Men's Choir: Why We Sing (Satis Shroff)

The Men’s Choir: Why We Sing (Satis Shroff)

How beautiful it was to hear German and English songs from the larynx of the men’s choir in Kappel, a small hamlet in Freiburg East. Bass and tenor in deep and high voices, a delight for passersby. The idea was to create a Project Choir and invite young singers. And they came: teachers, a pediatrist and from other professions. People who were out to sing without any stiff formalities and vereinsmeierei, which is to be found in most associations.

The men’s choir has become progressive by taking a step forward under the conductor Johann that nag one’s thoughts, to talk about one'es Söllner and the vice-conductor Wolfgang Busse.

Even though there were protests from a part of the elderly members, the conductor always managed to hold a balance between new and old songs in the MGV repertoire. In the Brauchtumsabend, traditional evening, olde German folksongs were sung and the audience expressed their gratitude by singing along because a lot of the songs brought back nostalgia to the elderly generation. Despite the World War II and the holocaust, the simple Germans cherished the old songs about heimat, love, separation, happiness and jovial togetherness. The applause had been thunderous and you’d often hear the words, ‘Sie haben schön gesungen!’

The new Project Choir poster was created by Wolfgang Keller, a singing graphic designer with the text: ‘Männersache! Mann singt! Du bist unser Mann für den Project Chor des MGV-Kappel. A repertoire with songs by the Beatles, Herbert Grönemeyer, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Joe Jackson were put together. And so began the first singing sessions on April 14, 2013. The concert is on July 13, 2013 in the Festival Hall in Kappel at 8pm and the tickets cost 7 euros if you buy it earlier and costs 9 euros on the evening of the concert.

It is a fact that when you sing you feel physically and mentally good. After the singing it’s wonderful to talk about the daily themes, as well as international ones that nag one’s thoughts, to talk about the choir’s performance, forthcoming concert invitation in the Dreisam Valley and outwards, and make suggestions on how to improve the performance. And, of course, the about old times. The elderly generation of singers do say ‘Früher war alles besser,’ excluding the World War II and the misery and woe that the Third Reich brought to the simple people in Germany. Every year, on Volkstrauertag, akin to Memorial Day, we stand in front of the wall plate at the Friedhof bearing the names of the fallen sons and fathers of Kappel and sing for peace and remembrance. The men’s choir is closely knitted to the seasonal, political and cultural events in Kappel and the Dreisam Valley.

We receive valuable and encouraging feedback from the audience after the performance and develop a warm feeling of unity. We’re on the right path.

The men’s choir has been making its public presence felt through articles in the Freiburger Badische Zeitung, Kappel Akruell, the Dreisamtäler Zeitung, Facebook and the association’s own website (www.mgv-kappel.de). Whether a choir is successful or not depends on the creativity of the of the choir conductor. Söllner has the ability to take the singers from their present status and to motivate them to develop more joy in singing. His youthful humour and lively anecdotes help immensely. The singers in the choir learn to breathe effectively and to train their voices, bearing while singing, how to articulate, use intonation and most importantly acquire the ‘we’ feeling by going to favourite taverns after the singing lessons. You’ll find us alternatively at the ‘Gasthof zu Kreuz’ and ‘Zum Schützen’ where we do a bit of socialising by swapping stories about farming, forestry, wild game in the Schwarzwald and singing together again if someone has a birthday or an anniversary to celebrate.

The singing project makes the singers strong and motivates the participants. The MGV-Kappel is already future oriented and has an agreement with the Kappeler Kindergarten St. Barbara and it’s a delight to sing with the toddlers. The MGV sings on different occasions in the traditional and cultural activities of Kappel, be it funerals, marriages, first communions, and at the end of the year there’s a big Christmas Concert. The MGV-Kappel is one of the choirs of the Dreisam Valley and maintains good contacts with the Badische Sängerbund, as well as the Freiburger Nepalese Association and the Mongolian Center Freiburg.