gemeindebrett") for male choir, piano and large orchestra. music: Siegfried Strohbach, sheet music: Breitkopf & Härtel 1961 * ''Songs für Mündige''. arranged by Hans Last (

). with Lotar Olias, Lale Andersen and others. Polydor. Hamburg 1965 * '' Halunkenpostille''. Schräge Songs, halbseidene Lieder und wunderschöne Gedichte. music by Hans-Martin Majewski and

. spoken and sung by Hanne Wieder,

Hannelore Schroth Hannelore Emilie Käte Grete Schroth (; 10 January 1922 – 7 July 1987) was a German film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned over five decades. Career Born in Berlin in 1922, she was the daughter of popular stage and film actor ...

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series '' Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

, Gisela aus Schwabing,

Kirsten Heiberg Kirsten Heiberg (25 April 1907 – 2 March 1976) was a Norwegian/German actress and singer who had a major film career in Germany between 1938 and 1954. She reached the peak of her career in 1942–43, performing in Joseph Goebbels version ...

Ralf Bendix Karl Heinz Schwab (16 August 1924 – 1 September 2014), known professionally as Ralf Bendix, was a German Schlager singer, music producer, composer and songwriter. Biography Early on, Ralf Bendix played the modern music of his time in bands ...

, Jens Brenke, Inge Brandenburg, Werner Schmalenbach and Fritz Graßhoff.

Electrola Electrola is a German record label and subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Based in Munich, its roster has included Chumbawamba, Matthias Reim, Helene Fischer, Brings, Höhner and Santiano. History On 8 May 1925 the British Gramophone Compan ...

. Köln 1967 * ''Unerhörte Chansons''. voice: Illo Schieder, orchestra: Bert Grund. MPS 15108. Villingen 1968 * ''Warehouse-Life''. Chor-Revue. music by Peter Seeger. Schott. Mainz 1972 * ''Seeräuber-Report''.

Heinz Reincke Karl-Heinz Reincke (28 May 1925 – 13 July 2011) was a German-born actor, long-based in Vienna. Selected filmography Films *'' A Heart Returns Home'' (1956) - Besselmann *'' Confessions of Felix Krull'' (1957) - Stanko *''Tolle Nacht'' (1957 ...

Ingrid van Bergen Ingrid van Bergen (; born 15 June 1931) is a German film actress. She has appeared in 100 films since 1954. She was born in Free City of Danzig, today Gdańsk, Poland. Career Since 1954, Ingrid van Bergen appeared in more than 170 film and tele ...

Günter Pfitzmann Günter Pfitzmann (8 April 1924 – 30 May 2003) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1950 and 2001. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * ''Only One Night'' (1950) * ''All Clues Lead ...

, Hannes Messemer and others. Electrola. Köln 1973; CD: Conträr Musik 2004 * ''Fritz Grasshoff's Unartige Lieder''. Songs und maulfaule Balladen + Badewannenlieder für Mündige und Dickfellige unter Musik gesetzt von Lotar Olias. spoken and sung by Helmut Brasch,

Inge Meysel Inge Meysel (; 30 May 1910 – 10 July 2004) was a German actress. From the early 1960s until her death, Meysel was one of Germany's most popular actresses. She had a successful stage career and played more than 100 roles in film and on televisio ...

, Ernst Stankovski,

, Lothar Olias, Mal Sondock, Edith Hancke, Eckart Dux, Lale Andersen, Günter Jerschke, Erich Uhland, und Hanne Wieder. Intercord 720-08 * ''Foxy rettet Amerika''. musical by Heinz Geese. EMI-Electrola. Köln 1977 * ''Süverkrüp singt Graßhoffs Bellman'' (Süverkrüp sings Graßhoff's Bellman), Conträr Musik 1996 * ''Hört mal her, ihr Zeitgenossen''. Black und Pit. for Graßhoff's 90th birthday. Conträr Musik 2003

Selected exhibitions

* 1954

, Hannover * 1956 Städtisches Kunstmuseum, Duisburg * 1961 Studio für neue Kunst, Wuppertal-Elberfeld * 1970 Kunstverein, Celle * 1991 Stewart Hall, Montréal (Kanada) * 1991 Goethe-Institut, Montréal (Kanada) * 2003 Schlossmuseum, Quedlinburg

Literature

* Oskar Ansull: ''Und fliege in die Fremde''. In: ''Von Dichterfürsten und anderen Poeten. Kleine niedersächsische Literaturgeschichte.'' Band III. Hannover 1996, . * Friedrich Zehm: ''Ein Bündel Chanson''. In: ''The Musical Times'' Nr. 1519. Berkhamsted 1969, . * Eva Demski: ''Vagabund, Bänkelsänger, Malerpoet, Klabautermann''. In: '' FAZ'' 22 December 1989. * Ralf Busch: ''Fritz Graßhoff – Maler und Poet''. Bomann-Museum, Celle 1993, . * Maria Katharina Grote: ''Fritz Graßhoff – eine Bildmonographie''. Diplomarbeit, Universität Hildesheim 1997. * Jacques Outin: ''Graßhoff, Bellman und Schweden''. In: ''

Muschelhaufen ''Muschelhaufen'' (heap of shells) is a German annual, originally combining literature and graphic arts. It was founded by Erik Martin from Viersen in 1969 and published - with an interruption of 11 years - until 2008, when the last issue came ...

''. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, . * Wolfgang Ries: ''Gebrauchsware und Unnützes. Einige subjektive Anmerkungen zu Person und Werk von Fritz Graßhoff''. In: ''Muschelhaufen''. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, . * Eva Demski: ''Fritz Grasshoff – Der letzte Klabautermann''. In: ''Land und Leute''. Schöffling, Frankfurt/M. 1994, .

Notes

References

External links

* Peter Hunziker
Fritz Grasshoff - Schriftsteller und Maler / Eine persönliche Biographie über meinen Freund Fritz Grasshoff
(German) (Fritz Grasshoff - writer and painter / a personal biography of my friend Fritz Grasshoff) baenkelsaenger.ch

(German) muschelhaufen.de * Wolfgang Ries

(Gebrauchsware und Unnützes / some subjective remarks on the person and work of Fritz Graßhoff) (German) muschelhaufen.de
Werke von "Fritz Grasshoff" (1913-1997)
(German) deutscheslied.com

(German) quedlinburgweb.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Grasshoff, Fritz German male writers German lyricists German songwriters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters 1913 births 1997 deaths People from Quedlinburg German expatriates in Canada 20th-century German musicians German-language poets German military personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom