Das Munotglöcklein - Hans Burger

Popular (and actually very old) song from the town of Schaffhausen.

The song is performed by Hans Burger (probably1951)

The "Munotglöcklein" is the tower bell of the Munot, a 16th century fortification south of the city of Schaffhausen. The bell was made in 1589 and served as an alarm bell for many centuries. Still today, it is rung every day by hand at 9.00 PM by the "Munotwächter", a honorary guard whose main task today is to act as a tourist guide. Due to the permanent use, a crack appeared in one side of the bell a few centuries ago, which finally reached a length of about two meters. The crack gave the bell its specific, somewhat melancholic sound.

It was this sound which inspired Dr. Ferdinand Buomberger in 1911 to write the song "Das Munotglöcklein" ("The Munot Bell"), which provides a romancing explanation for the crack, which, however, has no historical foundation. The music has been borrowed from an older folk song.

The crack was repaired in 2002, to avoid a complete damage of the bell.

The romantic legend: he is on guard duty at the tower, he is the "Munotwächter" is task is to ring the bell.
From above there he sees the entire town; but, on one sad day, he also sees his beloved dancing, smiling and kissing another man. He gets so upset that he rings the bell, with all the force of his despair, the bell cracks.