Friedrich Dörr (7 March 190813 May 1993) was a German Catholic priest and professor of theology, who is known as a

hymnwriter 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 traditional ...

. He shaped the first common German 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 ...

'', published in 1975.

Life

Friedrich Dörr was born in Obereschenbach to a family of bakers, the son of Georg Dörr, who was mayor of his hometown until 1933. Friedrich was a member of the of the humanist from age 11. 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 ...

in 1927, he studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the

Collegium Germanicum The Collegio Teutonico (German College), historically often referred to by its Latin name Collegium Germanicum, is one of the Roman Colleges, Pontifical Colleges of Rome. The German College is the Pontifical College established for future ecclesi ...

in Rome, graduating in 1930 from the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. He was ordained as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

by Cardinal

Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani (1 October 1871 – 13 January 1951) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, Vicar General of His Holiness, Secretary of the Holy Office, ...

on 29 October 1933. He wrote his dissertation in 1935, entitled ''Diadochus von Photike und die Messaliner''. Dörr returned to the Diocese of Eichstätt in 1935, and worked as a parish priest in Erkertshofen, Fünfstetten,

Wemding Wemding () is a town in the Donau-Ries district of Bavaria, Germany. Wemding is situated on the edge of the Ries meteorite crater in the Geopark Ries. History The town of Wemding was founded in 793, documented as "Uuemodinga" in a donation d ...

Dietfurt Dietfurt an der Altmühl (officially Dietfurt a.d. Altmühl, , ), commonly known as Dietfurt, is a Town#Germany, town in the Neumarkt (district), district of Neumarkt in Bavaria, Germany. The town is situated on the river Altmühl, and is 38 ...

, and at St. Walburg und Eichstätt and the

Eichstätt Cathedral Eichstätt Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Willibald and St. Salvator is the 11th-century cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Eichstätt and is located in the city of Eichstätt, in the state ...

. In April 1940 he was drafted into 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 ...

to serve as a ''Sanitätssoldat'', then from 1942 as . He worked in this function in southern France,

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

, and in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. In March 1944, he was responsible for Denmark and

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and from 1878 to 1919. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773, formed from Royal Prussia of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonweal ...

. After World War II ended, Dörr was appointed professor of ''Systematische Philosophie und Pädagogik'' at the Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule in Eichstätt (later called

Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt The Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) is a Catholic research university in Eichstätt and Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. It is the only Catholic university in Germany. Compared to other German universities it is a rather small ...

) from 1 November 1945. He served as Rector of the institution from 1964 to 1968, and was professor until 1976. He was also president of the ''Studentenhilfe'' in Eichstätt. From 1966 to 1975, Dörr was a member of the commission working towards the first common Catholic hymnal in German, ''

''. He wrote several hymns. The Book of Hours of 1978 contained 30 of his hymns. He died in Eichstätt.

Songs in ''Gotteslob''

For the ''Gotteslob'' of 1975, Dörr contributed several songs, especially translations of Latin hymns, including "

Komm, Heilger Geist, der Leben schafft "" (Come, Creator Spirit, visit us) is a Christian hymn in German for Pentecost. The text is a paraphrase of the Latin hymn by Friedrich Dörr, with a 1524 melody. It was first published in the Catholic German hymnal ''Gotteslob'' in 1975. Hist ...

" from

Veni Creator Spiritus ''Veni Creator Spiritus'' (Latin: Come, Creator Spirit) is a traditional Christian hymn believed to have been written by Rabanus Maurus, a ninth-century German monk, teacher, archbishop, and saint. When the original Latin text is used, it is norma ...

, "Sakrament der Liebe Gottes" from Tantum ergo,495 / Sakrament der Liebe Gottes (L) / Leben in der Kirche – Eucharistie
mein-gotteslob.de "O lieber Jesu, denk ich dein" from of

Jesu dulcis memoria ''Jesu dulcis memoria'' is a Christian hymn often attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The name can refer either to the entire poem, which, depending on the manuscript, ranges from forty-two to fifty-three stanzas, or only the first part. T ...

,368 / O lieber Jesu, denk ich dein (L) / Leben in Gott – Jesus Christus
mein-gotteslob.de "Du Licht des Himmels, großer Gott" from Deus qui coeli lumen es
mein-gotteslob.de and the evening hymns "Christus, du bist der helle Tag" from "Christe, qui lux es et dies"
mein-gotteslob.de and "Bevor des Tages Licht vergeht" from

Te lucis ante terminum ''Te lucis ante terminum'' ('To Thee before the close of day') is an old Latin hymn in long metre. It is the hymn at Compline in the ''Roman Breviary''. Origin S.-G. Pimont argued for the authorship of Ambrose of Milan. The Benedictine edito ...

. He created a new hymn, retaining only the first line of " Maria, dich lieben ist allzeit mein Sinn". The following list has the numbers of the 2013 ''

'', and the numbers in the first edition in brackets: * "Bevor des Tages Licht vergeht" (

), GL 663 (before 696) * "Christus, du bist der helle Tag" ("Christe, qui lux es et dies"), GL 90 (before 704) * "Du Licht des Himmels, großer Gott" (Deus qui coeli lumen es), GL 615 * "Ein Haus voll Glorie schauet", pseudonym: Hans W. Marx, GL 478 (before 639) * "Gott ruft sein Volk zusammen", GL 477 (before 640) * "Ich bin getauft und Gott geweiht", GL 491 (before 635) * "

" (

), GL 342 (before 241) * "

Kündet allen in der Not "" (Tell all in need) is a Christian hymn with German text by Friedrich Dörr written in 1971 to a 1662 melody by Johann Rudolf Ahle. The song is part of the German Catholic Church, Catholic hymnal ''Gotteslob''. History Friedrich Dörr wrote th ...

", GL 221 (before 106) * " Maria, dich lieben ist allzeit mein Sinn", GL 521 (before 594) * "O Gott, dein Wille schuf die Welt" (Deus creator omnium), GL 628 * "O lieber Jesu, denk ich dein" (

), GL 368 (before 550) * "Sakrament der Liebe Gottes" ( Tantum ergo), GL 495 (before 542) * " Was uns die Erde Gutes spendet", GL 186 (before 490) * "Wir sind getauft auf Christi Tod", third and fourth stanza of " Das ist der Tag, den Gott gemacht", GL 329, (before 220)

References

External links

*
Wandlungen / Das Eichstätter Seminar (1564–2014) in den letzten fünfzig Jahren
(in German) priesterseminar-eichstaett.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Dorr, Friedrich German Roman Catholic hymnwriters Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni People from Ansbach (district) 20th-century German Catholic theologians 1908 births 1993 deaths Academic staff of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt 20th-century German Roman Catholic priests German Army soldiers of World War II

Life

Songs in ''Gotteslob''

References

Further reading

External links