Kingston Mannerchor & Damenchor Inc
Veronika Der Lenz Ist Da is a modern classic of German songs. Written in the 1920s, it is an upbeat description of typical Spring themes such as bringing out the green and other colors in the plants and the accompanying joy in humans. It gained popularity in June 1930 when it was covered by the German a capella group "Comedian Harmonists", during a time when people were longing for positivity and distraction from the stock exchange crash in 1929 and its following economic crisis. To this day it is regularly sung and enjoyed in concerts nationwide.
Marian Elflein - Spring Concert 2016
Zum Tanze Da Geht Ein Mädel is a roundelay from Sweden, written in the 19th century. It was translated into German in 1910 and has been sung to accompany maypole dances on April 30th or May 1st. The song is about a young couple that meets at a dance where the young woman flirtatiously traps the young man's hands with a golden rope. He begs her to free him, promising that he will not run away. As soon as she releases him he (of course) runs away. The humorous moral of the story that women need to trap their men so that they do not disappear on them.
Eric Jacobs - Zum Tanze Da Geht Ein Mädel (sung at the 2018 NYS Sängerfest)
Rock Mi song about a roundelay, using the catchy beat from Queen's "We Will Rock You" mixed with a new melody, it tells the story of young men flirting with young women at a maypole dance. The lyrical speaker sings about himself and his group of friends enjoying a night out with the beautiful young women in their dirndls. They are all young and free and want to enjoy life as the lyrical speaker tells his dance partner: "rock me!" This piece is a modern Volksmusik piece. Volksmusik is a style of traditional folk music from the Alpine regions of the German-speaking countries. It tends to be dialect-heavy and invokes local and regional lifestyles and traditions. This "Neue Volksmusik" style song mixes the traditional topics with modern rock. Released in 2013 it instantly made it into the charts and remained there for ten weeks, which is impressive for Volksmusik. The same year, it became *the big hit* played up and down in every single Oktoberfest tent, and henceforth at all German beer fests. This marks the first step of the Kingston Männerchor and Damenchor into the repertoire of 21st-century music.
Eric Jacobs - Sung at the 2018 NYS Sängerfest
We are the Kingston Männerchor and Damenchor. Our mission is the preservation and promotion of German culture, heritage, and tradition through music, song, and cultural events. The Kingston Maennerchor and Damenchor has been meeting continually since it was founded as the Rondout Social Maennerchor on February 22, 1868 by German immigrants drawn together by their common language and their love for music, singing and social activities. The club’s “Washington Hall” became a gathering place for German organizations up and down the Hudson River. The Maennerchor’s current building on Greenkill Avenue was dedicated on February 4, 1940. On February 19, 1968 a new name was adopted–the Kingston Maennerchor and Damenchor, Inc, and the Ladies Auxiliary, originally formed on March 16, 1932, became an equal partner.
We host two concerts every year, as well as multiple other events, such as Breakfasts, Kaffeklatsch (watching a German movie with coffee and cake), game nights,and Stammtisch (a get together of people to converse in German). Part of our longevity can be attributed to the continuity of directors that the chorus has enjoyed over the past sixty years. In October 2011, we welcomed our current Music Director Dr. Dorcinda C. Knauth. Since 1948 we have continuously presented two concerts a year. We also sing at nursing homes and participate in the triennial Sängerfeste (Song Festivals) of the New York State Sängerbund. There we have been awarded First Prize at four consecutive Sängerfeste (2003-2015). In June 2018 we were honored to have hosted the 38th Sängerfest to celebrate our club’s 150th anniversary. We are grateful to all those who have helped our organization grow over the past 152 years and are proud to be the longest continually functioning ethnic organization in the City of Kingston.
