Bellville: Concordia Hall

Small wood frame building with a narrative marker in front
Group of women singing with a small band, guitar, accordion, fiddle, accompaniment

Women’s group singing with band at a recent Saengerfest.

Three men wearing liederhosen playing guitar, fiddle, and accordion

Members of the Concordia Gesang Verein’s current band.

gathered around a keg of beer on a table, all men holding beer bottles

Early members of the Gesang Verein (Concordia Gesang Verein)

Group of men wearing white shirts and hats, all with glasses of beer, some toasting

Concordia singers, 1904 (Concordia Gesang Verein)

: Group of men wearing suits posing for a photo outdoors

(Concordia Gesang Verein)

posing for a photo. Photo labeled “Picnic, Austin County Saenger. Bellville, October 1, 1922”

Society picnic, 1922 (Concordia Gesang Verein)

Large group of people listening to a man speaking on stage with banner above saying Wilkommen

Society picnic in the 1930s (Concordia Gesang Verein)

The Germans have a saying: “Wo man singt da lass dich ruhig nieder, boesse Menschen kennen keine Lieder,” which translates, “Where people sing, there you may abide in peace, for bad people have no songs.” German-Texan singing societies serve as both a way to make beautiful music, and as social glue that kept German culture alive.

Bellville’s singing society – Concordia Gesang-Verein – began in 1860 and performed in the original Concordia Hall. That hall was leveled by a hurricane in 1900, but rebuilt just south of downtown Bellville.

Voices still ring out in Concordia Hall. Each spring, groups from across the state converge on Bellville for Fruehling Saengerfest, a German singing festival featuring a biergarten, dancing, live music, and boisterous singalongs.

Concordia Hall

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