Fritz Graßhoff (9 December 1913 – 9 February 1997) was a German painter, poet and songwriter. He was known for hits sung by

Lale Andersen Lale Andersen (23 March 1905 – 29 August 1972) was a German chanson singer-songwriter born in Lehe (now part of Bremerhaven). She is best known for her interpretation of the song "Lili Marleen" in 1939, which by 1941 transcended the conflic ...

Freddy Quinn Freddy Quinn (born Franz Eugen Helmut Manfred Nidl; 27 September 1931) is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity in the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. As Hans Albers had done two generations before him, Quinn ...

and

Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960), also known by his nickname “der blonde Hans” (The Blond Hans), was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the m ...

. As a painter, he participated in important exhibitions; as a writer, he was known for his lyric volume '' Halunkenpostille'' and his auto

biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fictio ...

''Der blaue Heinrich''. He translated poetry by the Ancient Roman

Martial Marcus Valerius Martialis (known in English as Martial ; March, between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD) was a Roman and Celtiberian poet born in Bilbilis, Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his twelve books of '' Epigrams'', pu ...

and the Swede

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

. Many of his writings have been set to music by composers such as

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist, his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and ...

Norbert Schultze Norbert Arnold Wilhelm Richard Schultze (26 January 1911 in Braunschweig, Brunswick – 14 October 2002 in Bad Tölz) was a prolific Germany, German composer of Film score, film music and a member of the NSDAP and of Joseph Goebbels' staff dur ...

and

Siegfried Strohbach Siegfried Strohbach (27 November 1929 – 11 July 2019) was a German composer and conductor. He founded and directed choirs and the vocal ensemble Collegium Cantorum and is notable for the composition of choral music. He was a conductor of major t ...

Life

Graßhoff was born and spent his youth in

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz (district), district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg becam ...

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

, where his father, a former sailor, worked as a

coal merchant A coal merchant is the term used in the UK and other countries for a trader who sells coal and often delivers it to households. Coal merchants were once a major class of local business, but have declined in importance in many parts of the developed ...

and farmer. Traces of the rugged environment later appeared in his ballads and songs. He attended the "Humanistisches Gymnasium", learning Greek and Latin. 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 ...

(college entrance exam) in 1933, he began an apprenticeship as a church painter. Later, he was involved in journalism. In 1938, he was drafted into the military and fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

against Russia, later falling into British captivity. He wrote his first collection of

poems Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

in captivity in 1945. From 1946 to 1967, he lived in

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

. He traveled extensively to Greece and, from 1956, regularly to Sweden. In 1947, he published his most famous collection of ballads, songs and poems, the '' Halunkenpostille'', which sold more than 300,000 copies. His paintings were first shown in Celle in 1947, then in 1954 in his first important art exhibit at the

kestnergesellschaft Kestner Gesellschaft (Kestner Society) is an art institution in Hanover, Germany, founded in 1916 to promote the arts. Its founders included the painter Wilhelm von Debschitz (1871–1948). The association blossomed under the management of and ...

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

along with works by

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, drawing, draftsman, printmaker, sculpture, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the m ...

and

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

. His work was purchased by the

Kunsthalle Hamburg The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. It consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaal) and ...

and the

Lehmbruck Museum The Stiftung Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum - Center for International Sculpture is a museum in Duisburg, Germany. Sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck, after whom the museum is named, make up a large part of its collection. However, the museum has a sub ...

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

. However, his income came primarily from his lyrics for pop songs. He wrote several hits for singers, such as

and

, for whom he wrote "Nimm mich mit, Kapitän, auf die Reise" ("Take me along, captain, on your trip"). In addition to his often crude songs and ballads, set to music by such composers as

Heinz Gietz The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 186 ...

Lotar Olias Lotar Olias (23 December 1913 – 21 October 1990) was a German composer who worked on numerous film scores. He composed the tune of the 1953 song '' You, You, You''.Tyler p.452 Selected filmography * '' Artists' Blood'' (1949) * '' The Thief of ...

, Wolfgang Schulz,

and

, he translated from Greek, from Latin, including texts by the Roman

, and from Swedish, with works by the national poet,

. In 1967, Graßhoff moved to Zwingenberg. He stayed away from the literary world because he felt that his reputation was primarily from his hit lyrics. When his biographical novel, ''Der blaue Heinrich'', was published in 1980, it received little attention. In 1983, he and his family left Germany for Canada, where he spent the last 13 years of his life at his home on the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

. He died in

Hudson, Quebec Hudson is an Greater Montreal, off-island suburb of Montreal, with a population of 5,4112021 Census. It is located on the south-west bank of the lower Ottawa River, in Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. Situated about west of down ...

. His late poetry brought him a respected place in the literary world, reflected in numerous essays. His paintings are held by museums, such as the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. In Celle, an archive is kept at the Bomann Museum, his

atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...

in the garden of his home still exists, and the street Fritz-Grasshoff-GasseGrasshoff is an alternate spelling for Graßhoff. The German letter, "ß" can be written as a double-s, if the special character is unavailable. Non-Germans often mistake the letter for a B; Graßhoff may have changed the way he wrote his name after moving to Canada. is named after him.

Selected works

Literary works

* ''Zeltlieder und Barackenverse''. J.M. Klopp, Lütjenburg/Holstein 1945 * ''Das Heiligenhafener Sternsingerspiel 1945''. J.A. Keune, Hamburg 1946. * '' Halunkenpostille''. J.A. Keune. Hamburg 1947 * ''Das Gemeindebrett. Allgemein-ungültiger Jahresweiser für Landleute''. Lange. Duisburg 1954 * ''Im Flug zerfallen die Wege der Vögel''. Gedichte. Lange, Duisburg 1956 * ''Die klassische Halunkenpostille''. Epigramme und Satiren.

Kiepenheuer & Witsch Kiepenheuer & Witsch is a German publishing house, established in 1948 by Joseph C. Witsch and Gustav Kiepenheuer. The partners initially held 30% and 40% of the company's share capital respectively. The publisher is based in Cologne, Germany an ...

. Köln/Berlin 1964 * ''Graßhoffs unverblümtes Lieder- und Lästerbuch''. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1965 * ''Der neue Salomo. Eine Art Predigt an der Straßenecke''. Edition Esplanade. Hamburg 1965 * ''Carl Michael Bellman. Durch alle Himmel alle Gossen. Ein Bündel Fredmanscher Episteln und Songs. Aus dem Schwedischen singbar ins Deutsche gebracht''. Kiepenheuer & Witsch. Köln/Berlin 1966 * ''Der singende Knochen. Kurzgelochte Parahistorie zur echten Flötenforschung''. Edition Edition Moeck. Celle 1971 * ''Seeräuber-Report. Songs, Lieder & Balladen''. Erdmann. Tübingen/Basel 1972. * ''Philodemos und die antike Hintertreppe. 20 griechisch–römische Autoren neu übersetzt und umhost mit Graphiken des Autors''. Eremiten-Presse. Düsseldorf 1975 * ''Foxy rettet Amerika. Ein Musical für Kinder von 8-80'' (a musical for children from 8 to 80). Schott. Mainz 1976 * ''Der blaue Heinrich''. novel, Nymphenburger. München 1980. * ''Prosit ein Leben lang. Wollust & Müßiggang. Carl Michael Bellman, Episteln & Songs''. Fritz Graßhoff, Nachdichtungen. Edition Handpresse Gutsch. Berlin 1985. * ''Les animaux en pantalons. Tiere in Hosen. Eine Auswahl aus Menschenfabeln''. (animals in trousers,

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

s) Éditions du Silenoe. Montréal 1991 * ''Bellman auf Deutsch. Fredmans Episteln. Aus dem Schwedischen des 18. Jahrhunderts singbar ins Deutsche gerückt''. (Bellman in German) Verlag für Berlin-Brandenburg. Potsdam 1995. * ''

für Zeitgenossen. Epigramme von Marcus Valerius Martialis''. Eremiten Presse. Düsseldorf 1998. * ''Von der Wichtigkeit der Dinge''. Heritage Fritz Graßhoff / Stiftung. Deutsches Kabarettarchiv. Mainz 2003 * ''Satire''. Preface by Roswitha Grasshoff, postscript by Pierre Filion. German and French. Éditions du Silence. Montreal 2007.

Picture books, exhibition catalogs

* Bilder und Zeichnungen von Fritz Graßhoff. Städtisches Kulturamt. Celle 1947 * Gerhard Händler: Fritz Grasshoff. Städt. Kunstmuseum Duisburg. Museumsverein. Duisburg 1956 * Paintings, Peintures, Gemälde 1984–1986. Montreal (Kanada) * Graphik − Graphic − Graphique. 1943–1993. Éditions Vaudreuil

anada Anada (; ) is a rural locality (a selo) in Khidibsky Selsoviet, Tlyaratinsky District, Republic of Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, ...

1993

Recordings and music books

* ''Halunkensongs'' for baritone, trompet, violin, akkordeon, double bass and percussion. music:

, sheet music:

Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel () is a German Music publisher, music publishing house. Founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, it is the world's oldest music publisher. Overview The catalogue contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works ...

1956 * ''Großer Kalender'' (after texts from "Das Gemeindebrett") for male choir, piano and large orchestra. music: Siegfried Strohbach, sheet music: Breitkopf & Härtel 1961 * ''Songs für Mündige''. arranged by Hans Last (

). with Lotar Olias, Lale Andersen and others. Polydor. Hamburg 1965 * '' Halunkenpostille''. Schräge Songs, halbseidene Lieder und wunderschöne Gedichte. music by Hans-Martin Majewski and

. spoken and sung by Hanne Wieder,

Hannelore Schroth Hannelore Emilie Käte Grete Schroth (; 10 January 1922 – 7 July 1987) was a German film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned over five decades. Career Born in Berlin in 1922, she was the daughter of popular stage and film actor ...

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series ''Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

, Gisela aus Schwabing,

Kirsten Heiberg Kirsten Heiberg (25 April 1907 – 2 March 1976) was a Norwegian/German actress and singer who had a major film career in Germany between 1938 and 1954. She reached the peak of her career in 1942–43, performing in Joseph Goebbels version ...

Ralf Bendix Karl Heinz Schwab (16 August 1924 – 1 September 2014), known professionally as Ralf Bendix, was a German Schlager singer, music producer, composer and songwriter. Biography Early on, Ralf Bendix played the modern music of his time in bands ...

, Jens Brenke, Inge Brandenburg, Werner Schmalenbach and Fritz Graßhoff.

Electrola Electrola is a German record label and subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Based in Munich, its roster has included Chumbawamba, Matthias Reim, Helene Fischer, Brings, Höhner and Santiano. History On 8 May 1925, the British Gramophone Com ...

. Köln 1967 * ''Unerhörte Chansons''. voice: Illo Schieder, orchestra: Bert Grund. MPS 15108. Villingen 1968 * ''Warehouse-Life''. Chor-Revue. music by Peter Seeger. Schott. Mainz 1972 * ''Seeräuber-Report''.

Heinz Reincke Karl-Heinz Reincke (28 May 1925 – 13 July 2011) was a German-born actor, long-based in Vienna. He was drafted into the German Army in 1943, commissioned as an officer in 1944, captured by the Americans at the end of war and then turned over to ...

Ingrid van Bergen Ingrid van Bergen (; born 15 June 1931) is a German film actress. She has appeared in 100 films since 1954. She was born in Free City of Danzig, today Gdańsk, Poland. Career Since 1954, Ingrid van Bergen appeared in more than 170 film and tele ...

Günter Pfitzmann Günter Pfitzmann (8 April 1924 – 30 May 2003) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1950 and 2001. He narrowly escaped death due to heart problems which lead to him cancelling his seat aboard Concorde flight ...

, Hannes Messemer and others. Electrola. Köln 1973; CD: Conträr Musik 2004 * ''Fritz Grasshoff's Unartige Lieder''. Songs und maulfaule Balladen + Badewannenlieder für Mündige und Dickfellige unter Musik gesetzt von Lotar Olias. spoken and sung by Helmut Brasch, Inge Meysel, Ernst Stankovski,

, Lothar Olias, Mal Sondock, Edith Hancke, Eckart Dux, Lale Andersen, Günter Jerschke, Erich Uhland, und Hanne Wieder. Intercord 720-08 * ''Foxy rettet Amerika''. musical by Heinz Geese. EMI-Electrola. Köln 1977 * ''Süverkrüp singt Graßhoffs Bellman'' (Süverkrüp sings Graßhoff's Bellman), Conträr Musik 1996 * ''Hört mal her, ihr Zeitgenossen''. Black und Pit. for Graßhoff's 90th birthday. Conträr Musik 2003

Selected exhibitions

* 1954

, Hannover * 1956 Städtisches Kunstmuseum, Duisburg * 1961 Studio für neue Kunst, Wuppertal-Elberfeld * 1970 Kunstverein, Celle * 1991 Stewart Hall, Montréal (Kanada) * 1991

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

, Montréal (Kanada) * 2003 Schlossmuseum, Quedlinburg

Literature

* Oskar Ansull: ''Und fliege in die Fremde''. In: ''Von Dichterfürsten und anderen Poeten. Kleine niedersächsische Literaturgeschichte.'' Band III. Hannover 1996, . * Friedrich Zehm: ''Ein Bündel Chanson''. In: ''The Musical Times'' Nr. 1519. Berkhamsted 1969, . * Eva Demski: ''Vagabund, Bänkelsänger, Malerpoet, Klabautermann''. In: '' FAZ'' 22 December 1989. * Ralf Busch: ''Fritz Graßhoff – Maler und Poet''. Bomann-Museum, Celle 1993, . * Maria Katharina Grote: ''Fritz Graßhoff – eine Bildmonographie''. Diplomarbeit, Universität Hildesheim 1997. * Jacques Outin: ''Graßhoff, Bellman und Schweden''. In: '' Muschelhaufen''. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, . * Wolfgang Ries: ''Gebrauchsware und Unnützes. Einige subjektive Anmerkungen zu Person und Werk von Fritz Graßhoff''. In: ''Muschelhaufen''. Nr. 44. Viersen 2004, . * Eva Demski: ''Fritz Grasshoff – Der letzte Klabautermann''. In: ''Land und Leute''. Schöffling, Frankfurt/M. 1994, .

Notes

References

External links

* Peter Hunziker
Fritz Grasshoff - Schriftsteller und Maler / Eine persönliche Biographie über meinen Freund Fritz Grasshoff
(German) (Fritz Grasshoff - writer and painter / a personal biography of my friend Fritz Grasshoff) baenkelsaenger.ch

(German) muschelhaufen.de * Wolfgang Ries

(Gebrauchsware und Unnützes / some subjective remarks on the person and work of Fritz Graßhoff) (German) muschelhaufen.de
Werke von "Fritz Grasshoff" (1913-1997)
(German) deutscheslied.com

(German) quedlinburgweb.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Grasshoff, Fritz German male writers German lyricists German male songwriters 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters 1913 births 1997 deaths People from Quedlinburg German expatriates in Canada 20th-century German musicians German-language poets German military personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom