Peter Janssens (17 June 1934 – 24 December 1998) was a German musician and composer who wrote and performed

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

for several theatres, and songs and

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

of the genre

Neues Geistliches Lied ''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 youn ...

, a pioneer of . He worked at a German theatre in Buenos Aires, set several works by

Ernesto Cardenal Ernesto Cardenal Martínez (20 January 1925 – 1 March 2020) was a Nicaraguan Catholic priest, poet, and politician. He was a liberation theologian and the founder of the primitivist art community in the Solentiname Islands, where he lived for m ...

to music and composed in 1992 a passion music, in memory of 500 years after the European invasion in Latin America.

Biography

Born in

Telgte Telgte (German pronunciation: �tɛlktə regionally �tɛlçtə is a town in the Warendorf district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the river Ems 12 km east of Münster and 15 km west of Warendorf. Telgte is famous as a place of ...

, Peter Janssens was the last of nine children and grew up in rural surroundings. He attended the gymnasium Paulinum in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

. Janssens studied musicology, sociology and history at the

Musikhochschule Köln A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger in ...

, graduating as a music educator in 1958. He continued his studies from 1961 to 1964 at the University of Münster. He worked as

répétiteur A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare. Opera In opera, a is the person ...

at the

Theater Münster Theater Münster (formerly: Städtische Bühnen Münster) is a municipal theatre in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, for plays and music theatre (opera, operetta, musical, ballet). When it opened in 1956 it was regarded as the first ne ...

. From 1966, he composed

for the Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, the Deutsches Theater in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

Staatstheater Wiesbaden The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden ('Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden') is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets, musicals and concerts on four stages. Known also as the ...

and the

Staatstheater Darmstadt The Staatstheater Darmstadt (Darmstadt State Theatre) is a theatre company and building in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, presenting opera, ballet, plays and concerts. It is funded by the state of Hesse and the city of Darmstadt. Its history began in ...

, among others. He was active at the

Bad Hersfelder Festspiele The Bad Hersfelder Festspiele is a German theatre festival in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse. The ''Bad Hersfelder Festspiele'' have been staged since 1951. The Festival The ''Bad Hersfeld Festival'' takes place every year from mid-June to early August in ...

, both in the direction and in performing his own pieces, In 1964/65, he was director of music, composer, pianist and actor at the Deutsche Kammerspiele in Buenos Aires. From 1966, he lectured on song and chanson at the Folkwangschule. From 1962, Janssens composed religious songs of the genre later called

, beat masses and later

. He wrote numerous songs, children's songs such as "Herr Uklatsch", and musicals such as ''Dietrich Bonhoeffer – ein Leben im Widerstand'' (''Dietrich Bonhoeffer – A Life in Resistance''). He set music to texts by authors such as , ,

, , and . He introduced the term "" to Germany, when in 1972 he subtitled his ''Menschensohn'' ( ''Son of Man'') ''Ein Sacro-Pop-Musical'' (A sacropop musical). From 1973, Janssens performed with his musical ensemble Gesangsorchester at the

Kirchentag The German Evangelical Church Assembly (German ''Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag'', DEKT) is an assembly of lay members of the Evangelical Church in Germany, that organises biennial events of faith, culture and political discussion. History ...

, first in Düsseldorf. In 1992, he wrote ''Passion der Eingeborenen'' (''Passion of the Indigenous''), related to 500 years after the European invasion in Latin America. He was a member of the association which is now the ''Textautoren- und Komponistengruppe'' (

TAKT Takt time, or simply Takt, is a manufacturing term to describe the required product assembly duration that is needed to match the demand. Often confused with cycle time, takt time is a tool used to design work and it measures the average time in ...

). Janssens died in Telgte. His home town named a road after him on 17 June 2004, which would have been his 70th birthday.

Awards

* 1971:

Hersfeld-Preis The Hersfeld-Preis is an award for an actor. It has been awarded annually since 1962 as part of the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele of the ''Gesellschaft der Freunde der Stiftsruine'' and the city of Bad Hersfeld The festival and spa town of Bad Hersf ...

Works

The

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...

holds 138 of his compositions, such as: * ''Mit lauter Stimme ruf ich zum Herrn'', 1965 (text:

Romano Guardini Romano Guardini (17 February 1885 – 1 October 1968) was a German Catholic priest, author, and academic. He was one of the most important figures in Catholic intellectual life in the 20th century. Life and work Guardini was born in Verona, I ...

) * ''Überall wirkt Gottes Geist'', 1966 (text: Lutz Hoffmann, Franz Mausberg, Karl Norres, Leo Schuhen) * ''Heilig, heilig, heilig, Herr und Gott'', 1969, from: ''Friedens-Messe'' (text: Helmut Virnekäs) * ''Gute Nachricht für alle Völker'', 1970 (text: ) * "

Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein "Herr, wir bringen in Brot und Wein" (Lord, we bring in bread and wine) is a Christian offertory hymn with German text by , and a melody by Peter Janssens. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including ' ...

", 1970 (text: translation from Dutch) * ''Singt dem Herrn alle Völker und Rassen'' * ''Wir können nicht schweigen'', 1970 (text: Bonner Theologen-Team R. Gille / P. Janssens / L. Pesch / R. Sonnen) * "Wir haben einen Traum – Unser Leben sei ein Fest", 1972 (text: Alois Albrecht, , team) * ''Gebet für Marilyn Monroe – Psalm 21'', 1972 (text: Ernesto Cardenal) * ''Menschensohn'' I and II, 1972, ''Ein Sacro-Pop-Musical'' (text: Karl Lenfers) * ''Wir jagen die Räuber fort'', 1972 (text: H. Scupin,

Hildegard Wohlgemuth Hildegard is a female name derived from the Old High German ''hild'' ('war' or 'battle') and ''gard'' ('enclosure' or 'yard'), and means 'battle enclosure'. Variant spellings include: Hildegarde; the Polish, Portuguese, Slovene and Spanish Hilde ...

, u. a.) * ''Wir hören schon die Musik'', 1973 (Gesänge, by Ernesto Cardenal and Peter Janssens) * ''Die Bauernoper / Szenen aus dem deutschen Bauernkrieg'' (1525), 1973, by

Yaak Karsunke Yaak Karsunke (born 4 June 1934, Berlin) is a German author and actor. The son of an engineer and the procurer of a publishing house, he grew up in the borough of Pankow. In 1949 his family moved to Friedenau where he passed the Abitur in 1953 ...

and Peter Janssens * ''Ein Halleluja für dich'', 1973 (texts by Alois Albrecht) * ''Fridolin und Kater Mau.'' 1973, children's musical (text: Werner Baer) * ''Ihr seid meine Lieder'', 1974 (prayers from the

liturgy of the hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

in texts by Alois Albrecht) * ''Ave Eva oder Der Fall Maria'', 1974 (text: Wilhelm Willms) * "

Manchmal feiern wir mitten im Tag "" (Sometimes we celebrate in the middle of the day) is a Christian hymn written in 1974 with German text by Alois Albrecht and a melody by Peter Janssens. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is part of German hymnals, including ...

", 1974 (text: Alois Albrecht) * ''Willi Schlappohr'', 1975, ''Musikspiel'' (text: Werner Baer) * ''Fest der Hoffnung'', 1976, songs to the ''Hungertuch'' from India (text: Wilhelm Willms) * ''Circus Mensch'', 1976, ''Ein musikalisches Spektakel'' (text: Wilhelm Willms) * ''Break down the walls'', 1976 (texts: Ernesto Cardenal, , Wilhelm Willms and others) * ''Die Statuten des Menschen'', 1977 (Gesänge, by

Thiago de Mello Amadeu Thiago de Mello (30 March 1926 – 14 January 2022), pen name Thiago de Mello, was a Brazilian poet, writer, translator, and environmental activist. He was among the most appreciated writers in the country and especially as an icon of Ama ...

and Peter Janssens) * ''Der Herr ist mein Sinn, nie werde ich funktionieren'', 1977 (text: Alois Albrecht, Yaak Karsunke and others) * ''Unkraut Leben'', 1977, songs for the Kirchentag in Berlin * ''Wann kommt der Tag'', 1978, songs for

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

and a cantata (texts: Friedrich Karl Barth, Ursula Barth, , Wilhelm Willms, and others) * ''Franz von Assisi'', 1978, ''Musikspiel'' (text: Wilhelm Wilms) * ''Uns allen blüht der Tod'', 1979, ''Ein Fest für die Lebenden'' (text: Friedrich Karl Barth, ) * ''Spielball Schöpfung'', 1983, ''Ein Zweifel-Hoffnungsfest'' by H.-J. Eimüller and Peter Janssens) * ''Elisabeth von Thüringen'', 1984, ''Musikspiel'' (text: ) * ''Das Tierparlament'', 1985, ''Musikspiel'' (text: Hermann Schulze-Berndt) * ''Jesus, einer von uns'', 1987, ''Musikspiel'' (text:

Christa Christa may refer to: * Christa (given name), a female given name * Janusz Christa (1934-2008), Polish comics author * ''Swedish Fly Girls'', a 1971 film also known as ''Christa'' * 1015 Christa, an asteroid See also * Christ (disambiguation) * C ...

and Michael Blanke) * "

Selig seid ihr, wenn ihr einfach lebt "" (Blessed are you if you live simply) is a Christian hymn written in 1979. The song, of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL), is included in hymnals both Protestant and Catholic, and in other songbooks. History The text of "" was written ...

", 1989 (text: Friedrich Karl Barth, Peter Horst}) * ''Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben'' (A Requiem for

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

, 1990 (text: Stephan Kiepe-Fahrenholz) * ''Das Licht einer Kerze'', songs for Advent and Christmas, 1991 (texts: , Sybille Fritsch, Christine Heuser, Hans-Jürgen Netz, Stephan Kiepe-Fahrenholz) * ''Mirjams Mose'' * ''Gott zieht vor uns her'' (Mose and Joshua), 1991 (text: Rolf Krenzer) 1991, ''Musikspiel'' in four parts (text: Schall-Team) * "Kerzen im Advent" ("Grüner Kranz mit roten Kerzen") (text: Rolf Krenzer) * ''Neues Kolpinglied'', 1991 (text: Hermann Schulze-Berndt) * ''Passion der Eingeborenen'', 1992, ''Ein Musik-Panorama über die Geschichte Lateinamerikas (1492–1992)'' (text: Stephan Kiepe-Fahrenholz) * ''Auf Messers Schneide'', old and new ''Kirchentag'' songs, 1992 (von Sybille Fritsch, Wilhelm Willms, Alois Albrecht, Peter Janssens and others) * ''Kippe im Kopf'', ''Müllkantate'', 1992 (text: Stephan Kiepe-Fahrenholz) * ''Kleiner Spatz von Irgendwo – Träum dir doch einen Drachen'', 1992, 26 children's songs by Rolf Krenzer and Peter Janssens * ''Als Gott sein Kind zur Welt geschickt'', 1992, ten songs for a nativity play, 1992 (text: Rolf Krenzer) * ''Bye Bye Jona'', 1992 (text: Rolf Krenzer) * ''Obed'', 1993, ''Kinderkirchentag'' Munich, songs by Rolf Krenzer and Peter Janssens * ''Der Turm'', 1994 (Text: Rolf Krenzer) * ''Meine Lieder'', 1994, a hit selection of the song book by Peter Janssens * ''Dietrich Bonhoeffer'', 1995 (text: Priska Beilharz) * ''Tag für Tag und Jahr für Jahr'', 1996, songs by Rolf Krenzer and Peter Janssens for the ''Werkbuch'' of the same name, Lahn Verlag * ''Hildegard von Bingen'', 1997 (text:

Jutta Richter Jutta Richter (born 30 September 1955 in Burgsteinfurt, Westfalen, Germany) is a German author of children's literature, children's and youth literature. Richter spent her youth in the Ruhr and Sauerland and at the age of 15 she spent a year in D ...

) * ''Es ist eine Mutter'', Kirchentag in Leipzig 1997 (songs by Sybille Fritsch, Jutta Richter, Michael Blanke, Hans-Jürgen Netz und Peter Janssens) * ''Die Brücke fließt'', ''Ein Singspiel über das Zusammenleben von drei Religionen'', 1998 (text: Priska Beilharz)

Filmography

* 1981:

Tatort ''Tatort'' ("Crime scene") is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by ...

: (music and acting), director

Literature

Barbara Stühlmeyer Barbara Stühlmeyer OblOSB (born 12 November 1964) is a German theologian, musicologist, author, especially a Hildegard scholar and a science journalism. Biography Stühlmeyer was born in Bremen. After completing her A levels at the Altes Gy ...

Ludger Stühlmeyer Ludger Stühlmeyer (born 3 October 1961 in Melle, West Germany) is a German cantor, composer, docent and musicologist. Biography Stühlmeyer was born to a family of cantors and made his first steps under the guidance of his father in the town chu ...

: the song ''Eines Tages kam einer'', by Alois Albrecht and Peter Janssens. In: ''Das Leben singen''. Verlag DeBehr, Radeberg 2011, , pp. 87ff.

References

External links

Einige Aufführungsdaten der Theater/Bühnenmusik von Peter Janssens
piet-beat.de
peter janssens musik verlag, Telgte
peter janssens musik verlag
Meine Lieder
(soundfiles) peter janssens musik verlag
Peter Janssens, Spiegel seines Lebens
(biography, in German) peter janssens musik verlag {{DEFAULTSORT:Janssens, Peter 20th-century classical composers German Roman Catholic hymnwriters Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni 1934 births 1998 deaths University of Münster alumni People from Warendorf (district) 20th-century German composers Academic staff of the Folkwang University of the Arts