Konrad Ameln

Konrad Ameln (6 July 1899 – 1 September 1994) was a German hymnologist and musicologist, who wrote standard works about Protestant church music.

Life Childhood, youth and academic years Born in Neuss, In 1934, his songs for male choir "Wir wollen ein starkes einiges Reich sein" and "Das Lied vom neuen Reich" on texts by were published. On an application from 15 June 1937, Ameln became a member of the NSDAP (Party number 4.261.371).

At the beginning of the Second World War, Ameln volunteered for the Wehrmacht. He was first assigned to the Landesschützen-Ersatz-Bataillon VI. In April 1940 he was promoted to lieutenant in the 393rd Infantry Division. Ameln was then active for the Wehrmacht defense. In January 1945 he was a captain in the Grenadier Regiment 1001 and fell into American captivity near Enns on the Danube. He was released on May 24, 1946.

In 1946 Ameln tried to regain his former activity as a lecturer at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster. However, the Protestant faculty and the State church rejected this attempt. In the post-war period Ameln was again active as a lecturer, first at the Landesmusikschule in Hannover. From 1949 to 1957 he taught hymnology and history of Protestant church music at the . There he edited the Handbuch der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenmusik, which has been published in numerous editions. In 1959 he founded the , which he led until 1967.

Ameln became known as the editor of Bach's motets, and works by George Frideric Handel and Leonhard Lechner, which were published by Bärenreiter-Verlag. On behalf of the he published the first volume of the new Hallische Händel-Ausgabe with Alexander's Feast, HWV 75. For the Messiah of the same edition he provided a new German version.

In 1980 he was awarded the title Professor by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ameln died in Lüdenscheid at age 95.

Lüdenscheider Musikvereinigung In 1935, Ameln founded, together with the physician Wilhelm Boecker, the Lüdenscheider Musikvereinigung (Lüdenscheid music association) in Lüdenscheid. He was its musical director until 1973. They organised annual music festivals where early music could be heard on period instruments, played by professionals such as and August Wenzinger, but also contemporary music. With the beginning of the Second World War, Ameln's activities were severely restricted. After his return from American captivity in 1946, he resumed work on the music festivals.

Literature Helmut Pahl: Lüdenscheider Köpfe des Kulturellen Lebens von A–Z. Lüdenscheid 2003. Gerhard Schuhmacher (ed.): Traditionen und Reformen in der Kirchenmusik: Festschrift für Konrad Ameln zum 75. Geburtstag am 6. Juli 1974. Kassel among others: Bärenreiter, 1974. Alexander Völker, Ada Kadelbach, Andreas Marti: In memoriam Konrad Ameln. In: Jahrbuch für Liturgik und Hymnologie 34 (1992/93), S. VII–X;