Gnadauer Posaunenbund

The Gnadauer Posaunenbund (GPB) is a German voluntary association that serves as an umbrella organization for Protestant trombone choirs (Posaunenchöre) rooted in the Gnadauer Gemeinschaftsbewegung, a Pietist revival movement within German Protestantism. It was founded in 1934, during a period when the Nazi regime's Reichskulturkammer law forced individual trombone choirs to organize into a single body in order to continue public activities. The GPB quickly grew to encompass 284 choirs with 2,830 brass players. After World War II, the association developed separately in East and West Germany until reunification in 1991, when six central German regional associations joined the western structure. Today the GPB is a nonprofit organization that supports its member regional associations spiritually and musically, offering conductor training, youth brass camps, a sheet music service, an instrument exchange, and annual general meetings. Every five years it organizes the Bundesposaunenfest, a major national brass festival. It publishes a quarterly magazine, bläserruf. The GPB is part of the Evangelischer Posaunendienst in Deutschland (EPiD), a network of 29 brass organizations representing 120,000 brass players in Germany. Its stated mission is to use music to point people to Jesus Christ and to spread the Christian message. The association's work is largely volunteer-based, and its logo—a circle with two ears and crossed lines in red, blue, and white—symbolizes the sound funnel of instruments and the service groups of Christian congregations.

The Gnadauer Posaunenbund (GPB) traces its roots to the Gnadauer Gemeinschaftsbewegung, a Pietist revival movement within German Protestantism. The name "Gnadau" comes from the Moravian settlement of Gnadau, where the first Pentecost conference of the Gemeinschaftsbewegung was held in 1888. Trombone choirs had existed within the movement since before the turn of the 20th century, heavily influenced by Johannes Kuhlo, the "Posaunengeneral" from Bielefeld, who led many choirs on his preaching tours. The immediate predecessor of the GPB was the Verband evangelischer Posaunenchöre (V.E.P.), founded on 8 May 1934 by Fritz Bachmann, Johannes Kuhlo, Adolf Strube, Adolf Müller, and Otto Redlitz. However, under the Nazi regime's Reichskulturkammer law of 22 September 1933, choirs that did not join the Reichsmusikkammer lost the right to perform publicly. The Gnadauer Bund, under chairman Pastor Walter Michaelis, tasked Willi Hennes, Bundeswart of the Gnadauer Evangelischer Sängerbund, with organizing the Gemeinschaft choirs. This led to the founding of the Gemeinschafts Posaunenbund, Gnadauer Verband, which joined the Reichsmusikkammer on 8 June 1934. A special agreement guaranteed the choirs' independence. The GPB grew rapidly to 284 choirs with 2,830 players. After World War II, the association split along East-West lines. In East Germany, Oskar Bosse (1893–1979) was commissioned in 1948 (or 1952, according to some sources) to rebuild the trombone work; he organized five regional districts and, due to a chronic shortage of sheet music, engaged composers such as Horst Karl Hessel, Johannes Brunner, Herbert Gadsch, Johannes Petzold, Paul Geilsdörfer, and Leopold Hassenkamp to produce new arrangements. This resulted in the three-volume series "Mit hellen Posaunen" (HP), also known as MhP in West Germany. In West Germany, development was also difficult in the early 1950s. At a board meeting from 22 to 26 February 1954, Pastor Friedrich Haase from Gießen was elected First Chairman, and the songbook "Alles durch Jesus" was published. Horst Wilm (1939–1999) became Bundesposaunenwart in 1965 and, alongside his work as a trombonist with the Bamberg Symphony, visited many choirs and held training sessions until 1990. By 1990, the western GPB had 151 choirs. In 1991, reunification occurred when six central German regional associations officially joined. In 2002, the GPB commissioned a DVD on its history for internal use. The GPB logo, designed by Leipzig graphic artist Matthias Klemm, was adopted on 31 March 1993 at the annual general meeting in Woltersdorf. It depicts a circle with two ears and crossed lines in red, blue, and white, symbolizing the sound funnel of instruments and the service groups of Christian congregations.

• 2002

  GPB commissions a DVD on its history for internal use.

• 1993

  GPB logo adopted on 31 March at the annual general meeting in Woltersdorf.

• 1991

  Reunification: six central German regional associations join the western GPB.

• 1965

  Horst Wilm becomes Bundesposaunenwart.

• 1954

  Friedrich Haase elected First Chairman of the West German GPB; songbook 'Alles durch Jesus' published.

• 1948

  Oskar Bosse commissioned to rebuild trombone work in East Germany.

• 1934

  Gnadauer Posaunenbund founded on 8 June as Gemeinschafts Posaunenbund, Gnadauer Verband, joining the Reichsmusikkammer.

• 1888

  First Pentecost conference of the Gemeinschaftsbewegung held in Gnadau, giving the movement its name.

A nonprofit, volunteer-driven umbrella organization for Protestant trombone choirs, focused on spiritual and musical support rather than commercial profit.

• Mit hellen Posaunen (HP/MhP) sheet music series

• Alles durch Jesus songbook

• bläserruf quarterly magazine

• Notenservice (sheet music service)

• Instrumentenbörse (instrument exchange)

1. 1GPB - Gnadauer Posaunenbundgnadauer-posaunenbund.de
2. 2GPB - Die Geschichtegnadauer-posaunenbund.de
3. 3Gnadauer Posaunenbundde.wikipedia.org
4. 4Gnadauer Posaunenbundwikidata.org