| St. Martin | |
|---|---|
| Katholische Pfarrkirche St. Martin Gemeinde St. Martin Idsteiner Land | |
 Postlude with orchestra, 15 June 2025 | |
 St. Martin | |
| 50°13′8″N8°16′0″E / 50.21889°N 8.26667°E /50.21889; 8.26667 | |
| Location | Idstein, Hesse, Germany |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Martin |
| Consecrated | 5 June 1965 (1965-06-05) |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Johannes Krahn |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 450 |
| Length | 45 metres (148 ft) |
| Width | 14 metres (46 ft) |
| Height | 14 metres (46 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Limburg |
| Laity | |
| Music groups |
|
St. Martin is the name of aCatholic parish and church inIdstein,Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Germany. The official name of the church isKatholische PfarrkircheSt. Martin. The name of the parish becameSt. Martin Idsteiner Land on 1 January 2017, when it was merged with five other parishes. The parish is part of theDiocese of Limburg.
St. Martin is thepatron saint of Idstein, to whom aGothic church was dedicated in 1330. The present building, designed by architectJohannes Krahn, was consecrated in 1965. It replaced a church built in 1888 inGothic Revival style and dedicated toMary Magdalene. The earlier church was too small for the congregation growing after World War II.
After restoration in 2003, a new organ was installed in 2006. Church music in services and concerts, performed by several groups including a children's choir and ensembles playing historic instruments, have received attention in theRhein-Main Region. The parish is in long-term ecumenical contact with the main Protestant church of the town, theUnionskirche, which includes two regular ecumenical services and concerts performed by joint groups of both churches.
The beginning of Christianity in Idstein is not documented. When theIdstein Castle was first mentioned in 1102, the area belonged to theDiocese of Trier. Idstein possibly had a church inRomanesque style, which was replaced in 1330 by aGothic church dedicated toSt. Martin, thepatron saint of Idstein. It was the church of aChorherrenstift founded in 1333 for sixcanons, and became the Protestant church with theReformation, namedUnionskirche in 1917.[1]
During theReformation, Idstein became Lutheran beginning in 1540 underPhilipp I of Nassau-Idstein [de]. The lastCatholic canon left the town in 1553, which then had no Catholic congregation until the beginning of the 19th century.[1] In 1806,Frederick Augustus, Duke of Nassau allowed the practice of the Catholic cult again. Thirteen families were permitted to use the chapel of theSchloss.[2] The dukedom became part of theKingdom of Prussia in 1866. In 1884, the minister Wilhelm Schilo began the building of a church for a growing congregation, collecting money all over Germany.[1] The architect Aloys Vogt, from the localBaugewerbeschule (School for building trades), designed a hall church with two aisles inGothic Revival style, built from 1887 to 1888.[3] The building, seating 135 people, was dedicated toMary Magdalene (Magdalenenkirche) by BishopKarl Klein on 8 October 1888. The Catholic population of Idstein grew considerably after World War II, when many refugees and displaced persons moved to Idstein.[1][2] Minister Hans Usinger first built aGemeindehaus (community center) and pursued from 1961 the building of a larger church.[2] TheMagdalenenkirche was dynamited in 1963.[3][4] The building of the new church began in 1963. It was consecrated, again to St. Martin, on 5 June 1965 by BishopWilhelm Kempf.[5][6]
On 1 January 2017, the parish became part of the largerSt. Martin Idsteiner Land parish, which includes five other former parishes:Maria Königin inNiedernhausen,St. Nikolaus von Flüe in Idstein-Wörsdorf,St. Martha in Niedernhausen-Engenhahn, St. Michael in Niedernhausen-Oberjosbach and St. Thomas inWaldems.[7][8] A service was held on 5 February byWolfgang Rösch.[7]
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ProfessorJohannes Krahn, who built several churches and early skyscrapers such as the Beehive House inFrankfurt am Main, designed a space recalling elements of an earlyRomanesqueBasilica. In a simple shape, a single long nave is concluded by a semicircle choir around the altar. On the right side the wall opens to a side chapel, reminiscent of atransept. The outer walls aresandstone, visible both inside and outside.[3] Light flows in from a band of windows under the plain wooden ceiling. The combination of materials has been compared toLe Corbusier.[5] The building recalls the austere style of sacred architecture of the 1950s.[3]
The floor is of Jura marble, thealtar,ambo,baptismal font andtabernacle are made of Lahn marble. The wall behind the altar held a neo-Gothic crucifixion scene ofMary,John, andMary Magdalene under the cross, from the Magdalenenkirche.[3] Lowstained glass windows forming theStations of the Cross were designed byPaul Corazolla from Berlin.[5] The first organ was built byE. F. Walcker & Cie. and consecrated in 1974. It was placed on the right side in the opening for the chapel, visible to the congregation. The free-standing bell tower, housing four bells, is 42 m high.[3]
The walls of the church were completely restored in 2003.[5] At the same time the altar was moved closer to the congregation, making more room for the choir. The baptismal font was relocated from the chapel to the front, opposite the ambo. The tabernacle, which had been where the baptismal font is now, and the crucifixion scene were moved to the chapel, creating a chapel for adoration. The restoration works were directed byFranz Josef Hamm fromLimburg. The new cross above the altar was created by a group of young people in preparation forconfirmation. During the restoration the organ had to be taken apart. The parish decided not to restore it but to have a new organ built.[9]
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The organ was built byOrgelbau Mebold and consecrated on 22 January 2006. The instrument has 1,888 pipes and 33 stops on two manuals and a pedalboard. The layout of its great division (Hauptwerk) reflects the classic organ construction of theBaroque period, whilst the swell division (orswell box) (Schwellwerk) has the timbre of theRomantic, which makes it possible to play a wide range of the organ repertoire from different eras.[9][10] The first organ concert on the Mebold organ was played byDan Zerfaß, organist of theWorms Cathedral.[11] The organ is used mostly in services, but has been played in concerts of artists such asKalevi Kiviniemi.[12] In 2005Graham Waterhouse was the soloist in the premiere of hisCello Concerto in the chamber version on 5 August 2005.[13]Giora Feidman andMatthias Eisenberg performed a duo programme on 14 November 2008. Christian Schmitt played in 2007 with the chamber choir of theHochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt, conducted byWolfgang Schäfer,[10] who returned in 2010 to conduct the Frankfurter Kammerchor.[14]
Franz Fink has been thecantor of St. Martin since 1992, conducting five musical groups, a children's choirKinderchor St. Martin, theChor St. Martin, the Martinis (a chamber choir of mostly young people), theOrchester St. Martin, and theBarock-Consort St. Martin on period instruments. The church choir was namedChor St. Martin in 1973. The Martinis were founded in 1988 byThomas Gabriel as a youth choir.[15][16]
All groups perform in services, includingmasses such as Haydn'sMissa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo,Leopold Mozart's Missa in C, K. 115, Mozart'sMissa brevis in D minor, K. 65 andSpatzenmesse, Monteverdi's Missa in F fromSelva morale e spirituale, the mass for double choir fromMissodia Sionia by Michael Praetorius, theMissa aulica by František Xaver Brixi, theMissa secundi toni by Johann Ernst Eberlin, and masses byJohann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer,Hans Leo Hassler,Alberich Mazak,Flor Peeters andGottfried Heinrich Stölzel. The repertory includes motets such asBohuslav Matěj Černohorský'sLaudetur Jesus Christus, Kuhnau'sTristis est anima mea, Rheinberger'sAbendlied and Bruckner'sLocus iste.
The groups have also included contemporary music, such as that byHeinz Werner Zimmermann, Pärt'sDe profundis, Barber'sAgnus Dei, Sandström'sEs ist ein Ros entsprungen, and Whitacre'sLux Aurumque. The Martinis have performedBach cantatas,Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 (Actus tragicus), inGeistliche Abendmusik (aVespers service) on 20 November 2005, andBrich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39, in a cantata service.
Concerts and services have also been performed by guest ensembles such as the Ukrainian chamber choirOREYA.[17] The choirs of St. Martin travelled to England in 2006 to attend services andevensong inChrist Church, Oxford,Salisbury Cathedral andSt Paul's Cathedral, London. They travelled to Leipzig in 2008 to hear theThomanerchor inMotette and services.[16] In 2009 they sang with other choirs of the diocese in theLimburg Cathedral from theMissa primi toni octo vocum ofStefano Bernardi for double chorus, conducted by Joachim Dreher and Franz Fink.[18] In 2016, they performed at the Cathedral the premiere of the oratorioLaudato si' with the choirs ofLiebfrauen, Frankfurt, conducted by the composer Peter Reulein. The performance was repeated at theFrankfurt Cathedral in 2017.[19]
On 26 December 2019, the Hessian broadcasterhr4 aired a Christmas service, in which a project choir of mostly choir members performed Rutter'sAngels' Carol andChristmas Lullaby, among others.[20]
In addition to singing in mass on Sundays and feast days, the choirs added irregular liturgies of Abendlob, in the tradition of theAnglican Evensong, singing psalms,Magnificat andNunc dimittis. An Abendlob on the occasion of theKreuzfest (Feast of the Cross) in 2018 hadPsalm 100 set by Charles Villiers Stanford,Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D by Charles Wood, Mozart'sAve verum corpus and Rheinberger'sAbendlied.[21] An Abendlob inAdvent 2019 contained, among others, Hammerschmidt'sMachet die Tore weit, Hassler'sDixit Maria, Vivaldi'sMagnificat, RV 610, and Biebl'sAve Maria.[22]
In 2023 the three church choirs celebrated their jubilees, Chor St. Martin and Kinderchor St. Martin 50 years, and the Martinis chamber choir 35 years. A service on 2 July was sung by all choirs and the orchestra, including Tambling'sMesse in G, Mozart'sAve verum corpus and Rutter'sNun danket alle Gott. An exhibition presented related concert posters and paper clippings. Some members from the beginning are still singing, including the long-time priest Klaus Schmidt. Other former members were also celebrated at a reception.
An annual choral concert with soloists and orchestra has been performed by the combined choirs. Specialized orchestras on period instruments, namely La Beata Olanda (Freiburg), Antichi Strumenti (Mulhouse), Main-Barockorchester Frankfurt andL'arpa festante (Munich), accompanied works by Bach, Buxtehude, Handel, Haydn and Schütz inhistorically informed performances, also the church's groups Capella lignea and Barock-Consort St. Martin. Several concerts were collaborations with other choirs; some were ecumenical projects with Protestant choirs, the choir of the Protestant church ofGeisenheim (now:Neue Rheingauer Kantorei) and, from theIdsteiner Kantorei from 2003 theUnionskirche in Idstein conducted byCarsten Koch. Two concerts of large works also included the De Wase Kantorij, a choir from the Belgian sister cityZwijndrecht, in international collaboration.
In the following table, the regular conductor Franz Fink is not mentioned, only guest conductors.
| Date | Composer | Work | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March 1998 (1998-03-15)[23] | Bach | St Matthew Passion (details) | Chor St. Martin La Beata Olanda |
| |
| 8 May 1999 (1999-05-08)[24] | Puccini | Messa di Gloria | Thassilo Schlenther
Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Main |
|
|
| 28 May 2000 (2000-05-28)[25][26] Part ofIdsteiner Bachtage | Bach |
| Chor St. Martin Antichi Strumenti |
| |
| 20 October 2001 (2001-10-20)[27][28] | Thassilo Schlenther
Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Main |
|
| ||
| 15 June 2002 (2002-06-15)[16][29] Part ofHessentag | Haydn | Die Schöpfung | Edwin Müller
Antichi Strumenti |
| |
| 29 June 2003 (2003-06-29)[30] | Handel |
Antichi Strumenti | Katia Plaschka | Unionskirche | |
| Bach | Christmas Oratorio |
Antichi Strumenti | ||
| 9 October 2005 (2005-10-09)[32] Choral Music from England |
| ||||
| 5 June 2006 (2006-06-05)[33] | Rutter |
Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Main | Janina Moeller | ||
| 11 March 2007 (2007-03-11)[34] | Buxtehude |
|
| ||
| 18 May 2008 (2008-05-18)[35] | Mozart | Great Mass in C minor |
Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Main |
| |
| 5 April 2009 (2009-04-05)[36] | Bach | St Matthew Passion |
La Beata Olanda | ||
 | Verdi | Messa da Requiem | Carsten Koch
Nassauische Kammerphilharmonie | ||
| 18 September 2011 (2011-09-18)[39] | Handel | Messiah |
Main-Barockorchester Frankfurt | ||
| 3 June 2012 (2012-06-03)[40] Sacred Choral Music of the 20th and 21st centuries  |
|
| |||
29 September 2013 (2013-09-29)[16][41] | Bach | Mass in B minor (details) |
L'arpa festante | ||
| 13 July 2014 (2014-07-13)[42] | Heinrich Schütz |
|
Barock-Consort St. Martin | ||
| 16 November 2014 (2014-11-16)[42] |
Barock-Consort St. Martin | Janina Moeller | |||
| 8 February 2015 (2015-02-08)[43][44]
| Karl Jenkins | Carsten Koch
Nassauische Kammerphilharmonie | |||
| 15 November 2015 (2015-11-15)[45] |
Nassauische Kammerphilharmonie |
| |||
| 16 April 2016 (2016-04-16)[46] | Haydn | Die Schöpfung | Carsten Koch
Nassauische Kammerphilharmonie |
| |
| Peter Reulein | Laudato si' – Ein franziskanisches Magnificat (premiere) | Peter Reulein
Ensemble Colorito |
| |
| 16 September 2018 Abendlob[47] |
|
| Chor St. Martin | Andreas Richter, organ | |
| 8 December 2018 Weihnachts-Oratorium[48] | J. S. Bach |
|
Nassauische Kammerphilharmonie |
| Unionskirche |
| 1 September 2019[49][50][51]
| Monteverdi | Vespro della Beata Vergine |
Capella San Marco | ||
6 May 2023[52] | Martìn Palmeri Peter Reulein | Misa a Buenos Aires Te Deum | Carsten Koch
Hessische Kammerphilharmonie |
| |
26 November 2023[53] | W. A. Mozart Arvo Pärt | Requiem Fratres,Da pacem Domine |
Hessische Kammerphilharmonie |
| |
5 May 2024[54][55] | J. S. Bach |
Nassau-Barock |
| ||
14 September 2024[56] | Haydn | Stabat Mater | Judith Kunz
Domorchester |
| Limburg Cathedral |
23 March 2025[57] |
|
Orchester St. Martin |
| ||
14 September 2025[58][59] | Scarlatti Haydn | Quartet No. 1 Stabat Mater |
Classical ensemble |
|
Media related toSt. Martin (Idstein) at Wikimedia Commons
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