Kurt Rommel
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Kurt Rommel (20 December 1926 – 5 March 2011) was a German Protestant pastor of the Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg, author of spiritual books, and
hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditionally ...
. He wrote text and tune of hymns contained in both Protestant and Catholic hymnals.


Career

Born in
Kirchheim unter Teck Kirchheim unter Teck (, ; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Kircha'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter (Neckar), Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It i ...
, Rommel was drafted to the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
after his
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
. He became a prisoner-of-war in France, where he was able to study Protestant theology. He worked as a parish pastor in
Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...
and then at the St. Paulus church in Schwenningen from 1966. Rommel was also youth pastor (''Jugendpfarrer'') in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
. He wrote texts and tunes of many hymns of the genre
Neues Geistliches Lied (, ''new spiritual song''), abbreviated NGL, is a music genre of songs in German intended for church usage, and based on contemporary lyrics and with music by contemporary composers. History The idea to reach young people by new songs for ...
, realising that young people needed different songs than the traditional hymns. In 1962, he founded the form ''Kinogottesdienst'' of services held in a cinema, with a band instead of an organ. From 1974, he was editor, and later chief editor, of the , a regional news service of the Protestant church, until 1992. He published several books and a series of recordings. In retirement, he lived in
Weil der Stadt Weil der Stadt () is a town of about 19,000 inhabitants in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is about west of Stuttgart city centre, in the valley of the River Würm, and is often called the "Gate to the Black Fo ...
. Rommel died in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
-
Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt (), also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer Stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart' ...
at age 84.


Works


Music

Rommel wrote around 800 songs, with often both text and tunes, and 1000 rounds. His songs are often intentionally simple. Some of them were included in the Protestant hymnal ''
Evangelisches Gesangbuch ''Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' (''EG''; , "Protestantism, Protestant song book") is the current hymnal of German-language congregations in Germany, Alsace and Lorraine, Austria, and Luxembourg, which was introduced from 1993 and 1996, succeeding ...
'' (EG) and the Catholic hymnal ''
Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speak ...
'' (GL), which includes the earlier edition of ''Gotteslob'' and regional sections of both hymnals. More songs are contained in other hymnals and songbooks, including: * "Gib uns Frieden jeden Tag", 1963, EG 425 * "Herr, gib mir Mut zum Brückenbauen", 1963 * "Singet, danket unserm Gott", 1963 * " Herr, gib uns Mut zum Hören", 1963/1964, GL 521 in the first edition, GL 448 * "Bevor die Sonne sinkt, will ich den Tag bedenken", c. 1964 * " Lass uns in deinem Namen, Herr", 1965, GL 446''Wo wir dich loben, wachsen neue Lieder – plus'', Strube-Verlag Munich 2018, VS 4049, , No. 172 (in German) * "Wir wissen nicht, was kommt", 1965 * "Lass uns hören, Herr und Gott", tune by Alfred Hans Zoller * "Du hast uns, Herr, gerufen", 1967, EG 168 * "Wenn wir jetzt weitergehen, dann sind wir nicht allein", 1967 * "Ein Kind ist angekommen", 1968 His songs appeared in songbooks in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway. A collection of his songs was published in 2007, titled ''Fest verwurzelt'' (Firmly rooted). "Lass uns in deinem Namen, Herr" was included in the 2018 songbook ''Wo wir dich loben, wachsen neue Lieder – plus'' (Where we praise you, new songs grow) by Strube-Verlag, including a translation into French.


Publications

Rommel wrote more than 100 books, including: * ''Mut zum Trauern'', Quell-Verlag, Stuttgart, 1974, * ''Von der Lust und Last des Alters'', Quell-Verlag, Gütersloh, 2001, * ''Menschen, Kirchen, Anekdoten. Entdeckungen in unseren württembergischen Gemeinden'', Quell Verlag, Stuttgart 1987, * ''Heiteres und Ernstes aus der württembergischen Kirchengeschichte'' * ''Manche mögen's christlich. Texte zum Weiterdenken'' Edition Gemeindeblatt, Stuttgart 2006,


References


Further reading

* * Rommel, Kurt: "Kurt Rommel". In: (ed.): ''Das neue Lied im Evangelischen Gesangbuch: Lieddichter und Komponisten berichten''. Archiv der Evangelischen Kirche im Rheinland, Düsseldorf 1996, , pp. 188–196. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rommel, Kurt 20th-century Lutheran clergy 21st-century Lutheran clergy German Christian hymnwriters German Protestant clergy German prisoners of war in World War II held by France 20th-century German non-fiction writers 20th-century German journalists 1926 births People from Kirchheim unter Teck 2011 deaths 20th-century German male writers