A typical easy-going man from Berlin called Bolle takes a trip on Pentecost which doesn’t turn out so well for him. That’s a German song linked to Pfingsten when many people in Germany have a long weekend and take trips or mini-vacations.
Category: Music and Art
A popular spring song in Germany is “Alle Vögel sind schon da” (All the birds are already here). It was written by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1835 and is sung to a melody by an unkown composer.
Take a look at the mosaic art on the walls of three public housing buildings in Vienna. The pieces depicting fruits and vegetables can be found in the Hadikgasse 268-272.
Considering the chicken dance is staple of Oktoberfest celebrations in the US you would think it’s a German tradition. But the song is actually Swiss, and called “Ententanz.”
Sing this German May Song to welcome May: Der Mai ist gekommen. Written by Geibel in 1841, set to music by Lyra in 1842
“Geh’ aus, mein Herz und suche Freud'” (Go forth, my heart and seek delight) is a known and popular summer song. It was written by pastor and poet Paul Gerhardt in 1653. Take a listen.
The first woman to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts of Munich, Marie Ellenrieder was a court painter and created religious art still admired today.
Famous composer and musician Max Reger set Friedrich Hebbel’s poem “Requiem” (Seele, vergiss sie nicht) to music. Read more about Hebbel and Reger and listen to the beautiful requiem.
Maybe you know him as the little brother of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, but Ludwig Emil Grimm was an artist in his own right: a painter, etcher, and engraver. Take a look at his life and artwork.
A month ago, I wrote about 10 American and British artists who recorded their songs also in German. Here is now a playlist on youtube featuring even more singers with their German language songs.
