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 Wherever they burn books, they will also, in the end, burn people. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Good morning! I'm back, physically, if not mentally. What a great trip. I saw and learned so much that my head will likely be swimming for some time to come as I try to sort things out. I plan to use BookNotes as my outlet for recording what the trip meant to me. I hope that I don't bore my readers in the process, but hey, that's what the "and..." is for in my byline.
First off, I want to thank my guest editors for their excellent work while I was on the road. Gary and Andrea kept things lively and interesting, which resulted in some of BookNote's largest daily traffic of readers. I have decided to leave them both on as Managing Editors of BookNotes. Gary and Andrea, I invite you both to drop in whenever you like with a link or comment on the Home Page. Thanks again for a job well done!
First Impressions
Three things immediately jump to mind as "favorites". First was hearing the choir sing, second was meeting and spending time with Andrea and André, and third was the city of Prague.
It was amazing to hear the choir sing in beautiful, great, old cathedrals. The natural reverb of the gothic ceilings and the pipe organs combined to make the girls voices sound almost angelic. (Don't forget, we're talking about 9-16 year olds.) I took my digital videocam along and I will be posting music from some of the concerts, as well as footage of the choir and sights from the trip. Here is a list of some of the pieces that the choir performed:
Sing We and Chant It by Thomas Morley
Let All Who Sing Be Merry by Orazto Vecchi
Missa Subtitul Sancti Leopoldi by Michael Haydn
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Benedictus
Agnus Dei
Nigra Sum by Pablo Casals
Abendlied and Wasserfahrt by Felix Mendelson, poems by Heinrich Heine
Cucoo Song by Anton Arensky
Ching-A-Ring Chaw by Aron Copland
Danny Boy arranged by Dede Duson
Elijah Rock traditional, arranged by Hairston
The choir performed at least 12 concerts on the trip and sang mass twice on Sunday, June 18th in two different Prague cathedrals. The parishioners were obviously moved by the performances. And, what a special Father's Day for me!
Everywhere we went, the people we met were friendly, helpful and delightful to be around. In Koblenz and Prague, the girls stayed in small groups with local families. The families seemed excited to have the girls as guests and the girls were treated to a rich cultural experience that could not have been had in a hotel.
A very big treat for me came on June 14 when I met Andrea and André. They took the train from their home in Bonn and met me at my hotel early in the afternoon. We talked, did a little sight seeing around Koblenz and had lunch together. I was struck by how easy it was to converse with both of them. It was as if we had know each other for a long time. I asked André lots of questions about UserLand, Frontier, Manila, and the upcoming release of 6.2 (of course, he'd have to kill me if I revealed anything here  ). Dave Winer and Userland are very lucky to have André on the staff. He had been up until 4:00 am working on parts of the 6.2 release the night before we met. As a result he had to leave before the choir concert that evening.
Andrea intends to teach school. She is studying physics and mathematics. We talked about the school system in Germany and the difference between their system and ours in the US is quite significant. It seems to me that teachers in Germany are held in higher esteem than in the US. The demands for certification are greater over there as well. After Andrea finishes her thesis, she will have a two year practicum or internship, teaching at a reduced salary, to get actual on the job training and experience. This seems like a very good approach. Why don't we do something like this in the US?
I was excited to share the first concert that the choir gave on the tour with Andrea. We arrived early and had seats up front. The concert was very well attended and the audience was very appreciative and were generous with their applause. The choir sang two encores. The opening concert of the tour was a success. After the show I walked with Andrea to the train station. It was a relaxed and fun day. My thanks to Andrea and André for making it extra special.
Prague is an absolutely beautiful city and I immediately fell in love with it. I want to go back soon and spend much more time there. I also found the Czech people to be warm and friendly. The vibe in the air was fresh and exciting. Of course, the world soccer matches didn't hurt. Everyone was excited about the games and the main square in the old city had a huge video screen setup and playing the soccer games live. There was none of the hooligan nonsense that has plaqued the British games. Everyone was having a good time.
More to come soon.
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