Steigerlied

The Steigermarsch, also known as "Glück auf, der Steiger kommt", is a German folk song that dates back to the Saxon miners of the 16th century.

History

The origins of the song dates back to the 16th century. The third and fourth stanzas appeared in a similar form as the eleventh and twelfth stanzas in the song "Es soll ein Meidlein frue auf stan, which was included in the songbook Bergreihe I, published in Zwickau in 1531. The first evidence of the "Steigerlied" as such can be found in the description of a festival held in Schneeberg in 1678 in honour of the Saxon Elector Johann Georg II. As an independent piece, the march with the original line "Wache auff, der Steyer kommt" was first printed in the Bergliederbüchlein published around 1700 in Freiberg, Saxony.

The theme of the "Steigerlied" is the hope of the miners to return to daylight and their families after the hard and dangerous work in the mine. Other sources say that the traditional greeting "Glück auf!" conjures up luck that the mountain will open up and allow mineral resources to be mined. While the first four stanzas have in common that the end of the preceding stanza is picked up in the first line of text of the following stanza, this continuity is absent in the fifth and sixth stanzas. It can be assumed that these stanzas were added at a later date. Details of the lyrics differ depending on the area.

Modern usage

Today the song can be found in almost all mining regions in Germany and has the character of an anthem for miners and people who feel connected to mining. It is usually sung while standing. It is an integral part of mountain parades in the Ore Mountains, in the Harz Mountains, in the Ruhr area and in Saarland. The song is also sung in some regions of Austria, such as on the Styrian Iron Road. It is also played at sporting events, including home games of VfL Bochum 1848, FC Schalke 04, FC Erzgebirge Aue, 1. FC Saarbrücken, Rot-Weiss Essen and BSG Wismut Gera, and is part of the standard repertoire of student associations. It is also played and sung at SPD party conferences.

The "Steigerlied" is considered the "secret national anthem" of the Saarland, although its actual anthem is called the "Saarlandlied". After the Saarland was separated from the German Reich for 15 years in 1920 and placed under the administration of the League of Nations, the teacher Hanns Maria Lux wrote the text "Deutsch ist die Saar" to the traditional melody. Especially in the phase before the referendum on re-entry into the German Reich on 13 January 1935, this variant became widespread.

According to a tradition that originated in Clausthal-Zellerfeld and is widespread today, the Steigerlied is sung after the so-called midnight cry in student associations, but also at city events. Following the Steigerlied are the faculty stanzas, i.e. the stanzas related to the representatives of individual professional groups (“faculties”) in the order miners, smelters, other professional groups.

The catchy melody of the "Steigerlied" has been adopted several times for other songs, as happened with the drinking song "Die Kreuzritter seins kreuzbrave Leut’ oder Geburtstag ist heute". In 1997, the singer-songwriter Gerhard Gundermann wrote a song with Michael Nass, which is based on the "Steigerlied" and also partially quotes it. Herbert Grönemeyer also sings parts of the Steigerlied as an introduction to his song "Bochum" at concerts.

In April 2020, the Steigerlied was included in the register of intangible cultural heritage of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In popular culture

In 2019, the association Ruhrkohle Musik e.V. from Herten applied for the Steigerlied to be included in the nationwide register of intangible cultural heritage. This led to a statement by the Saxon state association of miners, smelters and miners' associations as the association of the custodians of customs in the region with the earliest and most original tradition over centuries. Contrary to what was intended, the basis for the discussion, which was geared towards an in-depth examination of the topic, was interpreted by the press as a "controversy" about the "correct" text. Rather, it was a matter of getting the region of origin involved and of putting the players in the Erzgebirge mining tradition in contact with the applicants. The press release issued on 30 November 2019 concluded with the clear commitment: "The board of directors of the Saxon State Association of Miners', Metallurgical and Miners' Associations e.V. greatly welcomes the efforts to include the Steigerlied in the nationwide directory of intangible cultural heritage. However, the text form of the Erzgebirge version should be entered here. From the UNESCO world heritage mining region Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří not only technologies have spread all over the world, but also the miners’ song.”

On 17 April 2020, the Saxon state association of miners, smelters and miners' associations gave the applicants in the Ruhr area a statement on the proof of the necessary additions to the application with an emphasis on the tradition and development in Saxony. On the same day, the announcement was published that the song had been included in the state inventory of intangible cultural heritage in North Rhine-Westphalia; so that the application for inclusion in the nationwide register was initially not confirmed by the local Ministry for Culture and Science.

After thorough revision and extensive expansion, the Ruhrkohle Musik e.V. association submitted the application again on 19 November 2021. The development was accompanied by a steering committee made up of experts. Statements from all German state associations of miners', smelters' and miners' associations are also attached to the application. This emphasizes the application for all cultural landscapes that were shaped by mining and metallurgy