Eintracht Society Hall, Newcastle, Pennsylvania Photo: Albert Burick |
Eintracht Singing Society
A New Castle,
Pennsylvania, male choir that performs traditional German music and
practices Gemütlichkeit, a special form of Saxon hospitality.
Organized in 1894 along the lines of clubs and societies in their
homeland, the original choir was made up of immigrants from Saxony
and Transylvania. The Eintracht Singing Society, formally "Branch
25 of The Alliance of Transylvanian Saxons," is one of the oldest
such societies in the United States. The German American National
Congress (DANK) meets in the Eintracht Hall and sponsors an
instructional program to teach the German language.
Today, the Eintracht Singing Society, serving as a
meeting place where cherished Saxon and German traditions survive,
sponsors the Eintracht Maennerchor, or "Men's Chorus." Having a
bilingual repertoire, the Eintracht Maennerchor sings German songs
in the German language, and American songs in English. Each Tuesday
evening throughout the year, the Maennerchor assembles in the Hall
of the Eintracht Singing Society. The chorus sits in a semi-circle
with wooden chairs facing them, on which they place their music and
drinks. Traditionally, they open each practice with "Sangergruss,"
a Bavarian greeting song, and then, after two hours of intensive
practice, they end their session by locking arms and singing,
"Rüdeschein Wein." The music is varied. Some songs are of
recent vintage and bear familiar names such as Robert Shaw and
Norman Luboff; some bear the names of German composers and
lyricists such as Lassel, Werner, and Becker. Some songs have no
known composer but are merely "Volkslied" or folksongs. The
Maennerchor repertoire consists of about 50 songs which the group
performs for club, alliance, and community events.
Project documentation consists of a 2-page report on
the Eintracht Singing Society; six color snapshots; 11 pages of
text with bibliography entitled "A Brief History of the
Transylvanian Saxons," a CD of Maennerchor performances in October
and November 1999 with a play list, a videotape, a newspaper
article.
Originally submitted by: Ron Klink, Representative (4th District).
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