Born here was Georg Schmitt. The composer of the Mosellied. That’s what this plaque tells us. It’s a simple plaque. Yet it speaks volumes. It speaks of a life lived between two worlds. Germany and France. A life filled with music. Triumph and hardship.
Georg Schmitt. Not a household name perhaps. Not globally famous like Beethoven or Mozart. But in Trier and the surrounding Mosel region. His name resonates. Especially because of the Mosellied.
This little plaque stands near the Gasthaus Mosellied. It’s a hotel. His parents ran a hotel here. It was a small hotel. A riverside fishing hamlet. Two hundred years later. The hotel still stands. His birthplace. Now named after his most famous composition.
The Mosellied. A song celebrating the beauty of the Mosel Valley. It wasn’t even the winner of the competition. It only came in second. The prize? 1350 bottles of local wine. Yet the Mosellied became a regional anthem. Even today it’s sung and enjoyed. A testament to its beauty and enduring appeal.
Georg Schmitt wasn’t just a composer. He was also a church organist. First at Trier Cathedral. Then in Paris. At Saint-Sulpice. A prestigious position. He even helped to enlarge the organ at Saint-Sulpice. A magnificent instrument. It stands to this day. A legacy of his time there.
His life wasn’t easy. He was unreliable at times. He had conflicts with the Trier Cathedral chapter. His music was sometimes deemed too frivolous. Too folksy. He was even threatened with arrest. But he persevered. He moved to Paris. He thrived there. He became a well-known figure in Parisian musical circles.
He married. He had children. Several of them became artists themselves. He taught at the prestigious École Niedermeyer. He contributed articles to musical journals. He championed Cecilian reform. He sought success in the opera world. It eluded him.
His life. A blend of artistic success and personal struggles. He found success. Yet he also faced disappointment. He died in Paris in 1900. His grave is in Père Lachaise Cemetery. He’s mostly forgotten in France. Yet he is remembered in Trier. His music lives on. Thanks to the Mosellied and this plaque. This simple plaque. A small tribute to a significant figure in the history of music. A testament to a life. A life lived to the fullest. A life celebrated here. In Trier.