Dieter Schneider

Dieter Schneider (10 March 1937 – 22 September 2023) was a German lyricist, specialising in Schlager music. By many criteria he was the most successful lyricist in the German Democratic Republic between 1955, when he wrote his first song-text, and 1990. Since 1990 his work has been less to the fore, even though during the years of division a number of his songs became popular with Schlager fans in the west.

Biography An orphan in wartime Dieter Schneider was born in Berlin-Weißensee in 1937. His mother's identity is not known. The first year of his life was spent in the Stephanusstift orphanage. After a year a foster family was found for him. However, at the end of the summer of 1939, war broke out and his foster parents, convinced that they would be unable to support the infant through another war, "gave him back". Over the next few years much of his upbringing was disruptively institutionalised. He worked his way through the usual childhood illnesses, spending much of the war period in hospital. There was no scope, under the circumstances, for structured convalescence or restorative procedures. One of the diseases he underwent was the Spinal Polio which has left him physically handicapped. The upshot of their meeting was a collaboration between the lyricist Schneider and the composer Bath on a song called "Wenn die Großstadt schlafen geht" ("When the big city goes to sleep"), which appeared in 1955. Chris Doerk ("Jedes junge Mädchen wird mal geküsst" / "Every young girl is kissed"), Monika Herz ("Kleiner Vogel" / "Little bird", "Charly adé"), Olaf Berger ("Es brennt wie Feuer" / "It burns like fire", "Es kommt so oder so" "It comes like this or like that"), Brigitte Ahrens ("Wo ist die liebe Sonne" / "Where the dear son is" ), Hauff and Henkler ("Heut ist wieder Vollmond" / "Today it's full moon again") and Frank Schöbel ("Looky, Looky", "Gold in deinen Augen" / "Gold in your eyes", "Ja, der Fußball ist rund wie die Welt" / "Yes, the football is round like the world" ).

Schneider wrote several texts for songs that were performed by East German "Pionierchor Omnibus" ("Omnibus youth choir"), including "Endliche Ferien" (loosely, "Holidays at last"). His texts were also used by popular singers in West Germany. Examples included Renate Holm ("Lebe wohl, kleine Schwalbe" / "Fare well, little swallow"), Tina York ("Gib dem Glück eine Chance" / "Give luck a chance"), Marika Kilius ("Erst kam ein verliebter Blick" / "It started with a loving glance"), Manuela ("Wie viele Wege" / "So many ways", "Ich hab mich verliebt in dich" / "I fell in love with you"), the Jacob Sisters ("Sonne und Regen" / "Sunshine and rain"), the Hazy Osterwald sextet ("Looky, Looky"), Ted Herold ("Bin schon vergeben" / "Already taken"), Bruce Low ("Ein Souvenir aus Berlin") and Ralf Bendix ("Gott sei Dank ist sie schlank" / "Thank God she's slender"). Others included the Warsaw band, "Czerwone Gitary" ("Red Guitars") with their hit song "Anna Maria", Lili Ivanova from Sofia with "Bunte Wagen" ("Colorful cars") and Karel Gott from Prague with "Fällt ein Stern aufs Meer" ("If a star falls onto the sea"). Closer to home he was a winner of the National Arts Prize (Kunstpreis) of the German Democratic Republic.

For nearly ten years Dieter Schneider was the editor in charge of the popular "sailors' series", Klock 8, achtern Strom, transmitted from the East German Television studio at Rostock, a ninety minute "feel-good" Schlager music show (which some western commentators thought flagrantly copied its format from equivalent West German television programmes). Through his song lyrics and songs, he was also centrally involved in various other East German television entertainment shows such as Ein Kessel Buntes and Da liegt Musike drin.