Herms Niel | |
|---|---|
 Niel inReichsarbeitsdienst uniform | |
| Birth name | Ferdinand Friedrich Hermann Nielebock |
| Born | (1888-04-17)17 April 1888 Nielebock,Province of Saxony,Kingdom of Prussia,German Empire |
| Died | 16 July 1954(1954-07-16) (aged 66) Lingen,Lower Saxony,West Germany |
| Allegiance |
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Ferdinand Friedrich Hermann Nielebock (17 April 1888 – 16 July 1954),[1] known asHerms Niel, was a Germancomposer of military songs and marches.[2]
Upon finishing school in 1902, Niel completed his apprenticeship with theGenthin choirmaster Adolf Büchner. In October 1906, he joined theImperial German Army and was admitted as atrombonist andoboist in the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Guard (1. Garderegiment zu Fuss) inPotsdam. During theFirst World War, he wasbandmaster of the 423rd German Infantry Regiment. In 1919, he was demobilized and worked as an official in the administration until 1927. That same year, he co-founded in Potsdam theRitterschaftsorchester (the Knights' Orchestra), where he was composer and lyricist.
After theNazisseized power, Niel, in 1933,[2] joined theirparty as member 2,171,788.[3] He became aSturmabteilung troop leader, before receiving a promotion to band leader of theReichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) training establishment in Potsdam.[2]
During theperiod of National Socialism, he dedicated himself to composing marches and songs, which were popularized by the NSDAP and widely distributed on all fronts of theSecond World War. At the Nazi party rallies in Nuremberg he was the conductor of all RAD music bands.[4]
Niel also invented and designed afanfare trumpet, known as theHerms Niel-Doppelfanfare, in E and B flat, which was manufactured in 1938 by Ernst Hess Nachf, anaccordion factory inKlingenthal.[2]
In 1941 he composed the scoreSieg Heil Viktoria for theWaffen-SS.[5]
Duringthe postwar era, Niel lived inLingen, where he died in 1954.[3]
