Who was/is Liederjan ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more

Liederjan

"Folk Song Fireworks" ("Folk Dictionary")

The members of Liederjan were a few years too young for the early Waldeck festivals. "Even if the look in the mirror shows the opposite," says Jörg Ermisch, founding member of the probably longest serving German folk group alongside Anselm Noffke and Jochen Wiegandt, who died in December 2003. They started out in 1969 as Tramps and Hawkers, the legendary German Irish folk group that encouraged many others to sing such music themselves. They were even more an example and occasion for legions of German folk fans to deal with German folk songs of a democratic character, which the musicians took care of for the first time in 1973. "I still remember how we sat in Hilde Döbner's kitchen at night after a performance with this troupe in Witten and gave a first timid 'Dat du mien Leevsten büst' and encouraged us a lot. In September 1975 the first concert with German songs under the name Liederjan took place. Shortly after the foundation Liederjan also released their first LP, recorded live in the Hamburg factory. In addition to democratic folk songs, there are craftsmen's songs and hearty satirical songs that denounced the double morality of the church, among other things. "We had found many of the songs we sang at that time in old books, but also on LPs. I had a record of Hein and Oss, for example. On it was the great travel song of the craftsmen: 'Funny, funny, dear brothers'. We sang it then and we still sing it today. The down-to-earth character and swing of this song embodies exactly what we were looking for in folk songs."

This title can be found on the 1978 record 'Mädchen, Meister, Mönche'. As was the play Wem hamse de Krone jeklaut, which was written in Berlin shortly after the fall of the monarchy in Germany in 1918. "Our favorite emperor, within the group, was and still is William two. He united certain 'noble virtues' like no other: narrow-mindedness, somewhat reduced intellect and boundless vanity. We took this wonderful satirical song from a songbook by Inge Lammel from the GDR. The subversive humor has also had a strong influence on our own songs."

For Liederjan as for others, poems and songs from the period around the magical, revolutionary number 1848 were a real treasure trove for her repertoire. Among the great poets they worked on were Heinrich Heine, Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Adolf Glasbrenner, Ferdinand Freiligrath and many others. In 1979 the LP 'Volksmusik aus der heilen Welt' was released. It's got an anonymous song on it from the ragman. "This piece brings the spirit of 1848 exactly to the point," says Jörg Ermisch: "And who knows? At a time when managers are making millions and poverty is growing all the time, couldn't these songs provide a thought-provoking impetus today?"

Liederjan are a "guarantor for German-language music with level" ('Folker!'). - performed in brilliant three-voice singing. The group stands for a humorous approach to German songs - whether they are traditional pieces or, as has been the case for almost 20 years now, mainly their own songs. Apart from the occasional participation of various guest musicians in their record productions, Liederjan always formed a trio. While Jörg Ermisch and Anselm Noffke always formed the firm core until his death, the third man changed several times. In addition to Jochen Wiegandt, Rainer Prüss, Edzard Wagenaar, Wolfgang Rieck and Jürgen Leo also played it over the years. In the current line-up with Klaus Irmscher and Hanne Balzer, for the first time in the history of Liederjan a woman is present.
www.liederjan.com

Extract from
Various - songwriter in Germany
Vol.1, For whom we sing (3-CD)
/various-songwriter-in-Germany-vol.1-for-who-who-we-sing-3-cd.html

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