Whit Monday

It is strange that a religious feast which is one of the most important Christian ones, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is so little known to non-Christians. Ask people in the street what Whitsun is, and most wouldn’t know what you are talking about, alas. In the Netherlands Whitsun is a long weekend. On Pentecost, the Sunday, everything is closed, even shops which would normally be open. Most shops are also closed on the following Monday, a Bank Holiday, with the exception of Garden Centres which do big business at this time of year, as well as furniture shops, an odd combination. Besides, all over the country special festivals are organised on the Monday. It is a day to go out with family and/or friends, to go to an Adventure Park, a Zoo, a Fair. Leiden has been organising “Hofjesconcerten” for years over Whitsun, small concerts in the many famous and hidden almshouses scattered across Leiden. Very often the stately rooms of the governors of those almshouses are used for such venues, rooms which are otherwise closed to the public. As you can imagine, they are all just house concerts as space is limited. I try to go to a few concerts each year if I can. Unfortunately this has been the coldest Whitsun since 1936! And wet as well, with a sharp Northerly wind. Still, for want of anything better to do, I went into Leyden around 10 am. To my surprise it was still empty of people. It felt very serene, the very bright green of the new leaves on the trees lining the canals, almost translucent in colour, washed clean by the nightly showers. So were the houses and the rooftops, seeming more colourful than ever. Shops were closed, people perhaps still in bed or enjoying a leisurely breakfast. There was hardly any traffic except for a bus every now and then, the streets almost deserted.

The concerts used to be free, but since Leyden has withdrawn part of its funding a small fee was charged, only € 5 for a day pass. It was just hard to know where to buy a pass as even the Tourist Office I passed was still closed. Fortunately the monumental Pieterskerk was open and sold passe-partouts, for here I headed to for my first “concert”, a dry place to begin with. An unusual concert as well, the performance of a cantata, written on the occasion of the return of a corps of volunteer students which had joined the Ten Day Campaign against the Southern Netherlands, which had rebelled against the supremacy of the Northern Netherlands and wanted independence. The army succeeded in suppressing the rebellion with the loss of only one student. When the students returned to Leyden, they were welcomed as heroes. There were festivities in the Pieterskerk and this cantata, written for the occasion, was performed. Today I enjoyed a  re-enactment, as a researcher discovered the score and gave it a new lease of life.

The patriotic text seems a bit overdone, but it was a revelation seeing this cantata performed. I hardly knew about this historic fact, although Leyden University is my Alma Mater.

 The cantata: weeping female students when their friends go to "war"

An ode to Peace after the "heroes" have returned to Leyden.

My second concert was also in a warm building, within the premises which once housed a publishing company, Sijthoff. They have turned the building into a local cultural centre, complete with a small cafe and a nice room for house concerts and recitals. Three dedicated and very accomplished musicians played four very little known Fantasy pieces by Max Bruch for piano, cello and clarinet. It was beautifully done and the audience was spellbound. It was a joy to be there. I love Bruch and his haunting melodies. But these pieces were unknown to me. It was followed by a piano sonata by Beethoven, Der Sturm, very well performed. 

The lovely concert in "Sijthoff"

After that it was back to the next concert, an opera, this time out in the open in the courtyard of adjacent almshouses. However, the skies opened and I took flight to a tea pavilion in the park opposite. Even there I could hear the strong voices of the young opera singers once they continued their programme after the rain had stopped.

 Waiting for the opera to begin - and the downpour!!!

 Just some views of the Rapenburg with the Academy building, a former nunnery. That is why the bridge is called the Nuns' bridge.

I attended two more concerts in the open air, in the courtyards of two different almshouses. Fortunately there was even a bit of sun every now and then. One concert was by three young musicians who played historic instruments, a violin, a viola, and a cello. They were wrapped up in scarves and coats and had to secure their music with clothes pins. They told us that under their heavy coats they wore their glad rags! Their performance of pieces by Haydn and Boccherini was superb.

 The "Broukckhovenhof", with sunny spells and clothes pins to keep the music in place

 Since space is limited the musicians are partly hidden by the lush plants in the courtyard

The last concert I attended was by a choir with a very unusual repertoire: Dutch, English, modern and old, linking the two countries and Oxford and Leyden which are twinned. It was rather clever singing a capella in the open air, but they did well and visibly enjoyed themselves.

 Singing in the "Sint Jacobshof"

The "Sint Jacobshof" in between two performances

Not bad, such wonderful performances for just a minimal fee!

I had had enough for one day though, also because it had involved a lot of walking and I had become pretty cold in spite of my winter coat. I headed back home via another venue, a huge market with just fabrics, sewing fabrics, upholstery fabrics and haberdashery. A sweetshop for those who love sewing. I do, but was firm, thinking of the stack of fabrics at home still waiting to be made into clothes.

 Fabrics galore!

The last temptation I came across was a festival in the grounds of the big Anthropological Museum near the station of Leyden. It was a multi-cultural festival, with Fair Trade products, delicious foods, and music from all the corners of the earth. Very colourful indeed.

A small band performing in the courtyard of the Anthropological Museum

When I got home around 6 pm I felt very tired, but also very satisfied, not to mention very hungry! In spite of the lack of good company, it was a great day.