Jürgen Hart

Jürgen Hart (20 September 1942 - 9 April 2002) was an East German music teacher who became a popular cabaret performer after his song, "Sing, mei Sachse, sing", became an overnight hit.

Biography Early years Jürgen Hart was born during the Second World War at Treuen, a small industrial town in the hills south of Leipzig, which during the previous century had become a centre for weaving. He was also involved as a stage performer from 1961 till 1963 while stationed at Prenzlau, performing his military service in the National People's Army. Hart worked as a school teacher between 1967 and 1970. He continued to head up the university's "Poetic Theatre" till 1975 or 1976. After 1990 Jürgen Hart reduced his involvement with "academixer". His focus switched to solo programmes and, with Katrin Hart, two-person programmes. He also became active as an author. His detective novel "Die Oma im Kühlschrank" ("Granny in the fridge") was published in 1999. He also authored "Aus der Wichtelrepublik. Märchen ohne Grimm und Groll" which appeared in 1996. (The punning title is untranslatatable.)

Jürgen Hart was the author of more than 40 cabaret programmes, many of which became available on gramophone records (and successor media). Many elements from his programmes were re-enacted by other cabaret companies such as, in particular, the Leipziger Pfeffermühle ("Leipzig Peppermill"). In March 2002, a few weeks before he died, received the Saxon Order of Merit. Wolfgang Schaller, head of the Hercules Club (Herkuleskeule) (cabaret) in Dresden, paid his own tribute: If you take the output of maybe one hundred poets, most people cannot remember one line that any of them wrote. What will then be left will be "Sing, mei Sachse, sing", which has already become a latter-day folk song". The song was published in 1979 with words by Jürgen Hart and a melody by Arndt Bause. Almost 200,000 copies of the recording were sold at the time.

Death and burial It became known that Jürgen Hart was seriously ill in October 2001: he died of bone cancer half a year later. His family implemented his wish that his grave should be positioned next to that of the Upper Saxon dialect poet Lene Voigt in Leipzig's Südfriedhof (South Cemetery).

Jürgen Hart's widow Katrin remains a member of the "academixer" cabaret.

Discography (selection)

Books (selection)