The Adelaide Liedertafel (Die Adelaider Liedertafel) is a traditional German male choir, one of several ''Liedertafeln'', or song societies, in the history of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
and
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. It is Australia's oldest male choir.
History
The first "Adelaide Liedertafel" met in 1854 and 1855 at Wiener & Fischer's coffee house on Rundle Street, but disbanded when Robert Wiener and
George Fischer left for
Tanunda,
[ where they operated the Tanunda Hotel.
This was not the first Liedertafel in the city however, as the Deutsche Liedertafel, with which ]Carl Linger
Carl Linger (15 March 1810 – 16 February 1862) was a German Australian composer in South Australia who in 1859 wrote the melody for the patriotic "Song of Australia".
German-born intellectual Carl Linger, who had studied at the Institute of M ...
(composer, "Song of Australia
"The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger (1810-1862), a prominent member of the ...
") was closely identified if not the leader, was performing as early as January 1850, pre-dating the founding of the German Club
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
in 1854, both associated with the Hamburg Hotel.
The better-known, and current, Adelaide Liedertafel was founded in Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in December 1858 by members of the Deutscher Club of Adelaide, notably Linger and Carl Mumme. They comprised much of the younger membership of the Club, who felt stultified by the reactionary attitudes of the older members. They broke away completely from the Club, which was by then meeting at the Hotel Europe, and made their headquarters back at "Father" Kopke's Hamburg Hotel.
:The first office-holders were Johann Friedrich Martin "Friedrich" "Fritz" Armbrüster (June 1826 – 10 February 1897) president; Adolph Schlüter (c. 1835 – 30 March 1873) secretary and librarian; and Carl Linger (leader / conductor). Tenors were Julius H. C. Eitzen (1830–1897), Wilhelm Nitschke (1816–1889), Johann Gottlieb Christoph / Christov Reinhardt (c. 1824 – 6 August 1900), and Schlüter; second tenors: Ludwig "Louis" Maraun (c. 1820 – 3 November 1898), Hermann Heinrich Samuel Nettelbeck (1839-1918), and Frederick Wurm; basses: Oscar Ziegler ( –1916), Braun, C. G. Schedlich, and Charles Bielefeld; second basses: F. Armbrüster, J. W. Schierenbeck, and G. V. Eimer.
They performed at the Linger's funeral ceremony, as did the Brunswick (Brass) Band, of which he was also a founder.
A notable concert was held at White's Rooms
White's Rooms, later known as Adelaide Assembly Room, was a privately-owned function centre which opened in 1856 on King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia. It became Garner's Theatre in 1880, then passed through several hands, being kno ...
by the Liedertafel and Brunswick Band in August 1864 in aid of the Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...
Relief Fund. The Schleswig War of 1864 was a suppression of German nationals in the Danish province.
Other charitable concerts were for the Indian Famine Fund and the Patriotic War Fund ft the time of the Boer war.
They performed for dignitaries such as the Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...
(later George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
).
They appeared with musical entities Antoinette Link, Amy Sherwin
Frances Amy Lillian Sherwin (23 March 1855 – 20 September 1935), the 'Tasmanian Nightingale', was an Australian soprano singer.
Biography
She was born at Forest Home, Huonville, Tasmania on 23 March 1855. She was taught singing by her moth ...
, Ilma de Murska
''Ilma'' is a genus of skipper (butterfly), skippers in the family Hesperiidae.
ReferencesNatural History Museum Lepidoptera genus database
Hesperiinae
Hesperiidae genera
{{Hesperiinae-stub ...
, Heinrich Koehler, and Antonia Dolores.[
In 1867, following the death of Spietzschka, ]Carl Püttmann
Carl Püttmann (14 November 1843 – 12 January 1899), often referred to as Carl or Charles Puttmann, was a music teacher and composer of South Australia.
History
Püttmann was born in Cologne (Köln), Prussia, the third son of Hermann Püttmann ...
was appointed conductor, a post he held for 20 years. The first performance given by the choir under his baton was a comic opera ''Die Mordgrundbruck bei Dresden'' at the Theatre Royal in 1868; the first opera performed by amateurs in Adelaide.
The club was reorganised in 1871.
The choir attended the 1874 Sängerfest
Sängerfest, also Sängerbund-Fest, Sängerfeste, or Saengerfest, meaning singer festival, is a competition of Sängerbunds, or singer groups, with prizes for the best group or groups. Such public events are also known as a Liederfest, or song f ...
in Tanunda, along with the Adelaide Turnverein and Adelaide Liederkranz, hosted by the Tanunda Liedertafel
The Tanunda Liedertafel is a 45-member male choir in Tanunda, South Australia. Drawing its four-part (TTBB) singing material from traditional popular German culture. The group's origins date back to 1850, based on an entry in ''The South Australia ...
and Tanunda Riflemen.
Quarterly social gatherings were held at the Hotel Europe 1877, "Smoke socials" organised by Armbrüster. In that year "passive" (non-singing) members were first admitted, to the financial benefit of the Club.[
The club rented a large room in the Freemasons' Hall, adjacent Earl of Zetland Hotel, Flinders Street from ?? to 1880, the German Club's ]Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...
, then from 1882 the King of Hanover Hotel.
At the 22nd anniversary of its foundation in 1880 at the Albert Hall, the Liedertafel performed exclusively compositions by their patron Franz Abt
Franz Wilhelm Abt (22 December 1819 – 31 March 1885) was a German composer and choral conductor. He composed roughly 3,000 individual works mostly in the area of vocal music. Several of his songs were at one time universally sung, and have obta ...
, under the Püttmann baton, Otto Stange on piano.
In March 1891 the German Singing Society (organiser H. Heinicke) amalgamated with the Liedertafel, as did several other minor German societies.[
A "Grand Anniversary Concert" was held at the ]Adelaide Town Hall
Adelaide Town Hall is a landmark building on King William Street in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The City of Adelaide Town Hall complex includes the Town Hall and the office building at 25 Pirie Street.
Description and history
Adelai ...
in September 1905.
At their 50th anniversary in September 1908, a great concert was held at the Jubilee Exhibition Building
The Jubilee Exhibition Building in Adelaide, South Australia, was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837. The jubilees of her Coronation on 28 June 1838, and of the Proclamation of Sout ...
on North Terrace by the choirs of South Australia and Broken Hill, Ada Crossley
Ada Jemima Crossley (3 March 1871 – 17 October 1929) was an Australian contralto notable as the first RCA Victor Red Seal, Red Seal recording artist engaged in the US by the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1903.
Born at Tarraville, Gippslan ...
, the Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and Lady Le Hunte attending. Participating alongside the Liedertafel were the Adelaide Choral Society, Bach Society, Orpheus Society, Glee Club, Port Adelaide Orpheus Society, and the Broken Hill Quartet Club.
The club disbanded in 1914, and re-formed after the Great War, but for the members' pleasure only; they held no further concerts.[ It was re-formed again after World War II by ]Hermann Homburg
Hermann Robert Homburg (17 March 1874 – 12 December 1964) was a South Australian politician and lawyer.
Early life
Homburg was born in Norwood and educated at Prince Alfred College and the University of Adelaide. Following his admission to t ...
, and survives to this day, though with reduced and ageing membership.
Office holders
;Presidents
:This list is incomplete
*1858 (Johann) Wilhelm Schierenbeck (died in Germany 1887)
*1873–1889 (at least) Friedrich Armbrüster
*1874 H. Nettelbeck (perhaps Herman Heinrich Samuel Nettelbeck (1839 – 28 May 1918)
*1891–1904 Frederick Basse (c. 1851 – 17 April 1913)
*1908–1911 H. Rudolph "Rudi" Büring, sen. (25 August 1844 – 16 August 1923)
;Conductors
*1858–1864 Carl Linger
Carl Linger (15 March 1810 – 16 February 1862) was a German Australian composer in South Australia who in 1859 wrote the melody for the patriotic "Song of Australia".
German-born intellectual Carl Linger, who had studied at the Institute of M ...
*1864–1865 Carl Julius Kunze (c. 1825–1868)
*1865–1867 Wilhelm Spietschka (c. 1840 – 22 January 1867) died after riding accident; mentioned in Loyau's ''Notable South Australians''.
*1867–1886 Carl Püttmann
Carl Püttmann (14 November 1843 – 12 January 1899), often referred to as Carl or Charles Puttmann, was a music teacher and composer of South Australia.
History
Püttmann was born in Cologne (Köln), Prussia, the third son of Hermann Püttmann ...
*1886–1891 Carl, or Charles, Edmund Mumme (1839–1919) deputised for Püttmann on occasion from 1879; was also conductor of the Catholic Cathedral Choir.
*1889–1890 W. R. Pybus had difficulty in the position due to his lack of German.
*1891–1914 Hermann Heinicke (1863–1949). He founded Adelaide Grand Orchestra in 1893.
*1914 and post-war F. Ochernal
;Secretaries
*Frederick Hermann Otto (c. 1848 - 4 October 1894)[ This obituary includes an almost complete list of members.]
*1908 F. Ochernal
Notes
References
External links
Adelaider Liedertafel 1858 Inc. - front page
{{authority control
Australian choirs
Musical groups established in 1858
1858 establishments in Australia
German-Australian culture
Music in Adelaide