Thomas Gabriel (composer)

Last updated
Thomas Gabriel
2015 10 26 Ketteler 195.jpg
The composer in 2015
Born (1957-08-25) 25 August 1957 (age 65)
Education Folkwang Hochschule
Occupations

Thomas Gabriel (born 25 August 1957) is a German church musician, composer and arranger.

Contents

Career

Born in Essen, [1] Gabriel studied Catholic church music at the Folkwang Hochschule , [2] organ with Sieglinde Ahrens and Josef Bucher. [3] From 1983 to 1986 he served as cantor at the Liebfrauenkirche in Recklinghausen. He worked freelance from 1987 to 1988 for the West German Radio and the Ruhrfestspiele in Recklinghausen. From 1989 to 1991 he was district cantor at St. Martin, Idstein, [4] where he founded a youth choir called Martinis in 1988. [5] From 1992 to 1997 he was regional cantor in Saarbrücken. Since 1998, he has been cantor for the Regional Institute of Sacred Music in the Diocese of Mainz with a focus on Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL, New sacred song), for the deaneries Offenbach, Rodgau and Seligenstadt, at the church St. Marcellinus und Petrus  [ de ]). [2]

Gabriel gives many concerts as an organist, harpsichordist and pianist, particularly as a member of the Thomas Gabriel Trio, [2] whose artistic focus is on jazz arrangements of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The final service Tage der Begegnung
, 15 August 2005, Bruchwegstadion, Mainz Thomas gabriel.jpg
The final service Tage der Begegnung, 15 August 2005, Bruchwegstadion, Mainz

As a composer, Gabriel tries to combine traditional church music with elements from jazz and pop. [4] He composed in 2005 Missa mundi (Mass of the world) for the final mass of the World Youth Day in Cologne on 21 August 2005, representing five continents in style and instrumentation: a European Kyrie influenced by the style of Bach, a South American Gloria with guitars and pan flutes, an Asian Credo with sitar, an African Sanctus with drums, and an Australian Agnus Dei with didgeridoos. [6] [7] It was premiered by a project choir from the Würzburg Cathedral, conducted by Martin Berger, with Gabriel at the keyboard. [8] He participated in the project Mainzer Bistumsmesse (Mass of the Diocese of Mainz), a collaboration of six regional cantors to create a mass in German for choir, a high voice (children's choir or soprano) and organ. Dan Zerfaß composed Herr, erbarme dich, Nicolo Sokoli Ehre sei Gott, Thomas Gabriel Ich glaube an Gott, Andreas Boltz Gottheit tief verborgen, Ralf Stiewe Heilig, and Ruben J. Sturm Lamm Gottes. [9]

Compositions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missa brevis</span> Form of mass

Missa brevis usually refers to a mass composition that is short because part of the text of the Mass ordinary that is usually set to music in a full mass is left out, or because its execution time is relatively short.

Volker David Kirchner was a German composer and violist. After studies of violin and composition at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory, the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, he worked for decades as a violist in the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. He was simultaneously the violist in the Kehr Trio founded by his violin teacher Günter Kehr, and a composer of incidental music at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Dessauer</span> German cantor, concert organist and academic

Gabriel Dessauer is a German cantor, concert organist, and academic. He was responsible for the church music at St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden from 1981 to 2021, conducting the Chor von St. Bonifatius until 2018. He is an internationally-known organ recitalist, and was an organ teacher on the faculty of the Hochschule für Musik Mainz. In 1985, he founded the German-English project choir, Reger-Chor. He has lectured at international conferences, especially about the music of Max Reger, who was a member of the St. Bonifatius parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diethard Hellmann</span>

Diethard Hellmann was a German Kantor and an academic in Leipzig, Mainz and Munich.

A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church services, others for concert or secular celebration. The Christmas story, telling of music of the angels and suggesting music of the shepherds and cradle song, invited musical treatment. The term is called Weihnachtskantate in German, and Cantate de Noël in French. Christmas cantatas have been written on texts in several other languages, such as Czech, Italian, Romanian, and Spanish.

The Dresdner Kammerchor is a mixed chamber choir which was founded in 1985 by Hans-Christoph Rademann in Dresden and is still conducted by him. The semiprofessional ensemble of about 40 singers has appeared internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chor von St. Bonifatius</span> German mixed choir

The Chor von St. Bonifatius is a German mixed choir, the church choir of the parish St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden. It was founded in 1862 as a male choir and was a mixed choir from 1887. From 1981 to 2018, it was conducted by Gabriel Dessauer, who founded two children's choirs. The group sang the first performance in Germany of John Rutter's Mass of the Children and performed in Azkoitia, San Sebastián, Görlitz, Bruges, Macon and Rome. Colin Mawby composed for the choir the Missa solemnis Bonifatius-Messe for the 150th anniversary, celebrated on 3 October 2012. From 2019, the choir has been conducted by Roman Twardy who conducted in his first concert Dvořák's Stabat Mater. On 1 January 2022, Johannes Schröder became church musician. He conducted as his first choral concert Verdi's Requiem in an arrangement for small ensemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Boltz</span> German church musician and composer

Andreas Boltz is a German church musician and composer. From autumn 1993 until 2011, he was the Regional Cantor of the diocese of Mainz in Darmstadt. He was awarded the Premio Speciale in 1992 at the International Composers Competition in Trieste. Since June 2011, he has been cathedral music director at the Frankfurt Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Zerfaß</span> German classical organist

Dan Zerfaß is a German classical organist, the cantor at the Worms Cathedral and academic teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Reulein</span> German composer (born 1966)

Peter Reulein is a German composer, organ improviser, academic teacher and church musician, from 2000 at the church Liebfrauen in Frankfurt am Main. In 2016 he composed for the Catholic Diocese of Limburg the Franciscan oratorio Laudato si'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugen Eckert</span>

Eugen Eckert is a German social worker, minister, singer-songwriter and academic teacher. He is known for his lyrics for new spiritual songs, and his oratorios and musical plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Dehm</span>

Patrick Dehm is a German Catholic theologian, supervisor and clinical Gestalt therapist. He and his brother founded the Eugen Dehm foundation, supporting a holistic health concept, in memory of their father.

<i>Missa angelica</i>

The Missa angelica is a mass composed by Józef Świder in 1998. He scored it for soprano or tenor solo, a four-part choir, string orchestra and percussion. He also wrote a version for women's choir and keyboard instrument. It was published by Carus-Verlag in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missa brevis (Nystedt)</span> Musical composition by Knut Nystedt

The Missa brevis, Op. 102, is a Latin mass of short duration composed by Knut Nystedt in 1984. He scored it for a mixed choir a cappella. It was also published by Carus-Verlag in 2003.

<i>Dixit Maria</i>

Dixit Maria is a motet for four voices by Hans Leo Hassler. It is part of his collection Cantiones sacrae published in 1591. It sets a verse from the narration of the annunciation in Latin. Hassler based a mass on the motet, Missa super Dixit Maria.

Bruder Martin is an oratorio composed by Thomas Gabriel to a libretto in German by Eugen Eckert. The work in seven scenes and a prologue is based on the life of Martin Luther. It was written for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017. The composition is set for narrator, soloists, mixed choir, band and orchestra, and includes both Luther hymns and pop ballads. Bruder Martin was premiered open air in Tecklenburg on 17 September 2017, with the performers dressed in period costumes. It was published by Strube Verlag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Schröder</span> German organist, composer and Catholic church musician

Johannes M. Schröder is a German organist, composer and Catholic church musician. After several years responsible for the church music at the Westerwälder Dom, he moved to St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden. He is also a lecturer and a music editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gott hat mir längst einen Engel gesandt</span> Christian hymn

"Gott hat mir längst einen Engel gesandt" is a 1996 Christian song with text by Eugen Eckert, set for a four-part choir by Thomas Gabriel as part of the rock oratorio Daniel. It became a hymn of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied, which is contained in several hymnals and songbooks.

<i>Messe brève no. 7</i> (Gounod) Missa brevis by Charles Gounod

Messe brève no. 7 is a missa brevis in C major by Charles Gounod, composed in 1877 for two vocal parts and organ, and expanded in 1890 to four choir parts and organ. It is subtitled "in C aux chapelles".

Die Weihnachtsgeschichte, Op. 10, is an oratorio by Hugo Distler, composed in 1933. He set Biblical texts about the nativity of Jesus in German, interspersed with different settings of stanzas of the hymn "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen", for soloists and choir a cappella. A critical edition was published by Carus-Verlag in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 Seligenstadt, Kulturring. "Seligenstädter Klosterkonzerte - Konzerte, Kultur und Kunst in Seligenstadt". www.klosterkonzerte-seligenstadt.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Thomas Gabriel (*1957)" (in German). Carus-Verlag. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  3. "Regionalkantorat Seligenstadt / Dekanate Seligenstadt, Rodgau, Offenbach/Main" (in German). Diocese of Mainz . Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Gabriel, Thomas" (in German). Strube. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  5. "Zwanzig Jahre Martinis" (in German). Idsteiner Zeitung. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. "Thomas Gabriel / Missa mundi" (in Slave). Carus-Verlag. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. "XX. World Youth Day 2005, Cologne". Carus-Verlag. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  8. Hauck, Markus Hauck (28 June 2005). "Auf dem Weg zum Weltjugendtag / Einmal um die ganze Welt" (in German). katholisch-nes.de. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  9. "Mainzer Bistumsmesse" (PDF) (in German). butz-verlag.de. 2011. p. 20. Retrieved 15 April 2013.