Herbert Roth was a German composer and interpreter of folk music. He was born on December 14, 1926, and at age 9, he started receiving music lessons. He learned to play the piano, accordion as well as the clarinet and from time to time, he performed in public in his teen age.
It must be noted that Herbert Roth had an interest in film music. He could not join the navy but later in 1948, when he had completed apprenticeship as a hairdresser, he passed his master’s examination and briefly worked at his parent’s hairdressing salon.
He played in various dance bands as an amateur musician and also made time to stage shows in the cinema. Herbert Roth rehearsed in the salon of his parents in the evenings. It was Karl Muller who convinced and encouraged Herbert Roth to try performing to an audience.
The Suhler Volksmuzik was founded by Herbert Roth in 1950 but later, he renamed the group, Herbert Roth and His Instrumental Group.
The first appearance of the group was in Hirschbach and within a short time became famous; receiving several event offers .
It must be noted that between 1951 and 1983, Herbert Roth performed on stage with Waltraut Schulz and his Instrumental group and from 1980, he performed with his daughter, Karin Roth. Herbert Roth and his instrumental group were often present at radio events and there was even a 20-minute weekly program on the Voice of the GDR which only aired his works.
He became a regular face on the show Oberhofer Bauernmarkt from 1974. Interestingly, Herbert Roth was the brain behind over 3000 compositions. Karl Muller regularly assisted Herbert Roth with his lyrics.
Herbert Roth normally used two accordions while performing but he was used to playing the zither. He was also known for the use of a double bass instead of a bass guitar. His works were always said to be controversial and this was because he only wrote and interpreted his songs in standard German, a move said to play a part in the demise of the Thuringian dialect.
Herbert Roth Cause of Death
Herbert Roth died on October 17, 1983. He was 56 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in the municipal cemetery in Suhl. The cause of his death is yet to be updated.
