Postings from Germany

Church Music


We went to church, but not to Church. It wasn't for a service of the usual sort, but I have to say it was a sort of worship. Worship of music.

This is one of the churches in Vegesack. I can hear these church bells in the night when I am awake. That is not seldom.

Did you know that here our tax euros support churches? That is a difficult concept for an American. Separation. Church. State. Don't go there.

But here - it's in the Constitution. There is no separation of the two entities of church and state though the goverment is completely secular. German citizens allocate a percentage of their taxable income for church support when the tax payer identifies himself as a church member. The funny thing is that the vast majority of Germans identify themselves with a church and with a church in their neighborhood, but few actually go to church.

Weird. But that's people for you.

So, anyway, we went to music church. There was a perfomance here in the local church of trumpet and piano music, classic and modern. We decided to go.

It was practically a private concert. There were maybe 50 in the audience. The trompetist spoke directly to the audience about the works he played - as well as a bit of instruction about how one waits and does NOT applaud between movements! That was funny.

Trepidation was my companion since one never knows if these intimate concerts will be pleasing or embarassing. But what a treat! The musicians were musical and the music was musical and the evening was musical and oh so harmonious.

He had four different trumpets, played Bach and Hummel and Hayden and Gershwin, and won our hearts.

Church should always do that but sadly it does't do that often enough.