Martin Körber
Martin Georg Emil Körber (29. / 17. VII 1817 – 19. / 7. IV 1893) was a Baltic German Estophile, a pastor of the Lutheran church by profession, whose pen produced collections of religious and secular poetry written in the old Estonian orthography. He was active at Anseküla on the island of Saaremaa. His secular poems, intended to be sung, express love of the homeland from the viewpoint of the farming and fishing folks’ values. By organizing a choir in his own congregation, Körber became one of the major advocates of the Estonian song festival tradition.
Körber was born on the Võnnu church estate in Tartumaa county, the son of Eduard Philipp Körber, the pastor and local history scholar. The earliest identified representative of the Körber family, Jakob Körber (c. 1608-1667), had lived at Nieder-Auerbach in Vogtland, Germany. In 1725 Martin Körber’s great-grandfather Johann Friedrich Körber moved from Germany to the Baltic lands. Several generations of Martin Körber’s ancestor on his father’s side held clerical posts. The first ten years of his life on the idyllic estate and his close association with the Estonian peasants affirmed Martin Körber’s interest in nature and art and in honest peasant values. From 1827 to 1836 Körber attended the Tartu Gymnasium and from 1837 to 1842 studied theology at the University of Tartu. After graduating from university he was a schoolteacher for two years in Kuressaare, and therefore, for nearly thirty years (1846-1875), was pastor of Anseküla on the Sõrve peninsula of Saaremaa.
As a priest, Körber’s great work was to bring Luther’s little catechism (1529) to Estonian readers. He worked on the manuscript for seven years. The first edition appeared in 1864. The catechism as issued by Körber became one of the most widely disseminated books in Estonian in the late 19th and early 20th century. Between 1864 and 1939 it appeared in 58 editions, altogether close to 350,000 copies. Several books of religious poetry came from Körber’s pen, such as Taewa Löokenne (‘The Lark of Heaven’, 1862), Taewa Kannel (‘The Psaltery of Heaven’, 1865), Sarema Sioni laulik (‘The Saaremaa Bard of Zion’, 1876-1878), as well as collections of secular poetry, such as Sörwema löoke (‘The Lark of Sõrvemaa’, 1862), Sarema laulik (‘The Bard of Saaremaa’, 1864), and a collection of secular songs, Sarema Kuldnok (‘The Starling of Saaremaa’, 1879). In most of these collections there are also translations from German authors who influenced Körber, to which he added songs by other Baltic German pastors working in Estonia and works by peasants from Sõrve. Körber’s songs in turn influenced the verse of Peeter Südda, who worked at Anseküla as a sacrist and schoolteacher.
Considering that Körber was not Estonian, his poetical works may be regarded as a strong original contribution to the emerging poetic culture of Estonia. Some of his song lyrics, based on the motifs of sentimental German poetry, have become widely known for their purity of feeling and their reverence, and obtained a permanent place in the repertoire of song festivals. Körber himself wrote songs to his own lyrics. Several composers have subsequently adapted his verse to music.
In 1862-1863 Körber, with the Anseküla choir, arranged secular concerts for audiences in Kuressaare, and for the local people at the Sõrve song festival in 1863. After his retirement in 1875 he lived in Kuressaare, where he devoted himself to local history research. The result of Körber’s local investigations are the monographs in German, Bausteine zu einer Geschichte Oesels (‘Building-blocks for a History of Saaremaa’, 1885) and Oesel einst und jetzt, I-III (‘Saaremaa Then and Now’, 1887, 1899, 1915). Körber also published a book of memoirs, Daheimbilder aus der Kindheit eines Livländers, I-II (‘Domestic Pictures from the Childhood of a Livonian’, 1872-1873).
L. P. (Translated by C. M.)
Books in Estonian
Poetry
Laste Sioni Kannel Anseküllas Sörwemaal. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1861, 70 lk.
Sörwema löoke ehk 30 mönnusat laulo. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1862, 38 lk.
Taewa Löokenne ehk mõnusad waimolikkod laulud. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1862, 79 lk.
Laulud Sörwemaalt, mitme healega I. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1864, 18 lk.
Sarema laulik, üks mönnus luggemisse raamat nore ja wanna rahwale. Ansekülla öppetaja kirjotud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1864, 60 lk.
Taewa Kannel ehk taewa löukesse II jäggo. Ued waimolikkud laulud. Ansekülla öppetaja tehtud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1865, 100 lk.
Laulud Sörwemaalt, mitme healega II. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1867, 14 lk.
Taewa Karjane. Taewa Löukesse III. Jäggo. Waimolikkud laulud. Ansekülla öppetaja tehtud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1870, 56 lk.
Taewa teekond ehk taewa löukese IV jaggo. Ued waimolikkud laulud. Ansekülla öppetaja tehtud. Kuressaare: Assafrey, 1871, 77 lk.
Sarema Sioni laulik teel taewa linna. Laulo koggo kodduseks jummalatenistuseks, Ansekülla öppetaja kirjotud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1876, 173 lk.
Sarema Sioni laulik teel taewa linna. Laulo koggo kodduseks jummalatenistuseks, Ansekülla öppetaja kirjotud. II. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1878, 190 lk.
Sarema Kuldnok, ilmaliku laulude koggu, nore ja wanna rahwa melejahhutuseks, endise Ansikülla öppetaja kirjutud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrei pärijad, 1879, 135 lk.
Kadakas. Tartu: Loodus, 1939, 11 lk.
Laulud Sõrvemaalt. Koostanud Lydia Kivi. Kuressaare, 1989, 10 lk.
Religious prose
Hommiko ning Öhto palwed. Kurresare Ansekülla öppetaja kirjotud. Pärnu: W. Borm, 1855, 24 lk.
Palwed Pühhade aial. Anseküla öppetaja kirjotud. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1856, 64 lk.
Armo-laud. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1857, 29 lk.
Iggapäwa Palwe-ramat. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tallinn: Gressel, 1858, 24 lk.
Joulo-laps: Jesus. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tallinn: Gressel, 1858, 21 lk.
Ello-pu. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tallinn: Gressel, 1858, 22 lk.
Joulo and lastele. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1859, 14 lk.
Lapse palwe. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1859, 14 lk.
Jesus, so kunningas. Jutlus essimessel Kristusse tullemisse pühhal Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud. Pärnu: W. Borm, 1861, 24 lk.
Jesus, Kohtomöistia, ehk Wiimne pääw. Jutlus teisel Kristusse tullemisse Pühhal. Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1861, 26 lk.
Jesus, so Önnisteggia. Jutlus kolmandamal Kristusse tullemisse Pühhal. Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1861, 24 lk.
Jesus, Jummala Poeg. Jutlus neljandamal Kristusse tullemisse Pühhal Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud. Pärnu: W. Borm, 1861, 19 lk.
Joulotekond. 1. Joulopühha jutlus tehtud Ansekülla kirrikus. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1861, 21 lk.
Maria ja ingel Kaabriel. Paasto Mariapäwa jutlus tehtud Anseküllas Sörwemaal. Tallinn: J. H. Gressel, 1861, 22 lk.
Joulo ö. Essimesse Joulo pühha Jutlus, Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud lastele. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1863, 15 lk.
Önsa Lutterusse weikenne Katekismus, ärraselletud. 1529. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1864, 152 lk.
Önnisteggia kutsumine armolauale. Ansekülla Öppetaja kirjotud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1865, 21 lk.
Jesus surma ärrawöitja. Jutlus essimessel üllestöusmisse Pühhal. Ansekülla kirrikus tehtud. Kuressaare: Ch. Assafrey, 1865, 18 lk.
Pühha koea armastus. Jutlus Ansekülla kirriko õnnistamisse päwal tehtud. Ansekülla kirriko ehhitamisseks. Kuressaare: C. Assafrey, 1865, 24 lk.
Secular prose
Kolm lilli waimolikko rohhoaedast. Ansekülla öppetaja kirjotud. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1856, 19 lk.
Üks luggu, mis Sörwemaal sündinud. Tartu: H. Laakmann, 1856, 16 lk.
