My dear Friends
Sorry for the delay in writing. I seem to be surrounded by music at the moment, and I have just been to a very interesting concert. Mark Glanville is a bass-baritone who has much experience in opera as well as lieder, and his accompanist, Alexander Knapp, is an acclaimed musicologist, arranger and composer, mainly of Jewish music. I met Alex about 25 years ago, when I was thinking about becoming a Jewish Cantor in the Synagogue. (This was just before my Christian days.)
These two friends gave a very moving and impressive Yiddish version of Schubert's great song cycle Die Schone Mullerin. Mark, the singer, explained in the programme notes that the German-Yiddish juxtaposition was his contribution to reconcilation and forgiveness, as his mother had lost a lot of her family in the Holocaust. That aspect gave me much heart for my own work and the little concert I gave two weeks ago.
The concert consisted of twenty one songs, quite a musical feat! They were varied in tone and although not a direct translation of the Schubert cycle, follwed the tale of unrequited love. They were dark in tone, with a few glimpses of something lighter, but were a tour de force of the Yiddish language, which I hardly know. Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazi Jews, who came from Russia and Poland and others parts of the Slavonic world. My own paternal grandparents came from Belarus, and their language was Yiddish, which was passed down to my father, who spoke it fluently although he was born in Leeds in 1897, the first of eight children.
After the concert I met a yooung man from Baltimore who teaches Yiddish in the university with his wife, and we discussed the fact that I had always felt Hebrew to be superior to Yiddish, and he said they had co-existed for hundreds of years.
But that's another Blog!
Shabbat Shalom, have a great weekend!
Sister Gila
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Concert
My dear Friends
Sorry for the silence but I have been preparing for a Concert for Peace and Reconciliation. It took place yesterday. Some of you may know that around 2003 I met an elderly lady called Dr Sessions, a remarkable lady with a remarkable life. We were sitting in a beautiful garden in Cambridge one day and she suddenly said to me' You have to sing for your supper.' And so the series of concerts began, some in college chapels like Clare and Pembroke, one in a lovely hall in Wolfson college, again in Robinson college where I sang at my best, and now in the chancel of Michaelhouse, a cafe and a church which dates back a long way.
Thirty assorted people gathered yesterday to hear me play. The first to arrive was an American Jewish lady who asked me if I knew it was the Jewish Pentecost, which I did. It is a grace-filled time, as it is also between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost in the church, with the descent of the Holy Spirit.
I started the concert with Blowing in the Wind-I had the words printed on the programmes so everyone was able to sing-and they did! We came full circle at the end as when my time was up I asked them what they wanted and they said-to sing Blowing in the Wind all over again, which they did and it was quite moving.
Last thing on my mind by Tom Paxton was another favourite-every song in my breast dies a-borning says the last verse and a member of the audience explained what that meant. Otherwise there was my usual mix-Donna donna(originally composed for the Yiddish theatre), All my trials -'you know your mamma was born to die' and my best performances were Autumn leaves, a classic love song and Last night I had the strangest dream by Ed McCurdy. a dutiful anti-war song.
I couldn't leave out the Jewish music and there were three, culminating in Hinay Matov, psalm 133, which speaks of how good and pleasant a tribe of brothers living together.
I am very grateful to Annabel, the Chaplain of Michaelhouse, and Sue Binns, for allowing me to sing there in such a beautiful and historic place.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Dansette
My dear Friends
I would like to share with you a little about the history of my father's business. You may have heard of Dansette, a firm which produced record players in the fifties and sixties, and which contributed to the pop music culture in those decades.
Heading up the business, and before I was born. was my grandfather Morris Margolin, who came to England from Russia in the 1890's and who started a small family business in a furniture factory as a cabinet maker. He also had an interest in musical instruments, which he imported from the continent to sell. Instrumental in making the business successful in the 50's and 60's was my brother Samuel, who went into the business at age 20, and who was responsible for much of the subsequent design.
The Margolins decided to combine their interests in cabinet making and music to produce the 'Plus-a-Gram.'It was the first electric player in this country and was produced from 1934 until 1950. It became the forerunner of the Dansette. In the early 1950's BSR inroduced a British made autochanger at a realistic price as a basis for a new portable record player and suggested the name for it-Dansette-which was registered as a trademark in October 1952, the year after I was born. It was Mr McDonald, the chief of BSR, who invented the name-was he thinking of 'dancing?' We'll never know, but the name caught on and so did the record players, given the enthusiasm the new 'teenagers' showed in these players and their records.
I remember being taken to Old Street in the East end of London to see where the machines were made. I remember quite clearly all the wood shavings from the cabinets and the Garrard needles which were put on.
The Rock and Roll movement helped to boost sales of the Dansette, and the Beatles would have listened to records to give them inspiration for their own music. You could get all sorts of models of the record players and in different colours. Between the years 1950 and 1970 over one million Dansettes were sold. The company lasted until 1969; from a large profit-making organisation the company went into liquidation. But they had left their mark on the population of Britain and some people have kept their Dansette to this day.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
I would like to share with you a little about the history of my father's business. You may have heard of Dansette, a firm which produced record players in the fifties and sixties, and which contributed to the pop music culture in those decades.
Heading up the business, and before I was born. was my grandfather Morris Margolin, who came to England from Russia in the 1890's and who started a small family business in a furniture factory as a cabinet maker. He also had an interest in musical instruments, which he imported from the continent to sell. Instrumental in making the business successful in the 50's and 60's was my brother Samuel, who went into the business at age 20, and who was responsible for much of the subsequent design.
The Margolins decided to combine their interests in cabinet making and music to produce the 'Plus-a-Gram.'It was the first electric player in this country and was produced from 1934 until 1950. It became the forerunner of the Dansette. In the early 1950's BSR inroduced a British made autochanger at a realistic price as a basis for a new portable record player and suggested the name for it-Dansette-which was registered as a trademark in October 1952, the year after I was born. It was Mr McDonald, the chief of BSR, who invented the name-was he thinking of 'dancing?' We'll never know, but the name caught on and so did the record players, given the enthusiasm the new 'teenagers' showed in these players and their records.
I remember being taken to Old Street in the East end of London to see where the machines were made. I remember quite clearly all the wood shavings from the cabinets and the Garrard needles which were put on.
The Rock and Roll movement helped to boost sales of the Dansette, and the Beatles would have listened to records to give them inspiration for their own music. You could get all sorts of models of the record players and in different colours. Between the years 1950 and 1970 over one million Dansettes were sold. The company lasted until 1969; from a large profit-making organisation the company went into liquidation. But they had left their mark on the population of Britain and some people have kept their Dansette to this day.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Thursday, 12 May 2011
River cruise
My dear Friends
Did you know that the river Oose (hope that is the correct spelling) was about 169 miles long? That makes it the third longest river in England. The river runs through St Ives and Ely in East Anglia, amongst other places. I had an unexpected boat trip along the Oose yesterday for about an hour and a half, with an expert boatman called Chris and two couples in their sixties and seventies. One couple lives in St Ives and the other in Somerset, although the lady is originally from Yorkshire.
It was a fascinating tour-I already knew that we were in Cromwell country but our guide gave us an insight into the history before the Reformation, when there were monasteries on the site and a famous Catholic called The Abbott of Ramsey, whose personal history I intend to look up. More of him in a moment. Staying with Cromwell, we passed the famous 17th century bridge where Cromwell drew up the drawbridge to prevent the Royalists getting in. Cromwell was the Puritan in the English civil war who was fighting against those who were on the side of the King.
Going along with this history was the beauty of the landscape, serene and full of wispy trees, with pointed churches in the distance. As we drew closer, we saw one that was not so pointed, Hemingford Abbotts, which lost its top ages ago and which had never been replaced, so now it was flat. On the other side was Hemingford Grey church, which was the church of one of our travellers.
We learned that in the time of the Abbott a skeleton was found, which was declared by the Abbott to be that of an ancient saint from Persia I believe, called St Ives and the town was renamed after him. In the Middle Ages, many miracles occurred in St Ives and many folk made pilgrimages to the town. Later the skeleton was declared to be that of a Roman soldier and the town thought to be of Roman origin, but our guide preferred the first interpretation!.
St Ives also has about 150 swans, who converge on the little quayside and some keep guard on their nesting mates, whom, if we were lucky, we saw by the river on their nests. I reflected that swans are very faithful and mate for life, anyhow it was wonderful to see these patches of white dotted on the landscape.
A good lunch in a pub and I came home deeply contented and determined to pay a return visit.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Did you know that the river Oose (hope that is the correct spelling) was about 169 miles long? That makes it the third longest river in England. The river runs through St Ives and Ely in East Anglia, amongst other places. I had an unexpected boat trip along the Oose yesterday for about an hour and a half, with an expert boatman called Chris and two couples in their sixties and seventies. One couple lives in St Ives and the other in Somerset, although the lady is originally from Yorkshire.
It was a fascinating tour-I already knew that we were in Cromwell country but our guide gave us an insight into the history before the Reformation, when there were monasteries on the site and a famous Catholic called The Abbott of Ramsey, whose personal history I intend to look up. More of him in a moment. Staying with Cromwell, we passed the famous 17th century bridge where Cromwell drew up the drawbridge to prevent the Royalists getting in. Cromwell was the Puritan in the English civil war who was fighting against those who were on the side of the King.
Going along with this history was the beauty of the landscape, serene and full of wispy trees, with pointed churches in the distance. As we drew closer, we saw one that was not so pointed, Hemingford Abbotts, which lost its top ages ago and which had never been replaced, so now it was flat. On the other side was Hemingford Grey church, which was the church of one of our travellers.
We learned that in the time of the Abbott a skeleton was found, which was declared by the Abbott to be that of an ancient saint from Persia I believe, called St Ives and the town was renamed after him. In the Middle Ages, many miracles occurred in St Ives and many folk made pilgrimages to the town. Later the skeleton was declared to be that of a Roman soldier and the town thought to be of Roman origin, but our guide preferred the first interpretation!.
St Ives also has about 150 swans, who converge on the little quayside and some keep guard on their nesting mates, whom, if we were lucky, we saw by the river on their nests. I reflected that swans are very faithful and mate for life, anyhow it was wonderful to see these patches of white dotted on the landscape.
A good lunch in a pub and I came home deeply contented and determined to pay a return visit.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Saturday, 30 April 2011
The Royal Wedding
My dear Friends
Yesterday i watched the Royal Wedding on TV with Benigna, her daughter Fadijah and Benigna's carer Effie. I was deeply moved by it from start to finish, but especially by the service in Westminster Abbey. It was the Church of England at its very best. Rowan Williams was in attendance and solemnly explained the meaning of marriage to the young couple.
Kate looked resplendent in her gorgeous wedding gown and seemd relaxed throughout the whole ceremony.There was a moment of tension when it seemed that the ring might not fit!
The couple had chosen a marvellous reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans; the last verse says 'Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.' And they had composed a prayer about helping people in distress.
They are obviously people with a firm belief and a firm sense of committment. We all relished the moment on the balcony when they kissed, not once but twice!
The Queen looked rightly happy and has bestowed on William and Catherine the titles of 'Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.' I look forward to the day when they visit us here.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Yesterday i watched the Royal Wedding on TV with Benigna, her daughter Fadijah and Benigna's carer Effie. I was deeply moved by it from start to finish, but especially by the service in Westminster Abbey. It was the Church of England at its very best. Rowan Williams was in attendance and solemnly explained the meaning of marriage to the young couple.
Kate looked resplendent in her gorgeous wedding gown and seemd relaxed throughout the whole ceremony.There was a moment of tension when it seemed that the ring might not fit!
The couple had chosen a marvellous reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans; the last verse says 'Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.' And they had composed a prayer about helping people in distress.
They are obviously people with a firm belief and a firm sense of committment. We all relished the moment on the balcony when they kissed, not once but twice!
The Queen looked rightly happy and has bestowed on William and Catherine the titles of 'Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.' I look forward to the day when they visit us here.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Thursday, 21 April 2011
The Passover story
My dear Friends
On Tuesday night I had a beautiful experience. I celebrated Seder night (the Passover story) with 2 Jewish women friends of mine, mother and daughter. There is something very special about an all-women Seder and indeed a special grace was working.
Jane, the daughter, had ordered some unusual matsot (unleavened bread) -they were huge and round and had come all the way from Israel. She had also made a beautiful cake for dessert.
We started by Irene (the mother) lighting the candles in a special holder carved by an elderly Jewish friend and she said the Festival blessing. Then we proceeded with the liturgy, centred round the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea. With the cups of wine we celebrated going from slavery to freedom, darkness to light, bondage to redemption.
Interwoven with the proceedings were the ritual foods, the bitter herbs to commemorate the bitterness the Israelites experienced in Egypt, the charoseth to represent the bricks and mortar that the Israelites were forced to build cities with and the roasted egg and shankbone to represent the lamb which was roasted before their departure from Egypt.
Interspersed in all this was the Jewish music which I sang, drawing from my childhood memory in London and Glasgow when there would be fourteen people round the table, from different Jewish traditions.
The Exodus story and its story of redemption is an essential part of the history of salvation, mirroring Christ's death on the cross and his Resurrection which we celebrate this weekend.As we go through the shadow of the cross, may we come into the joy of new life.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
On Tuesday night I had a beautiful experience. I celebrated Seder night (the Passover story) with 2 Jewish women friends of mine, mother and daughter. There is something very special about an all-women Seder and indeed a special grace was working.
Jane, the daughter, had ordered some unusual matsot (unleavened bread) -they were huge and round and had come all the way from Israel. She had also made a beautiful cake for dessert.
We started by Irene (the mother) lighting the candles in a special holder carved by an elderly Jewish friend and she said the Festival blessing. Then we proceeded with the liturgy, centred round the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea. With the cups of wine we celebrated going from slavery to freedom, darkness to light, bondage to redemption.
Interwoven with the proceedings were the ritual foods, the bitter herbs to commemorate the bitterness the Israelites experienced in Egypt, the charoseth to represent the bricks and mortar that the Israelites were forced to build cities with and the roasted egg and shankbone to represent the lamb which was roasted before their departure from Egypt.
Interspersed in all this was the Jewish music which I sang, drawing from my childhood memory in London and Glasgow when there would be fourteen people round the table, from different Jewish traditions.
The Exodus story and its story of redemption is an essential part of the history of salvation, mirroring Christ's death on the cross and his Resurrection which we celebrate this weekend.As we go through the shadow of the cross, may we come into the joy of new life.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Saturday, 9 April 2011
The silver birch tree
My dear Friends In January 2000 I had just founded The Little Sisters of Joy with my friend Maryvonne. What better thing to do than to plant a tree in honour of the new foundation? I asked permission from the lady I was living with, Benigna Lehmann and she said she would be delighted to have it in her garden. Her son-in law Latif, a composer and a fine man, had just died and his daughter, Benigna's grandaughter, told me that his favourite tree was the silver birch-there was a trio of them in the Botanical garden in Cambridge. So I invited a group of close friends and one afternoon we planted a silver birch in Benigna's garden and made a little ceremony. We recited psalm 96 in which the trees of the wood 'shout for joy' at the presence of the Lord. The tree has grown enormous but luckily the garden was big enough for it to grow freely. When I moved over to the north of the city I decided to plant a sliver birch to show the continuity of The Little Sisters of Joy. In seven years it has grown tall and strong.But alas one of its roots has grown into my neighbours garden and the other roots are growing fast, so I am thinking of having it pruned and the root in the other garden taken away. Please pray that my beautiful tree will continue to grow as it is a wonderful symbol of spirituality, beauty and simplicity. As I write, I am on my way to the Botanical gardens and i will for sure look at the trio of birches which have grown strong and tall. Did you know that the Indians regards the birch as something mystical and use the bark to line their boats? And there are wonderful forests of them in Canada, Finland and Russia. Long may they last! Shalom from Sister Gila
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
