Sunday was our first full day in Muistair, Switzerland, which is a tiny village not more than 5 minutes from the Italian border - but that is a matter of some con-TRO-versy, as our Australian David Malloy says. Actually this is historically South Tyrol (Austria) and the villages on the other side of the border were forcefully incorporated into Italy by Mussolini in 1928. Almost every one in the villages is ethnically German and speaks German, but signs are in Italian as well. I do get at least two Italian television channels at the hotel in Muistair, though. Saw this strange program involving an attractive Italian blonde lady in a yellow dress who would sing and then trade quips with five men in easy chairs on the stage - all in tuxedos but one in a hideous pink one. Then there was some contest in which, out of other singers, one was chosen to sing and present his/her music video. Everyone was between 35-55 and the music sounded oddly like Bobby Vinton from the 70's - kind of safe "popular" music of that era (Think of Anacani singing "Eres tu" on the Lawrence Welk show.) It was this strange combination of The Mike Douglas Show/Wheel of Fortune (with roles reversed-and 5 Pat Sajacks)/and Star Search for people of more mature years.
It was very odd and slightly tacky, but also touchingly innocent. It made me more favorable to the Italian land grab of 1928. If this is what the Swiss get instead of the German pornography channel, then my hat is off to Mussolini.
The main point of the day was, of course, the Sunday Mass, so let me tell you about this. It was at Kloster St. John which is no more than 100 meters down the road. The picture above is from the graveyard. It is a nun's convent, but the chapel is open to the people. I wasn't expecting much, which was wise. It oddly reminded me of a parish Mass in Grand Rapids, MI from about 1973 - but slightly better. It was actually because the young Swiss priest was more towards the conservative side. The Swiss can be pretty bad, so he and the nuns (and we) kept it from being too bad. We sang Mass VIII and some of the Latin propers, plus a Lasus motet (Exsultate justi). There was only one server - an altar BOY, and no lay distributors, but there was a woman in a pant suit who did the reading. The rest of the Mass was in the vernacular - or I should say vernacularS: German and Romansh. I was just fascinated to hear Romansh. My reaction was indeed that it sounded very much like Latin. That may be because I know, say, Italian and Spanish and therefore would react, "O, that's Italian or Spanish," rather than notice the similarities to Latin - as I did with Romansh. I am not sure. I believe the Pater noster began "Pater noster" (or perhaps "Pater nosse") and a lot of the Latin words were changed by an "s" becoming "sh," as in "Jesu Christus" becoming "Jesu Christoosh."
(Fr. Skeris said, "Ja, ja it's those mountain people with their thick tongues during Caesar's day trying to speak Latin. S's would get turned to sh's because of their unwieldy tongues and then it got written down that way.")
The choir did OK. There are some talented people, every one is very nice, but there are a fair number of "enthusiasts." I miss the professionalism of my college choirs and schola. Can't say anything more here, only quote Chesterton, "If something is worth doing it is worth doing poorly." (i.e. often culture is passed on simply by doing it, even if not always in the most perfect way.)
We then had lunch and crossed over the Italian border and went to visit a famous monastery which I will blog on more later. Just too much to say and we will go back Tuesday. We had two rehearsals, had dinner and a long conversation with Fr. Skeris and three others on chant interpretation which continued after he left for another hour or so.
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I was able to read a grave inscription on a stone just outside the church this morning. Given the state of the stone and the type of carved letters my guess is that it would have been early 2nd millenium (i.e. close to the year 1000 AD). It said:
"Hic iacet religiosus ex virtutibus factus bonus.
Ludovicus fuit vocavit et ex capucinis fuit datus."
which, I think, translates:
(Here lies a religious who was made good through virtuous works.
He was called Ludovicus and was given out of the Capuchins)
P.S. I will try to put a picture up tommorrow, so you can write in and tell me what you think.
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