Event Concerts and Performances Deitsch - Traditional Folk Music, Made in Germany

Date and Location

  • When: Wednesday, August 23, 2023

    12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT

  • This event will be livestreamed on YouTube External. It will be available for viewing afterwards in the Library's Event Videos collection.

  • Where: Online Only

Part of Homegrown Concerts and Interviews

Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.

Deitsch plays traditional songs and dance tunes from Germany, some of them 250 years old. For years, German folk music was neglected and nearly forgotten, or derided as old-fashioned and conservative. But now, arranged and interpreted in the style of modern folk music from Germany's European neighbors, it emerges timeless and contemporary at the same time.  Geographically, Germany is situated between Scandinavia and the Alpine countries, between France, England, Ireland and Poland, and this is true also for the band sound of Deitsch: it has common elements with the music of all these neighbors, but it stays distinct and unique as well. This music may seem anachronistic in a globalizing world, the members of Deitsch say, but it can contribute to creating cultural identity and celebrating diversity and common bonds with others.

Gudrun Walther (voice, violin, viola, diatonic accordion) and Jürgen Treyz (guitar, mandolin, mandola, voice) had built up years of experience with award-winning bands and projects before founding Deitsch as a duo in the mid 2000s. Their duo recordings won many awards, including the German Record Critics' Quarterly Prize in 2009. They have since added Barbara Hintermeier (violin, viola, voice) and Steffen Gabriel (flute, bagpipes, voice) to the lineup. All four are master musicians. Walther is also an accomplished singer, bringing old songs to life in a clear, memorable voice, and the other members complement her singing with four-part harmonies.

The band has consciously avoided electronic instruments and studio effects such as looping, to keep the sound consistently acoustic. Nevertheless, they imbue traditional folk music with contemporary arrangements that catapult it into the 21st century.  

Online Homegrown Concerts premiere on the Folklife Today Blog.

Featuring

  • Gudrun Walther: vocals, fiddle, viola, diatonic accordion External

    Gudrun was brought up in a dynasty of fiddlers with Irish, German and French folk music and started to play traditional music on the fiddle at the age of six. Gudrun has sung all her life. Apparently she sang along to Irish Rebel songs before she could speak the language. Gudrun is one of Germany’s most sought-after and well-respected traditional folk musicians. She has won numerous awards with her music and recordings and guested on many genre crossing albums.

  • Barbara Hintermeier: fiddle, viola, harmony vocals External

    Barbara hails from Bavaria and grew up in a family in which traditional music was an integral part of everyday life. At the tender age of 9 she performed in public as the youngest member of the family band, featuring her parents and both siblings.

  • Steffen Gabriel: flute, shepherd’s pipes, harmony vocals External

    Steffen was also encouraged to play by his musical parents; as a teenager, he encountered the sound of bagpipes and fell under their spell. Through playing Irish music, he finally discovered the wooden flute, which he not only plays masterfully, but also builds professionally in his own workshop.

  • Jürgen Treyz: guitar, 12-string guitar, harmony vocals External

    Jürgen studied at the Munich Guitar Institute, and engaged with traditional and medieval music. In 1993 he founded the artes recording studio which specializes in acoustic and traditional music. Alongside Gudrun, he is a full-time member of well-known quartet “Litha” with Scottish musicians Claire Mann and Aaron Jones, touring internationally since 2008. In 2016 Walther and Treyz began to work with the project “Fiddles and Feet“ with Sligo fiddler, Oisín MacDiarmada and dancer Samantha Harvey.