German composer’s heart discovered in Szczecin Cathedral

Szczecin Cathedral: photo - wikicommons

The heart is placed in an oval capsule, 10 centimetres in diameter, which was found inside a large urn, made of sandstone and weighing 18 kilogrammes.

The urn was discovered during the renovation work in the cathedral’s southern pillar, close to the organ. According to historical records, it was there that Loewe’s heart had been interred at the end of the 19th century, when the people of Szczecin brought it from the town of Kiel, where the composer died in 1869.

The urn was opened in the presence of the local arts conservator and a representative of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Pomeranian Medical University. A commission appointed by Archbishop Andrzej Dzięga of Szczecin is to carry further studies to confirm the authenticity of the discovery and contact members of the composer’s family.

The Internationale Carl-Loewe-Gesellschaft in Loebejuen, Loewe’s birthplace, has been informed about the discovery. Its president is planning to visit Szczecin soon.

Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe was born in 1796. He achieved great popularity in his lifetime as a composer and singer.

His song output earned him the nickname ‘the Schubert of the North’.

In 1820, he moved to Stettin in Prussia (now Szczecin in Poland), where he spent over forty years, working as an organist in St Jacob’s Church (now the Cathedral) and director of a music school which he himself founded.

In 1827, he conducted the first performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the town.

Loewe’s compositional output includes two symphonies, five operas and numerous songs. (mk)