Maria Luise Thurmair née Mumelter (27 September 1912 – 24 October 2005) was a German Catholic theologian, hymnodist and writer. She contributed the lyrics of many hymns when the Catholic hymnal Gotteslob was first published in 1975.
Career Maria Luise Mumelter was born in Bozen, South Tyrol, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the daughter of the towns's last Austrian . Due to political pressure, the family moved to Innsbruck, where she earned her Matura. She studied philosophy at the University of Innsbruck and attended classes in Liturgics with Josef Andreas Jungmann SJ. She wrote her doctoral thesis on Irene Angelina of Byzanz in 1936. She married Georg Thurmair, a poet in Munich, in 1941.
Thurmair and her husband were active in the and especially in the Liturgical Movement. She began during World War II to work for the Innsbruck hymnal Gotteslob, followed by contributions to several hymnals of German dioceses, the songbooks Singende Gemeinde (Singing congregation) and Kirchenlied (Church song), a precursor of the later Gotteslob. She translated Latin hymns and several books. She published during the war Liebesgespräche im Krieg (Love talks during the war), a lyrical dialogue of letters including poems which she exchanged with her husband who was a soldier. It was reprinted in 1981 by Aventinus. She lectured on subjects such as faith, liturgical year, first communion and religious education. The couple had six children and lived in Munich.
From 1963, Thurmair worked on the first Catholic hymnal for German-speaking countries, Gotteslob (GL), as the only woman in the commission. The first edition of 1975 included 38 of her songs, which was the highest number for one hymnwriter. Some of her hymns (or single stanzas) have also been included in the Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch (EG). The current Gotteslob includes 28 of her songs.
She received the Papal order Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. She died in Germering, near Munich.
Works Selected prose works
Fünf Paar Kinderschuhe
Hymns in Gotteslob Several of her hymns appear in the current Catholic German hymnal Gotteslob, and even more in its first 1975 edition. She wrote several lyrics for the parts of the mass Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, and many psalm songs, often on traditional melodies. Several songs are related to the occasions of the liturgical year, such as Advent, Christmas and Pentecost. Other songs relate to events such as the Stations of the Cross. She wrote many Psalmlieder, rephrasing psalms. The table lists the incipit, the place of the hymn in the liturgy, a model for the text, year and author of the melody in the current Gotteslob when the song appears in it, otherwise of the first edition, the year when the text was completed, the numbers in the first and current Gotteslob, and notes. Incipit Liturgy Text source Tune Year GL 1975 GL Note Tau aus Himmelshöhn Kyrie 1952 Rohr 1952 103 158 Advent Licht, das uns erschien Kyrie 2009 Alan Wilson 1952 129 159 Christmas Gott des Vaters ewger Sohn Kyrie 1952 Rohr 1952 524 160 Der in seinem Wort uns hält Kyrie 1950 Rohr 1958 485 164 Send uns deines Geistes Kraft Kyrie 1950 Rohr 1952 246 165 Pentecost Christus, Gotteslamm Kyrie 1952 Rohr 1952 175 Herr Jesus, König ewiglich Kyrie 1601 Johann Koler 1962 518 Preis und Ehre Gott dem Herren Gloria 1962 Rohr 1971 486 171 Herr, Gott im Himmel, dir sei Ehre Gloria 1971 Otmar Faulstich 1970 458 Herr, deine Güt ist unbegrenzt Psalm Psalm 36 1525 Greitter 1971 289 427 Erbarme dich, erbarm dich mein Psalm Psalm 51 1562 1975 164 268 Penitence König ist der Herr Psalm Psalm 99 1562 1971 275 Herr, dir ist nichts verborgen Psalm Psalm 139 1562 Ulenberg 1973 292 428 Dich will ich rühmen, Herr und Gott Psalm Psalm 145 1971 Paul Ernst Ruppel 1971 274 Ihr Sonnen und Monde stanzas 2–5 for Erfreue dich, Himmel Psalm Psalm 148 1669 1963 259 467 Gott ist dreifaltig einer Credo 1642 1943 489 354 Dir Vater Lobpreis werde Offertory 1562 Ulenberg 1975 523 183 Hoch sei gepriesen unser Gott Benedictus 1530 1985 384 Den Herren will ich loben Magnificat Magnificat 1614 Teschner 1972 261 395 Tag an Glanz und Freuden groß Christmas Dies est laetitiae 1320 1969 137 Paraphrase Das Geheimnis lasst uns künden Corpus Christi Pange Lingua 1300 1969 544 Paraphrase Lobe, Zion, deinen Hirten Corpus Christi Lauda Sion 1300 1972 545 850 Würzburg region, paraphrase Komm herab, o Heilger Geist Pentecost Veni Sancte Spiritus 1200 1971 244 344 paraphrase, with Markus Jenny Der Geist des Herrn erfüllt das All Pentecost 1609 Vulpius 1946 249 347 Du heller Schein, du lebendig Licht stanzas 2–5 for Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist Pentecost 1500 1994 248 348 Komm, o Tröster, Heilger Geist Pentecost Veni Sancte Spiritus 1639 1972 250 349 Salve – Maria, Königin Salve Regina 1666 1979 572 Maria, Mutter unsres Herrn Alma Redemptoris Mater 1599 1969 577 530 after an old hymn Dank sei dir, Vater, für das ewge Leben 1640 Crüger 1994 634 484 Such uns heim mit deiner Kraft stanzas 2–4 for Morgenglanz der Ewigkeit 1662 Ahle 1975 668 84 Morning Herr, wir hören auf dein Wort 1960 Heino Schubert 1959 998/2 449 Laßt uns den Engel preisen 1614 Teschner 1975 687 540 Angels Sieh, dein Licht will kommen 1971 Markus Jenny 1971 147 Du schweigst, Herr Passion 1965 Bertold Hummel 1972 185 773 Würzburg region, Stations of the Cross Alles Leben ist dunkel 1973 Wolfgang Menschick 1971 552 Komm, Herr Jesu, komm 1951 Rohr 1973 568 Gelobt sei Gott in aller Welt Apostles 1970 Erhard Quack 1970 610 882 Würzburg region In Jubel, Herr, wir dich erheben Martyrs 1970 Erhard Quack 1940 611 Herr, sei gelobt durch deinen Knecht 1940 Erhard Quack 1970 612 880 Würzburg region Gott sei durch euch gepriesen Virgins 1971 Erhard Quack 1972 613 Sieh, dein Licht will kommen Christmas 1971 Markus Jenny 1971 147 Seht unsers Herrn Erbarmen im Tempel dagestellt 837 785 Passau region
Literature Martin Lätzel, "Thurmair-Mumelter, Maria-Luise." In Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL), vol 27, Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, .
References
External links
Profil von: Thurmair-Mumelter, Maria Luise University of Leipzig Dank sei dir, Vater, für das ewge Leben gesangbuch-online.de