Music and Gardens

Busy weeks, musically leading up to Easter – and garden wise leading up through Spring into Summer.

In Leyden I attended a concert by the Winchester College Chapel Choir, conducted by Malcolm Archer. It is amazing how disciplined those choristers (called Quiristers on their website) are. One expects that of adults, but boys aged 8-12 were also singing and their attitude is amazing. Some barely seemed to be able to read the music, but they did. Several boys sang a solo, in a very natural and modest way without having the attitude of doing something special. It is fantastic what English choirs/choristers achieve. The Hooglandse Kerk is a very high building and perfect for such a concert because the sound seems to soar up and reach to the heavens. They concluded the concert by singing Five spirituals from "Child of our Time" by M. Tippett, totally different from the rest of the repertoire but fun to sing for the choir I think, very lively and rhythmically interesting. They could sing out, quite a contrast to Palestrina and Byrd. But I always doubt if "white" choristers can really sing such spirituals well – as they were meant to be sung. Of course Tippett made them into something special.

The choir's rendering of Brahms' Geistliches Lied, yet another type of music, took my breath away. I have also sung that with the ECS choir, but this was perfect! The long slow lines are not easy at all, but they were never boring or sagging or going flat, the latter a sin this choir does not commit! It was a joy to be there. Interesting too was mixing with them over drinks and talking with parents about the special musical education their boys are enjoying. It costs a fortune, I guess, but the rewards are worth every penny. Oh, to be born in England!
The Chapel choir video found on their website is well worth watching!

Last Saturday I joined a choir in Antwerp and sang Stainer's Crucifixion.

It is very Victorian and very dramatic, the type of music we do not sing often. But I enjoyed it. The choir parts are not too difficult, but the dynamics are important and varied. The two soloists, a tenor and a bass, were young professionals, the bass a small young man, nondescript. At 25 he is still a student at the School of Music in Antwerp. But when he opened his mouth, I was dumbstruck. His voice was unexpectedly deep, very strong, warm, melodious even in the lowest ranges and filled the church. I hope he will have a great career as a singer, because his voice is really something else! The church wasn't very full, which was a pity. But we all enjoyed the concert – as well as the delicious lunch, a mild curry followed by ice-cream. It was a welcome break after the long and intense morning practice! No  need to cook after the drive back home which was a bonus.

One Saturday I took a friend to see Elburg, one of the former Zuiderzee towns which I talked about earlier in this blog. It was an unexpectedly warm day, like an early summer day, and a pleasure just to walk through the narrow streets, along the city walls with its "wall houses", houses which share their back wall with the city wall. They look attractive, but must be rather dark inside. Perhaps it is not as bad as it seems, as they are not very deep and rather tiny. I can't see how I could accommodate all my things in a house like that.

It was so warm we sat outside looking out over the harbour, now only for pleasure boats, enjoying a roll with smoked eel and some pieces of cod fried in batter. Eel is a speciality in most of the fishing villages around the former Zuiderzee. It is a delicacy and I can never resist it when I am in those parts of the country.

The walls have storage cellars for gunpowder and other things used to defend the town against enemy attacks. Nowadays one can view them in summer as a tourist attraction. The cellars are still intact, as well as the walls which completely surround the tiny city. There is a pleasant footpath bordered by trees on top of the walls, with the town lower down on one side, and a wide moat on the other side, now a pleasant series of ponds with lilies and fountains.

Lion on top of the wall at a former city gate

Two examples of houses incorporated into the city wall - or the other way round!

 

 Elburg still has an original smithy, which is run by volunteers to save it from being gutted out and being converted into residential living quarters. The huge furnace it still there and still in use. I bought a bottle opener which supposedly always works. But once back home I found it was hard work using it. Still, a pleasant reminder of our visit there. Unfortunately the beautiful church was closed, as most churches are on weekdays in Holland.  The tiny and rather stuffy Organ Museum did not seem very inviting either on such a beautiful and sunny day, so we just walked past it.

The Smithy

Elburg still has an original smithy, which is run by volunteers to save it from being gutted out and being converted into residential living quarters. The huge furnace it still there and still in use. I bought a bottle opener which supposedly always works. But once back home I found it was hard work using it. Still, a pleasant reminder of our visit there. Unfortunately the beautiful church was closed, as most churches are on weekdays in Holland.  The tiny and rather stuffy Organ Museum did not seem very inviting either on such a beautiful and sunny day, so we just walked past it.

Now it is back to work: digging up the garden, putting in huge amounts of fresh, fertile soil, cleaning and planting. Fortunately a very dear friend is helping me out and doing the hardest work! Hard work indeed, but hopefully with satisfactory and surprising results in summer! And as such a labour of love.