DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, when German immigrants came to Texas, they didn't just bring their trunks and their tools. They brought their music.
And in a place like New Braunfels, that music wasn't just entertainment — it was identity, it was community, it was the sound of home carried a long way from home. It starts on March 2, 1850. A singing society called Germania gets organized right there in New Braunfels, under the direction of one Gottfried Joseph Petmecky.
That same year, they sponsor their very first singing event — and they pick a fine occasion for it — the Fourth of July celebration, out on the banks of the Comal River. Now that is a debut worth remembering. Word spread.
Other Texas towns with large German populations started forming their own singing societies. And by 1853, the energy had grown so big that New Braunfels hosted the first statewide Saengerfest — held on Friedrich Hermann Seele's farm, right along the Guadalupe River. A statewide gathering of voices, right there in the Hill Country.
The years kept rolling, and the societies kept multiplying. By 1876, Comal County alone had the New Braunfelser Maennerchor, the Echo Society, the Smithson Valley Echo Society, the Anhalt Singing Society, the Honey Creek Singing Society, and the Walhalla Singing Society out at Sattler. Six societies.
All those harmonies rising from one county. Now, early on, these groups were men only. But by 1895, mixed-voice societies were in the picture — among them the Concordia Gemischter Chor.
The tradition was growing, evolving, letting more voices in. Then comes November 13, 1937. A farmer, singer, and music director named Gilbert A.
Becker organizes the New Braunfels Gemischter Chor Harmonie. And here's a detail that tells you something about the roots of this thing — Becker's own father, Heinrich Becker, had been a charter member of the Clear Spring Frohsinn Singing Society. This was in the blood, passed down through generations.
By 1938, the group had grown to 46 members, and they were already being recognized as one of the best mixed-voice singing societies in the entire region. But you didn't just walk in and join. New members were selected competitively — voted on anonymously by the membership, using a system of black and white balls.
You earned your place in that chorus. The group started out focused on saengerfests, but over the decades they expanded — holidays, community festivals, special events of all kinds. And along the way, many members joined not just for the music, but to improve their German language proficiency.
The singing kept the language alive. By the 1990s, the New Braunfels Gemischter Chor Harmonie was the only remaining German singing society in New Braunfels. The last one standing after nearly a century of tradition.
And they're still singing. The last society formed in a long and storied line — but far from the last note.
What the marker says
German immigrants to Texas embraced their traditional culture of music, art, societies and clubs. On March 2, 1850, the singing society "Germania" was organized in New Braunfels under direction of Gottfried Joseph Petmecky (1809-1871). The group sponsored their first singing event at that year's Fourth of July celebration on the banks of the Comal River. Many cities and towns in Texas with large German populations formed similar groups, and in 1853, the first statewide Saengerfest was held in New Braunfels, on Friedrich Hermann Seele's farm on the Guadalupe River. By 1876, other singing societies formed in Comal County included the New Braunfelser Maennerchor, Echo Society, Smithson Valley Echo Society, Anhalt Singing Society, Honey Creek Singing Society, and Walhalla Singing Society at Sattler. Early societies were only for men, but by 1895, mixed-voice societies included the Concordia Gemischter Chor. On November 13, 1937, Gilbert A. Becker (1906-1985) organized the New Braunfels Gemischter Chor Harmonie. Becker was a farmer, singer and music director whose father, Heinrich Becker (1860-1925), was a charter member of the Clear Spring Frohsinn Singing Society. The group numbered 46 members by 1938 and was recognized as one of the best mixed-voice singing societies in the region. New members were selected competitively, voted on anonymously by the membership using a system of black and white balls. By the 1990s, the group was the only remaining German singing society in New Braunfels. Initially focused on saengerfests, the group expanded to holidays, community festivals and other special events. Many members have joined the society to improve their German language proficiency. Though it was the last local German singing society formed after nearly a century of tradition, the group continues to preserve and promote this important aspect of cultural heritage. (2020)