Volkslied (literally:

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

) is a genre of popular songs in German which are traditionally sung. While many of them were first passed orally, several collections were published from the late 18th century. Later, some popular songs were also included in this classification.

History

The earliest songs in German appeared in the 12th century.

Art song An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

s were created by

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enter ...

s and

meistersinger A (German for "master singer") was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composer, composition and a cappella, unaccompanied art song of the 14th to 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part ...

while

cantastoria (; also spelled , or ) comes from Italian for "story-singer" and is known by many other names around the world. It is a theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be paint ...

(''Bänkelsänger'') sang songs in public that were orally transmitted. Song collections were written from the late 15th century, such as ''

Lochamer-Liederbuch The ''Lochamer-Liederbuch'' (Lochamer Song Book or Locham Song Book) is an extensive collection of German songs at the transition from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance music, Renaissance. It dates from the mid-15th century and is regarded ...

'' and ''

Glogauer Liederbuch The ''Glogauer Liederbuch'' (Glogau Song Book) is a (medieval songbook) of sacred and secular songs and instrumental music, written about 1480. It is the earliest surviving set of partbooks (descant, tenor, and contratenor) and an important sou ...

''.

Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (; 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German geography, geographer, natural history, naturalist, ethnology, ethnologist, travel literature, travel writer, journalist and revol ...

's ''

Frische teutsche Liedlein Frische teutsche Liedlein is a five-part collection of songs, which was written and published in 1539-1556 by the doctor, composer and song collector Georg Forster (around 1510 in Amberg – 12 November 1568 in Nuremberg). It comprises 380 polyph ...

'' was first printed in 1536. In the period of

Sturm und Drang (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto-Romanticism, Romantic movement in German literature and Music of Germany, music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity an ...

, poets and authors became interested in that which they saw as simple, close to nature, original, and unspoiled (nach dem ).

Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( ; ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a Prussian philosopher, theologian, pastor, poet, and literary critic. Herder is associated with the Age of Enlightenment, ''Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. He wa ...

coined the term 'Volkslied' in the late 18th century, and published ''Von deutscher Art und Kunst'' (On German ways and artistry) in 1771. In 1778/79, a collection ''Volkslieder'' was published, promoted by

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

and

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (; ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the dev ...

, which mentioned neither an editor nor authors, in an attempt to suggest the songs as an expression of the soul of the people ().

Friedrich Silcher Philipp Friedrich Silcher (27 June 1789 in Schnait (today part of Weinstadt) – 26 August 1860 in Tübingen), was a German composer, mainly known for his lieder (songs), and an important Volkslied collector.Luise Marretta-Schär, Silcher, (Ph ...

(1789–1860) composed a great number of

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er, many of which became Volkslieder, and he edited collections of Volkslieder. In the middle of the 18th century, the Berliner Liederschule promoted songs with simple melodies ''im Volkston'' (i.e. in the Volkslied style). Songs written following the concept include "

Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust "" ("To wander is the miller's delight") is the first line of a poem by Wilhelm Müller, written in 1821 with the title "Wanderschaft" as part of a collection, ''Die schöne Müllerin''. While ''wandern'' is defined as "hiking" today, it referred t ...

" and "

O Täler weit, o Höhen Sechs Lieder (Six songs), Op. 59, is a collection of six part songs for four voices a cappella by Felix Mendelssohn. He composed the songs between 1837 and 1843, setting six poems in German. They are subtitled "Im Freien zu singen" ("To be sung ou ...

". In the early 20th century, the repertoire was broadened by workers' songs and students' songs. In 1914, John Meier founded the

Deutsches Volksliedarchiv The Deutsche Volksliedarchiv, a research institute for Volkslied (folk song) in German, was founded in 1914 and was integrated into the University of Freiburg in 2014, now called Zentrum für Populäre Kultur und Musik (Centre of popular culture ...

, a research and archive of Volkslied. The

Wandervogel ''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with na ...

movement turned to singing while wandering, with the collection ' published in 1909, and reprinted until 1933.

Collections

Achim von Arnim Carl Joachim Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (26 January 1781 – 21 January 1831), better known as Achim von Arnim, was a German poet, novelist, and together with Clemens Brentano and Joseph von Eichendorff, a leading figure of German Romanticism. ...

Clemens Brentano Clemens Wenzeslaus Brentano (also Klemens; pseudonym: Clemens Maria Brentano ; ; 9 September 1778 – 28 July 1842) was a German poet and novelist, and a major figure of German Romanticism. He was the uncle, via his brother Christian, of Franz a ...

: ''

Des Knaben Wunderhorn ''Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Alte deutsche Lieder'' (German for "The boy's magic horn: old German songs") is a collection of German folk poems and songs edited by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano. The book was published in three volumes, the ...

.'' 1806/1808. * Andreas Kretzschmer,

Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio Anton Wilhelm Florentin von Zuccalmaglio (12 April 1803 – 23 March 1869) was a German dialectologist, folklorist, folk-song collector, poet, and composer. Born in Waldbröl, he was one of six children born to politician and jurist Jakob S ...

: ''Deutsche Volkslieder mit ihren Originalweisen.'' 2 vols. Berlin 1838/1841. * Rochus Freiherr von Liliencron: ''Die historischen Volkslieder der Deutschen vom 13. bis 16. Jahrhundert.'' 5 vols. Leipzig 1865–1869, reprographied reprint 1966. *

Ludwig Erk Ludwig Christian Erk (6 January 1807, Wetzlar Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important ...

Franz Magnus Böhme Franz Theodor Magnus Böhme (11 March 1827 in Willerstedt – 18 October 1898 in Dresden) was a German academic, musicologist, composer, folksong collector and writer on music history and folksong. Biography The son of a farmer, Böhme became ...

: ''

Deutscher Liederhort The ''Deutscher Liederhort'' is a large collection of Volkslieder (folk-songs), now considered their authoritative source. It is often abbreviated as "Erk-Böhme" after its editors Ludwig Erk and Franz Magnus Böhme Franz Theodor Magnus Böhme ( ...

.'' Leipzig 1893/1894. * August Linder: ''Deutsche Weisen – Die beliebtesten Volks- und geistlichen Lieder für Klavier'' (with text), ca. 1900 * (ed.): ' Melody edition with chords. Reprint of the 10th edition, Leipzig 1913 (ED 3586). Schott, Mainz 1983, . * Bertold Marohl, ''Der neue Zupfgeigenhansl'', 121 young Lieder with texts, melodies, numbered chords and a einer finger positions for guitar. Mainz (et al.), Schott 1983 * , ''Der Spielmann – Liederbuch für Jugend und Volk'', Matthias Grünewald Verlag Mainz; 1st ed. 1914 katholische) Quickborn Bewegung">Quickborn.html" ;"title="katholische) Quickborn">katholische) Quickborn Bewegung with many expanded reprints, certainly up to 1976 * , ''Unsere Lieder – Ein Liederbuch für die wandernde Jugend''; Sauerland Verlag, Iserlohn, 1st ed. 1921. * Hermann Böse, ''Das Volkslied für Heim und Wanderung''; Arbeiterjugend Verlag Berlin, 1st ed. 1922, reprints 1923, 1927. * : ''Verklingende Weisen.'' Lothringischer Verlags- und Hilfsverein, Metz 1926 (vol. 1). * Hermann Peter Gehricke, , ,

Karl Vötterle Karl Vötterle (12 April 1903 – 29 October 1975) was a German music publisher. Life Vötterle was born in Augsburg. With the intention of printing song sheets for the members of the musical youth movement, he founded the Bärenreiter-Verlag i ...

, ''Bruder Singer, Lieder unseres Volkes''; Bährenreiter Edition 1250, Kassel 1951; 1974 new ed. * Heiner Wolf, ''Unser fröhlicher Gesell, Ein Liederbuch für alle Tage'', Möseler Verlag Wolfenbüttel \ Voggenreiter Verlag Bad Godesberg, 1955, reprints at least until 1964 * Josef Gregor, Friedrich Klausmeier, Egon Kraus: ''Europäische Lieder in den Ursprachen.'' Vol. 1: ''Die romanischen und germanischen Sprachen'', Berlin 1957. *

Ernst Klusen Ernst Klusen (20 February 1909 in Düsseldorf – 31 July 1988 in Bad Segeberg) was a German musicologist, educator and Volkslied composer. Work Books and songbooks * ''Das Volkslied im niederrheinischen Dorf. Studien zum Volksliedschatz der G ...

: ''Das Mühlrad, Ein Liederbuch der Heimat'', Kempen\Niederrhein 1966 * Klusen: ''Volkslieder aus 500 Jahren – Texte und Noten mit Begleitakkorden.'' Fischer, Frankfurt 1978. * Klusen: ''Deutsche Lieder.'' Texts und melodies. Insel, Frankfurt/M. 1980, . * Willy Schneider: ''Deutsche Weisen – Die beliebtesten Volkslieder für Klavier mit Text.'' Lausch & Zweigle, Stuttgart 1958. *

Wolfgang Steinitz Wolfgang Steinitz (28 February 1905 – 21 April 1967) was a German linguist and folklorist. Through his rediscovery of hidden social commentary in traditional folk songs, he was an important pioneer of the German folk-revival in both East an ...

: ''Deutsche Volkslieder demokratischen Charakters aus 6 Jahrhunderten.'' 2 vols, Berlin 1953, 1956. * Klingende Brücke: ''Liederatlas europäischer Sprachen der Klingenden Brücke.'' Vol. 1: Bonn 2001, vol. 2: Bonn 2002, vol. 3: Bonn 2003, vol. 4: Bonn 2006

Volkslieder

* Ach, wie ist's möglich dann * * Als der Großvater die Großmutter nahm *

Ännchen von Tharau "" (, ) is a 17-stanza poem by the East Prussian poet Simon Dach. The namesake of the poem is Anna Neander (1615–1689), the daughter of a person from Tharau, East Prussia (now known as Vladimirovo in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia). The poem wa ...

Auf der Lüneburger Heide The song Auf der Lüneburger Heide ("On the Lüneburg Heath") was composed in 1912 by Ludwig Rahlfs based on a poem from the collection ''Der kleine Rosengarten'' ("The Little Rose Garden") by Hermann Löns. It is often played at folk festivals in ...

* Backe, backe Kuchen * Bolle reiste jüngst zu Pfingsten * Bunt sind schon die Wälder *

* Der Kuckuck und der Esel * Der Mond ist aufgegangen * Der treue Husar *

Die Gedanken sind frei "" (Thoughts are free) is a German song about freedom of thought. The original lyricist and the composer are unknown, though the most popular version was rendered by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1842. Text The idea represented in the title—tha ...

* Drei Chinesen mit dem Kontrabass *

Du, du liegst mir im Herzen "Du, du liegst mir im Herzen" ("You, you are in my heart") is a German folk song about the excruciating pain of unrequited love, which is believed to have originated in northern Germany around 1820. Bavarian flautist Theobald Boehm, Theobald Böhm ...

* Ein Heller und ein Batzen *

Es tönen die Lieder "" (The songs are ringing) is a popular round for three parts to a German text, about songs sounding when spring returns. The author(s) of text and melody are unknown and it was passed orally. It was first published in a 1869 collection. It becam ...

Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud "Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud" ("Go forth, my heart, and seek delight") is a summer hymn with a text in German by the theologian Paul Gerhardt, written in 1653. It was first published in the same year in the fifth edition of Johann Crüger ...

* De Hamborger Veermaster *

Hänschen klein "" (Little Hans) by (1821–1882) is a German folk song that originated in the Biedermeier period (1815–1848) and later became a nursery song in the early 20th century. Background The lyrics of "" tell in three stanzas of Hans, a boy who vent ...

Heidenröslein "" or "" ("Rose on the Heath" or "Little Rose of the Field") is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1789. It was written in 1771 during Goethe's stay in Strasbourg when he was in love with Friederike Brion, to whom the poem is add ...

to the 1829 melody by Heinrich Werner * Hohe Tannen weisen die Sterne *

Ich hab die Nacht geträumet "" (I dreamed last night) is a German folk song. It is a melancholic song that tells of a disturbing dream foreshadowing death – a rosemary tree in the garden, falling leaves, and a jar broken to pieces and bleeding a red liquid. In Northern Ger ...

* In einem kühlen Grunde *

Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen "" ("Innsbruck, I must leave thee") is a German Renaissance song. It was first published as a choral movement by the Franco-Flemish composer Heinrich Isaac (ca. 1450–1517); the melody was probably written by him. The lyricist is unknown; an aut ...

Kein schöner Land in dieser Zeit "" (No country more beautiful in this time) is a popular Volkslied in German. It goes back to a song by Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio, first published in 1840 in a folk song collection. It gained popularity in the 1910s in the Wandervogel movem ...

* Kommt ein Vogel geflogen *

Leise rieselt der Schnee Leise rieselt der Schnee (which translates as "softly falls the snow") is one of the most famous Christmas songs in the German language. It was composed in 1895 in Grudziądz, Graudenz by the Protestant pastor Eduard Ebel (1839–1905) and publish ...

* Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus * Nun ruhen alle Wälder * Nun will der Lenz uns grüßen * *

O Tannenbaum "" (; "O fir tree"), known in English as "O Christmas Tree", is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song that was unrelated to the holiday, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree. History The modern lyrics were ...

* Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht *

Weißt du, wie viel Sternlein stehen "" (German for "Do you know how many stars there are?") is a German lullaby and popular evening song. The lyrics were written by the Protestant pastor and poet (1789–1854), who published them first in 1837. The melody is recorded back to 1818. ...

References

External links

* * {{Wikisourcelang-inline, de, Volkslieder
Center for Popular Culture and Music (Deutsches Volksliedarchiv)

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

Volksliederarchiv
volksliederarchiv.de

History

Collections

Volkslieder

References

Further reading

External links