Church musician (Germany)

A church musician is a musician who works in a church organist and choirmaster. This can be full time, part time or volunteer. Is in use as a church Occupation also Kantor or in older notation Cantor. This name comes from the older church tradition, including the synagogues and derives from the Latin cantare 'sing' from. The cantor was and is a singer or cantor with special liturgical tasks within the service or the show, such as the singing of psalms. From this, came the chorus line with all the tasks of the choir pedagogy as voice training, samples and conducting technique, sometimes including orchestral conducting. In the consolidation of all activities ( organist and choirmaster or in music pedagogy) the profession is developed church musician. A separation of the two offices " organist " and " Kantor", as is common, for example, in larger churches of France, is rather rare in Germany.

Training

Germany

The vocational training is divided into four stages:

• D- test: called church musician with training in the church circle and audit, formerly " auxiliary church musician "
• C- test: about two years visit of a C- seminar or study at a School of Church Music with subsequent C- statements for the part-time autonomous church music service; to acquire in Bavaria by attending a vocational school for music
• B- test: four-year degree with B test on a church music school, music academy or academy for the full- service
• A- Exam: 4 - to 6 -year-old A- study or additional studies for B- church musicians, each with A- test for the full-time service at the main churches with special artistic focal points approximately in the choral work or playing the organ and management tasks ( church music director ) in parishes

The training canon a full-time church musician usually includes the following subjects: organ music game, liturgical organ playing, piano, singing, choral conducting, orchestral conducting, score reading, figured bass playing, music theory, ear training, liturgy, hymnology, history of music, historical musicology, organ building customer, Church Customer and increasingly church schools and Christian popular music.

Austria

In Austria, there is the possibility to transfer the C, B or A test at conservatories. Training leading to the B- test begins with the one - to two-year elementary stage, which prepared for the subsequent basic level. In the basic level, which lasts two to four years, we deepened the knowledge of Elemtarstufe. The stage completes the training. It usually takes two to four years. The tests are recognized both in Austria, as well as in Germany.

Tasks

Today, the church musician is increasingly also a music educator in the community. In addition to liturgical and artistic tasks (eg line of concerts for choir and orchestra or performing organ recitals ) takes the music-educational care for the laity in choirs and groups a large space, in part through to early musical education in parish and school. The second concerns the training of church musical offspring for use as neben-/ehrenamtliche church musician (piano and organ lessons and choir direction ) to the duties, especially the full-time church musician.

The respective priorities of the church musical work are determined by the church leadership or church circle (depending on the job support) are often also the financial means decisive.

Professional situation

While it was particularly in Germany since about 1950 to a broad expansion of the program ( from organist schools were " Church Music Schools " from Church Music schools colleges and universities with qualified degrees ), the above job titles steady employment relationships with appropriate budget for church music were. This development thus established the profession in Germany compared to many other countries as a (protected) profession in all artistic, liturgical and music teaching. This practice has been declining for many years. While there are in Germany continue annually professional graduates, the appointments but go increasingly for financial reasons to royalty agreements and percentage points assignments or downgrades from A sites to B- or C- sites or from C-to D posts about. In return, however, new jobs will be created in regional areas (district cantor, cantor Deanery, Kreiskantor, Regional Kantor ), which took as its main focus the training and supervision of part-time and volunteer organist / choir directors and project work.

In some areas (especially in smaller communities ) are the responsibilities of the church musician with other ecclesial task areas (administration, youth work, etc.) combined increased.

Statistics

Although the church musician sites are largely restricted to the two large churches, no reliable statistics is possible by the division into different national churches and dioceses.

Protestant church musician in the EKD:

In the Roman Catholic Church in Germany in early 2006, there were about 1,600 full-time and 8,000 part-time church musician operates. 2004, approximately 400 Protestant and 300 Catholic students were enrolled at the church music colleges. In mid-2006 there were 392 Protestant students.

Policies and Regulations

• Example of order C- examination Diocese of Münster (PDF file, 21 kB)
• Training and examination regulations for church musicians and church musician in addition to Office ( PDF file, 86 kB)