"Do you know the pearl, the pearl of Tyrol?" I can still remember it well! Sunday afternoon. "Wunschkonzert" on Radio Tirol. Described as an heir hunter programme. In my father's car on the way to relatives in the lowlands. And this song was there every time...
The Kufsteinlied was composed in 1947 by the Tyrolean Karl Ganzer and has been covered several times by numerous pop and folk music stars, for example by the yodeller Franzl Lang and Heino. The interpretation by Austropopper Wilfried caused a stir in the Kufstein town council in 1981:
Tyrol's ageless model son-in-law has straightened things out:
The Tyrolean Sebastian Rieger (1867-1953), better known as "Reinmichl", wrote the lyrics and Vinzenz Goller the melody. I could already reproduce the text perfectly when I still found other whole sentences difficult. So it's burnt into my memory! As I'm certainly not the only one, here's the karaoke version (without lyrics, of course):
The text of the Tyrolean national anthem is a poem written by Julius Mosen in 1831. The accompanying melody was written by Leopold Knebelsberger in 1844. The tragic song about the death of Andreas Hofer was declared the official anthem of the province in 1948 so that the courageous efforts of our freedom hero would never be forgotten. A piece that reunites North and South Tyrol in the heart. Probably because the brave Ander was a South Tyrolean, but fought on the Bergisel? Or something like that.
Even if we don't want to see the chocolate Santa Clauses on the shelves just yet: Christmas is coming. And what would Advent be without "Silent Night, Holy Night"? Well, the creators of the song are not from Tyrol. The lyrics were written by Josef Mohr (1792-1848), the melody by Franz Xaver Gruber (1767-1863) from Oberndorf, Salzburg. But it was spread by Tyroleans and so we can be a little proud of it. A Zillertal organ builder brought the song to the Zillertal and the Strasser family took it to a market in Leibzig, where it came to the attention of a publisher from Dresden. The song has long been a global hit and has been sung by almost every star. Here are 10 facts about "Silent Night, Holy Night".
You can say what you like. The après-ski scene has long since become a part of Tyrolean culture, even if not everyone likes to hear or see it. With "Anton aus Tirol", Gerry Friedle, aka DJ Ötzi from Ötztal, has succeeded in creating an international hit that no après-ski party should be without. And whether you like it or not, with the right atmosphere, and only with the right atmosphere, there's not a dry eye (or throat) in the house.
This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Whether you are just a Tirol fan or deeply rooted in Tirol. Pure patriotism. That's probably why it's the secret anthem of Tirol. It is a march composed by Florian Pedarnig and written by Sepp Pedarnig and there is probably no Tyrolean brass band that cannot play this piece from memory. Originating in the mid-1950s, it became increasingly popular from 1985 onwards. The second verse describes the particular pain of the separation of South Tyrol from Austria in 1919:
"A hard struggle has torn you in two, torn from you was South Tyrol. The Dolomites greet us from afar in red glow for the last farewell"
*cry*
Fortunately, national borders are no longer so tragic today and we can still feel connected to our South Tyrolean friends.
At the 125th anniversary celebrations of Tirol Werbung at the Festspielhaus in Erl, there was a surprise appearance by Eva Lind, who performed this song accompanied by the East Tyrolean band "Fra Nui". The song is known from the operetta "Der Vogelhändler", which premiered in Vienna in 1891 and was made into a film several times in the last century. Not at all old-fashioned. But timelessly beautiful. Just like everything that gets under your skin and is a little kitschy.
Watch out! If the Tyrolean hat experiences a similar rebirth as the dirndl, then it will be a future hit - at least as a remix. If you want to be prepared, learn the lyrics now. "Ich kauf mir lieber einen Tirolerhut" is not just a song, but a German pop film by Hans Billian from 1965, filmed in Kirchbichl in Tyrol.
Critical content concerning Tyrolean tourism. Applicable to every tourist region worldwide, like the Piefke saga. Thank God nobody has to sleep on straw when they rent out rooms these days. So we see it with humour. We find the international spread of this children's song interesting, as little Andresito proves.
Anyone who has been to the cinema in recent years will know the piece. "Tirol Concerto" was composed in 2000 by the American Philip Glass on behalf of Tirol Werbung. Since then, the piece has been featured in cinema advertising together with the impressive shots of Georg Riha in "Der Adlerflug" - Tirol from the perspective of an eagle. A declaration of love to Tirol.
