Thomas Gabriel (composer)

Thomas Gabriel
The composer in 2015
Born (1957-08-25) 25 August 1957 (age 67)
Essen, West Germany[1]
EducationFolkwang Hochschule
Occupations

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

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

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

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c "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. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b "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.