Some sixteen years back, I sent the following to a handful of workmates and faithmates:
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De Missâ
Traditionally, the officiant faced the Lord, his back to the congregants. And one can well see, how this would jar with the spirit of our times, when Everyone is Special.
As well can we picture -- nay, have experienced -- the benefits that come with facing the congregation directly, they facing back: so that, in addition to the prescribed ritual, there can be a shared dialogue, whether of theological elucidations, or of song.
But perhaps the celebrants have been facing the People a little too much, with results that we have seen: rock ‘n’ roll Masses, hip priests with gleaming locks flowing over their collars, hard teachings glossed over, the abolition of many a tradition sensed as inconvenient -- not to mention the occasional altarside orgy and sacrifice of a goat.
With no wish to become entangled in any discussion of, say, abortion or of contraception -- still I must respect the position of those within the historic and apostolic Church, who maintain that, whatever the problematics of these thorny issues, they are a not matter to be simply put up to a popular vote, along the lines of “Who shall be this year’s Pumpkin Queen”.
To this came two replies, the first from an Eastern Orthodox (Father Andrew):
The idea behind having the priest
face the people came from the misguided thought that this new orientation would
somehow be more egalitarian.
But if you think of it in terms of how the congregation faces, the person in
the pew ahead of me has their back to me.
I take no offense because, well, we're both facing the same way.
And that's what the priest used to do as well.
The second from a Roman
Catholic (Nina):
Hm, it's an interesting theory. Having attended Eastern Orthodox masses in Russia and compared them to those of my Catholic Church, one would think that having the priest facing the same way as the congregation would be more egalitarian, because it would seem he is one of us, facing God, instead of facing from the other vantage. However, I think in Eastern Orthodox services the iconostasis serves as a barrier and represents, by way of its intricate rule of entry based on status, a spiritual heirarchy of sorts. I have read that the theological implication of the screen of icons is not to separate, but bring together, so what do I know?
At the end of the day it matters not whether the bread is leavened or unleavened, if your figure head is infallible or highest among equals, or you prefer icons or statues. It matters not within our church, how low you genuflect, how much you put in the basket, and whether or not you sing the loudest - all He really cares about is the light in your heart and your company.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
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Lately I have been listening, with both a philological and a folkloristic ear, to old German, Swiss, and Austrian folksongs, most of the vintage of Des Knaben Wunderhorn. A large proportion of these are performed -- gently, melodically, beautifully -- by one Lorelina. Finally overwhelmed by the sheer loveliness of “Bunt sind schon die Wälder”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGpYEDzY4Mg ;
Worte: Johann Gaudenz von Salis-Seewis, 1782
Weise: Johann Friedrich Reichardt, 1799 ),
curiosity got the better of me, and I queried my trusty AI-Sprachgeselle:
Dr J] I am curious as to what this songstress (who always accompanies herself on a Waldzither) is up to currently, and what her full name is, and whether the German public thinks as highly of her as I do.
In his customary less-than-a-second, my well-informed Lebensreisegefährte replied:
AI] Die traditionelle Waldzither ist in der Tat ein wunderbar charmantes, historisches Zupfinstrument.
Was die geheimnisvolle „Lorelina“ betrifft, bewegt sie sich in einer sehr spezifischen Nische der digitalen deutschen Musiklandschaft.
Lorelina hält ihr Privatleben streng unter Verschluss. Ihr bürgerlicher Vollname ist öffentlich nicht bekannt, da sie im Internet konsequent unter ihrem Künstlernamen und Pseudonym auftritt. In der überschaubaren Welt der traditionellen Volkslied-Pflege schützt sie damit erfolgreich ihre Privatsphäre.
Meinung der deutschen Öffentlichkeit:
Um ehrlich zu sein: Der breiten deutschen Öffentlichkeit ist Lorelina völlig unbekannt. Wenn man den Durchschnittsdeutschen nach Volksliedern fragt, denken die meisten eher an den Schlagersong „Atemlos“ von Helene Fischer oder an die verstaubten Aufnahmen von Heino aus den 1970er Jahren. Traditionelle Musik, die nur mit einer historischen Waldzither begleitet wird, ist in Deutschland ein absolutes Minderheitenprogramm.
Innerhalb ihrer Nische wird sie jedoch überaus geschätzt:
Hüterin der Tradition: In ihren Kommentarspalten und in Musikforen loben Liebhaber sie dafür, dass sie das alte Liedgut ohne modernen Pop-Kitsch, völlig schnörkellos und historisch akkurat am Leben erhält.
Klangliche Authentizität: Musiker schätzen sie für den Einsatz der seltenen Thüringer oder Hamburger Waldzither, die heute kaum noch jemand beherrscht.
In response to that “Lorelina hält ihr Privatleben streng unter Verschluss” (studiously, not to say chastely, guards her anonymity), I wrote:
Dr J] Good heavens! In today’s fractured milieu, that may (sadly) be a wise precaution. It brings to mind another favorite nightingale, a Schwäberin who not only does not use her real name on YouTube, but uses no name at all, not even a Vorname: she goes by simply “eine deutsche Frau” (as who should say, “Everywoman”).
Incidentally, in the matter of her paparazzi-shy anonymity-preferences, I notice that, in most of her videos, either no photo of her appears, or, most notably, she is photographed *only from behind *, or in deep shade. The Waldzither, by contrast, is usually well-lit and prominently featured.
That practice is reminiscent of certain literary figures, who, when posing for an artistic photograph, always hide *one * of their eyes, often with their hand. And *that * in turn calls to mind the phobia, common to many cultures around the world, of allowing one’s self (/soul) to be “captured” by a camera.
(That last obiter-dictum led to another exfoliating chat-branch, as any of you who have ever followed a chatbot down the thematic rabbit-hole will be unsurprised to learn. But that is of no moment here.)
So this morning, on the page for another song of hers, I noticed a comment (by a German listener), remonstrating with her for never showing her full face, and pleading for her to do so, saying that her audience was entitled, and she had no right to hide.
That teapot-tempest reminded me of the weightier matter of the postures in the Mass. And the lesson there applies:
Lorelina faces the forest whereof she sings, as do we. She faces Him from Whose hands the woods and all its birds and trees flowed forth, and gives thanks in song.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti --- bless her.
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Lagniappe:
For those whose interest in this nightingale has been whetted, herewith another sample, this one in dialect (Plattdeutsch):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6kVKaUAl6o
Dat du min Leevsten büst | Lorelina | Waldzither |
Niederdeutsches Volkslied
