Manfred Minnich (1923–1985) is a German trumpet player, composer, arranger and conductor, born on the 12th of December in 1923 in Fischbach, a small town in the municipality of Quierschied in the German state of Saarland. Not much information is known about him due to him not being well-known. He founded the SR Dance Orchestra and was its leading conductor until 1964, and then handed over the orchestra to Eberhard Pokorny to lead, but continued working for the SR Dance Orchestra[1] as an editor. He then passed away on the 17th of August 1985 in his hometown of Fischbach.[2] Minnich also had many different pseudonyms people knew him by: “Boris Schoska, George Potella, and George Winters”.

Manfred Minnich
Personal details
Born12 December 1923
Fischbach, Quierschied, Saarland, Germany
Died17 August 1985
Fischbach, Quierschied, Saarland, Germany
Nationality Germany

Early life

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Manfred Minnich, born in 1923, grew up in Nazi Germany, his early life is not well documented. But from when Minnich was young he had fostered a talent for music, mainly with the trumpet, this became his main instrument. In his later life he expanded his horizons by getting into the composing scene, this led to the creation of the SR Dance Orchestra.

Career

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Manfred Minnich primarily played the trumpet; this was his main instrument throughout his career. He wasn’t just a trumpet player, he was a conductor, music composer, and arranger. He contributed widely to the post-war music in Germany. Minnich was encompassed in many different groups, he was most notable as the founder of the SR Dance Orchestra, there he played and directed music up until 1964. He was a part of several more different orchestras, these include Orchester David Summerfield, Orchester Manfred Minnich, Orchester Michael Coster, Tanzorchester Des Saarländischen Rundfunks, The George Winters Band, The George Winters Orchestra, The Manfred Minnich String Orchestra.[3]

Minnich’s career is marked by many key achievements and important dates, founding several different orchestras is a large achievement, he led the orchestra till 1963 when he handed it over to Eberhard Pokorny[4], he stepped down from the conducting role but continued to still contribute as a music editor, this kept his ongoing influence in the music scene. Unfortunately, Minnich did not win any awards etc. He was a niche composer, and his talent was not well recognized.[5] Minnich's most successful song is "No more"[6], being used in many pieces of media as well as in popular video games like Roblox, and well known children's cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants[7].

References

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  1. ^ https://www.discogs.com/master/3231493-The-Manfred-Minnich-String-Orchestra-The-Manfred-Minnich-String-Orchestra
  2. ^ https://www.discogs.com/artist/438556-Manfred-Minnich
  3. ^ "The Manfred Minnich Orchestra music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  4. ^ https://www.discogs.com/artist/3984783-Eberhard-Pokorny
  5. ^ "EBERHARD POKORNY". jazzpro.nationaljazzarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  6. ^ https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/manfred-minnich
  7. ^ MonsieurCommandoMan (2010-08-02). SpongeBob SquarePants Production Music - Waltzing Flutes. Retrieved 2024-11-03 – via YouTube.