Wilhelmina Koch
Encyclopedia
Wilhelmina Amalie Koch (22 February 1845 – 6 March 1924) was a German
composer of sacred and secular song melodies, biblical motets and choral and instrumental music. She is one of only two women that have had compositions included in the Protestant hymnal.
. She was the second of six children of Waldböckelheim pastor Karl August Schapper (1815–1898). She spent her childhood in Münster
and in Koblenz
. When she was eleven years old her mother Schapper Amalie née Weinrich (1816–1856) died.
In 1860 her father became the Professor and Director of the Royal Theological Seminary and Superintendent for Wittenberg
. The family moved there to a big house at the parish church square where Johann Bugenhagen had lived and where Martin Luther
and Philipp Melanchthon
had met. Mina Koch spent the first years there in a girls' school in Droyßig in Zeitz
, where her Confirmation was celebrated. The Wittenberg church music director and organist Carl Stein (1824–1902) gave her music theory and harmony lessons.
On 27 April 1865 she was married to August Koch (1836–1910) in the Wittenberg church with her father officiating. Mina Koch became the mother of ten children, two of whom died in their early years. In 1876 her family moved to Elberfeld
in the Bergisches Land
, where August Koch received a parish of the Lutheran Church and later became the superintendent in office. During a visit in 1887 with her brother Charles when the pastor at Large Möring at Stendal and the daughter Johanna of the court chaplain and parish priest Adolf Krummacher
(1824–1884) were married, she composed the music for "Stern, auf den ich schaue" (I look at the Star). At the age of fifty years Mina Koch went blind.
After his retirement in 1906, August Koch moved the couple to Wernigerode
. He died in 1910, and at the age of 78 years, Mina Koch moved to live with her youngest daughter in Stolp, Pomerania. A year later she died on 12 March 1924 in Wernigerode and was buried at the side of her husband.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer of sacred and secular song melodies, biblical motets and choral and instrumental music. She is one of only two women that have had compositions included in the Protestant hymnal.
Biography
Mina Koch was born in WaldböckelheimWaldböckelheim
Waldböckelheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany.-Geography:Waldböckelheim is located north of the Nahe in the Rhenish Massif. Waldböckelheim is surrounded by three extinct volcanoes.-History:...
. She was the second of six children of Waldböckelheim pastor Karl August Schapper (1815–1898). She spent her childhood in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
. When she was eleven years old her mother Schapper Amalie née Weinrich (1816–1856) died.
In 1860 her father became the Professor and Director of the Royal Theological Seminary and Superintendent for Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
. The family moved there to a big house at the parish church square where Johann Bugenhagen had lived and where Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
and Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
had met. Mina Koch spent the first years there in a girls' school in Droyßig in Zeitz
Zeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
, where her Confirmation was celebrated. The Wittenberg church music director and organist Carl Stein (1824–1902) gave her music theory and harmony lessons.
On 27 April 1865 she was married to August Koch (1836–1910) in the Wittenberg church with her father officiating. Mina Koch became the mother of ten children, two of whom died in their early years. In 1876 her family moved to Elberfeld
Elberfeld
Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929.-History:The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "elverfelde" was in a document of 1161...
in the Bergisches Land
Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land is a low mountain range region within the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, east of Rhine river, south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over 20 artificial lakes...
, where August Koch received a parish of the Lutheran Church and later became the superintendent in office. During a visit in 1887 with her brother Charles when the pastor at Large Möring at Stendal and the daughter Johanna of the court chaplain and parish priest Adolf Krummacher
Friedrich Adolf Krummacher
Friedrich Adolf Krummacher was a German Reformed theologian. He was born at Tecklenburg, Westphalia.Having studied theology at Lingen and Halle, he became successively rector of the grammar school at Moers , professor of theology at Duisburg , preacher at Krefeld, and afterwards at Kettwig,...
(1824–1884) were married, she composed the music for "Stern, auf den ich schaue" (I look at the Star). At the age of fifty years Mina Koch went blind.
After his retirement in 1906, August Koch moved the couple to Wernigerode
Wernigerode
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
. He died in 1910, and at the age of 78 years, Mina Koch moved to live with her youngest daughter in Stolp, Pomerania. A year later she died on 12 March 1924 in Wernigerode and was buried at the side of her husband.
Additional reading
- Koch: Erinnerungen aus meinem Leben (Diktat 1912)
- Mina Koch: Kompositionen (Nachschrift von Martha Koch 1911)
- Georg Bießecker: Artikel Koch, Wilhelmina (Mina) geb. Schapper. In: *Wolfgang Herbst (Hrsg.): Komponisten und Liederdichter des Evangelischen Gesangbuchs (= Handbuch zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch, Band 2), Göttingen 1999, S. 183, ISBN 3-525-50318-0