A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Erk, Ludwig

ERK, Ludwig Christian, born Jan. 6, 1807, at Wetzlar, where his father was cathedral organist; has rendered very important services to German popular music. He studied music under his father and André of Offenbach, receiving his general education from Spiess, a well-known teacher at Frankfort. Here he remained for some years enjoying the society of the best Darmstadt musicians. In 1826 he was appointed professor at the teachers' seminary at Moers on the Lower Rhine, and it was here that his connection with popular music began. He started musical festivals at Remscheidt, Ruhrort, Duisburg, and other small towns, which largely contributed to the taste for sacred and secular part-music. In 1836 he was appointed musical professor of the royal seminary at Berlin, and in the following year conductor of the newly-formed cathedral choir, which post, for want of proper support, he relinquished in 1840 in favour of Neithardt. In 1843 he founded a Männergesangverein, which still exists in Berlin, for the express purpose of singing Volkslieder. He himself states that, apart from the members of this choral society, he has given musical education to no less than 400 Prussian schoolmasters. While still at Moers he published some collections of Lieder harmonised by himself, and these now amount to forty, large and small—comprising chorals and other sacred and liturgical music—of which a list is given by Mendel. Among them the most important is his 'Deutscher Liederhort,' of which vol. i. contains modern 'Volkslieder,' and vol. ii., now in the press, those of the 13th–18th centuries. Jacob Grimm says of vol. i., 'Of all collections of our German Volkslieder this is the fullest and most trustworthy.' Erk still continues his useful and indefatigable researches on this subject. In 1857 he was appointed director of music. In the beginning of 1877 he resigned his post in the seminary at Berlin, and was succeeded by Dienel. [App. p.629 "date of death, Nov. 25, 1883"]

[ F. G. ]