In the first decade of this century
there was a combined men's choir for the Evangelical-Lutheran and the Reformed
Germans but it folded about 1908.
The Reformed men's choir was largely
established at the suggestion of Martin Göttel in 1912 and was under teacher
Nadich's diligent direction. He worked on the so-called big holidays,
usually on festival days, and at funerals and weddings with the members or their
relatives and organized two recital evenings in the winter of 1913-14 with great
success. At Christmas teacher Nadich organized with the school children
and the men's choir the first (Christabend?) in the church which caused the
greatest sensation at the time and since then it has been held each year.
The choir soon formed an association with approved statutes. The executive
committee was Martin Göttel, treasurer Karl Spangus, and Peter Kern.
Through the war the activity of the
men's choir was interrupted. After the war it was reestablished and led by
Friedrich Schmidt. The activity of the choir conducted itself in the same
framework as before the war and continues to operate completely today.
After teacher Schmidt's departure the
choir was not active in the winter of 1923-24 but the work was resumed again by
teacher Philipp Zepp and continued on with greater involvement. From the
fall of 1925 to the spring of 1927 teacher Koloman Rumpf led the choir.
Then the men's choir was reestablished again in December 1933 under the
direction of choirmaster Ludwig Gutwein. In 1932 a youth choir was also
established in the framework of the men's choir, which was led by Willy Giese
which in December 1933 was also transferred to the control of the men's choir.
After that the mixed choir came back to life in January 1936.
The chairmen of the choir were:
Philipp Schwebler from 1919 to 1922, Jakob Schwebler in 1923, Jakob Göttel-Sch.
from 1924-27, Daniel Giese from 1932-33, David Kern Jr. from 1934 to 1936, and
Jakob Göttel-D. since then.
It is still mentioned that the choir
also sometimes is an important function of the community and is received by the
public with great success: such as in September 1933 on the occasion of the 10th
anniversary of the orphanage here in Feketitsch and in August 1934 at the
hometown festival in Torscha.
The Reformed Men's and Mixed Choirs of 1936
The Reformed church choir from
Crvenka under the direction of choirmaster Philipp Zepp visited us in August
1935, and our choir visited them in March 1936. This is for the care of
the brotherly bond which was certainly not without meaning.
The importance of the work of the
church choir so far one can very well see that it does something for the care of
the spiritual hymns and that in its activity young people found themselves
together at the same work.
