Berliner Liedertafel (Berlin choral society), as the name for a male-voice choir, was first used in December 1808 by

Carl Friedrich Zelter Carl Friedrich Zelter (11 December 1758 15 May 1832)Grove/Fuller-Datei:Carl-Friedrich-Zelter.jpegMaitland, 1910. The Zelter entry takes up parts of pages 593-595 of Volume V. was a German composer, conductor and teacher of music. Working in his ...

, who established the first north German prototype for such male-voice choirs. In 1819 another society was founded by Ludwig Berger,

Bernhard Klein Bernhard Joseph Klein (6 March 1793 – 9 September 1832) was a German composer. Life Klein was born in Cologne. He married Lili Parthey (1800–1829) who was the sister of Gustav Parthey (1798–1872) and the granddaughter of Friedrich Nicolai ...

Gustav Reichardt Gustav Reichardt, also ''Heinrich Wilhelm Ludwig Gustav Reichardt'' (13 November 1797 – 18 October 1884), was a 19th-century German music teacher and composer. Life and work Gustav Reichardt was born in Schmarsow. He received his first mu ...

and

Ludwig Rellstab Heinrich Friedrich Ludwig Rellstab (13 April 179927 November 1860) was a German poet and music critic. He was born and died in Berlin. He was the son of the music publisher and composer Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab. An able pianist, he publi ...

and In 1884,

Adolf Zander Adolf Zander (16 January 1843 – 1 August 1914) was a German composer, organist at the Church of St. Sophia in Berlin, choir director, royal Prussian music director and founder of the new male Berliner Liedertafel choir. Life Zander was born i ...

founded the still active men's singing club Berliner Liedertafel e.V.

History

The (original) Berlin Liedertafel of 1809

The first Berlin choral society also known as "Zelter Liedertafel", named after its founder

, was the first male choral society of its kind and a model for similar groups. Composed of 25 men who wrote and performed works for each other, used ''Das Englische Haus'' (The English House) on ''

Mohrenstraße Mohrenstraße, or Mohrenstrasse (see ß), is a street in central Berlin. It runs from west to east between Wilhelmstrasse, Wilhelmstraße and , and partially forming the southern edge of Gendarmenmarkt. The Berlin U-Bahn station Mohrenstraß ...

'' as their meeting place.

The (younger) Berliner Liedertafel of 1819

The 1819 "Younger Berlin Liedertafel" (or even younger Liedertafel of Berlin) founded by Ludwig Berger, Bernhard Klein, Gustav Reichardt and Ludwig Rellstab, continued tradition of popular choral music in the city. It differed radically from the elitist, romantic Zelter's

Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

, once it was also based on a democratic statute. Here the generation of young veterans of the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

gathered, bringing their liberal and patriotic ideas.

The (new) Berliner Liedertafel of 1884

In 1884 the new Berlin choral society, established by Adolf Zander, came to existence through a merger of several smaller choirs. The choir counted already with 117 singers by the end of the founding year. In the ''Wilhelmian Liedertafel'' era, the Berlin Liedertafel counted with more than 250 singers, being the largest male-voice choir in Germany. The choir took long trips abroad (Austria, Romania, Sweden, France, Baltic states, Italy, Russia, Egypt, the United States, Japan), and along with the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

it gave great concerts. This society gave rise to another, the Lehrergesangverein of 1886.

References

Sources

*Klenke, Dietmar (1998), ''Der singende "deutsche Mann": Gesangvereine und deutsches Nationalbewußtsein von Napoleon bis Hitler'', ;Attribution *''This article is based on a translation of the article at the German Wikipedia. A list of contributors can be found a
de.Wikipedia.org History
.''

External links

The Berliner Liedertafel e.V
Official Website {{Authority control German choirs Music in Berlin Musical groups established in 1884