Organ music and the bells

High on my list while I have been living here has been to visit an old church while someone was playing an organ. I finally got to do it today, alone, with no worries of who else is enjoying or hating something I've been wanting to do for a long time.

I wasn't certain I would make it to the church on time, since I took the last bus that could get me there, and it was running a few minutes late. I got in the door at 11:28 for an 11:30 start time, and I'm pretty sure I was one of the last half dozen or so admitted. The Germans are punctual as a culture.  It wasn't standing room only, which I thought was unfortunate because a man was showcasing his talent, but of course was fortunate for me because I didn't have to stand in a crowd for a half hour.

I found out about the performance at the Wiesbaden Marktkirche through the Christmas market program. I wasn't sure if the kids would like it, even though I thought they might because they have seen (and enjoy seeing) a friend of mine from elementary school play the organ on Facebook. But I wanted to really enjoy this for myself. It was a good decision.

Not two minutes after I sat down, soft music began whispering through the congregation. I smiled as one note after another reverberated from the walls in the giant room. The acoustics in the church were great, as I had thought they would be. The music started out sombre and slow, and the acoustics were such that even my deaf ears were able to hear in spite of the soft tones. The audience was quiet and still.  There were no distractions, save the beauty of the church itself. A minute passed. Two minutes. I took a breath and relaxed, recovering from the hurried transit from my house to the church.

The organist is Hans Uwe Hielscher. I know nothing of him, except what the flyer tells me: He has been at the Marktkirche Wiesbaden since 1979 and has performed in more than 3500 organ concerts. His main focus of study was French organ music. Wiki tells me that he is 73 years old.

Although I played the violin all through middle and high school, I am surprisingly musically ignorant.  It's not that someone failed to teach me, but that my brain lost that information to make room for things on Army Acquisition and timing of kids' doctor's appointments.  My ignorance does not detract from my enjoyment. I appreciate the light, smooth flow of notes and the stillness within the room. I'm so glad I didn't bring the kids.

There's a pause after the first section, but no quiet rustling from the audience. They are perfectly still, as am I, waiting for the next piece. As this is my first experience, it is going to be good even if it is bad, but it is not bad in the least. It is lovely.

I know nothing of the program, which reads like this:

Charles Marie Wider (1844-1937)

Symphonie Nr. 2 in D-Dur op. 13/2 (That's D-major.)

* Praeludium circulare

* Pastorale

* Andante

* Scherzo

* Adagio

* Finale

I can tell you honestly that when it was over, I wasn't ready for it to be. I wanted to listen to "Adagio" and the finale for another 20 minutes at least. The music for the last six minutes could be felt by the soles of my feet. It enveloped me, coming to me from all sides. I could feel it in my chest, but at the same time, it wasn't so loud as to be uncomfortable. It was perfect.

I am grateful that I had this opportunity. In a way, sitting at an organ concert in a magnificent church was an act of worship to God. I couldn't help but wonder if Herr Hielscher worshiped God as he played. I hope so.

Now that I have had this experience, I would like to experience it again, only in a different church. I enjoyed it immensely; not just the music and the church, but also taking 30 minutes to slow down and listen. That is a good thing to do around this time of year.

The concert ended at 1200, and at 1205, the bells went off in a more-than-usual musical song. I went outside, ordered some gluhwein, did some shopping, and enjoyed the Christmas market.  Thanks to my husband, it was a pretty much perfect, solitary day, amidst an enormous crowd of people. It was the paragon of life in Germany as I had pictured it.  I haven't had very many moments like that where I have been able to see it for what it is while it was going on, and the fact that I could see it this way as I was experiencing it made it even more special for me.  By the time I was on the bus to come home, I was looking forward to seeing my family, fully satisfied and content with where I am, who I am, and what I have.

God is good.  Life is good.