“Thank you for this good morning, thank you for each new day, thank you for casting all my cares on you.”
That’s how “Thank you” begins, written in 1961 by the Freiburg state cantor and religion teacher Martin Gotthard Schneider (1930-2017) composed hymn. This comforting rhythm swung in for six performances Kurt Palms dystopian horror outfit “This is the End, my Friend” at the Theater Phönix in Linz (premier: March 17) – albeit with different text. Among other things, the ensemble thanks “for this smoked meat dumpling”, which can undoubtedly be a gift from God. Just not for vegetarians.
Things have changed since yesterday: the composer’s community of heirs, under threat of a temporary injunction and claims for damages, demanded that this song no longer be used. This was on the grounds that the use of the song in no way corresponds to the composer’s religious intentions and the use of the song and the corresponding adaptation and representation in the piece are not permitted by the rights holders. Yesterday at 5 p.m. the first rehearsal took place without Schneider’s anthem, in the evening the piece ran (until April 28) in the new musical guise.
“Thank you” has long since not only been standard literature at rhythm fairs, but also the shameless party cannon Mickey Krause dramatized the number in 2007 on his album “Vom Mund in die Organ” to a beer tent psalm. Even the religiously undisturbed trio “The doctors” released “Thank You” on the B-side of the single “½ Lovesong” in 1998 as a punk hymn of consecration with a bawled outro but unchanged lyrics. So far, so allowed.
Nevertheless, the Phoenix Theater is not alone with the ban. The composer was recently awarded the renowned Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (250,000 euros). Olga Neuwirth had to change the score of her opera “Orlando”, which premiered at the Vienna State Opera, in January 2020 because she made “Thank you” sound in the context of bigotry and child abuse.
The Composers Sons Jörg, Ulrich and Florian Schneider explain on their homepage under “Please note”: “Anyone who changes the text of the thank you song is threatened with claims for damages for the unauthorized editing.” In a letter to the heirs, Kurt Palm referred, among other things, to his past as an “acolyte and member of the Catholic youth group, and we also used this song in a theater performance in 1964”. Jörg Schneider immediately replied: “Despite your youth group memories, we cannot authorize any further use of the thank you song in the context of your play. Because there are many people to whom the song means something.”
Unfortunately, the Theater Phönix failed to obtain permission to thank the smoked meat dumplings despite registering with the AKM (rights management “authors, composers, music publishers”). What is indisputable is that copyright must remain copyright. The musical cheerfulness should cost the theater around 1000 euros. Anyone who has witnessed them will forever belong to an exclusive circle. Thanks.
Source: Nachrichten
