One last post about various things before I go to bed, which I should do soon (the time is after midnight here).
PEOPLE ON THE TOUR: In addition to Fr. Skeris, there are 12 musicians: 4 Americans, 1 Australian, and 7 Hungarians - plus 2 additional people (the husband and daughter of one of the American ladies) and the bus driver. So, though we have a choir of 12 (Fr. Skeris directs or, when I direct, he sings tenor), we have a total of 16 people on the bus or at the group meals we have. Fr. Skeris drew up a seating arrangement and I get to sit at his right hand. Interesting.
The Hungarians are all out of the Ferenc Liszt Conservatory in Budapest - the Catholic Church Music Department (yes, there is one and its head was this Laszlo Doszay who wrote the book on the "Bugnini Liturgy." He retired recently, but his replacement is good, too. They speak, well, Hungarian, but they all speak German well, and all but two speak English well. These two gals, Agnes and Agnes (unrelated) speak English better than I speak German, but not as good as the others. Nonetheless lectures and rehearsals are in English it is just occasionally one of them will look lost and Fr. Skeris will say, "Ja, also, auf Deutsch . . . " They are quite pious - young, twentysomethings, very knowledgeable about Catholic music (although semiologists). They are from all over Hungary, but one of them is from Transylvania . . .
LANGUAGE: The South Germans and Swiss speak a similar sort of German (to my ears). It is a rather sing-songy, bouncy cheerful, "Ja, Ja . . . etc." Our hotel waitress cracked me up because she put me in mind of a Swiss version of Siobhan O'Connor (only the Christendom people will know her). Bouncy, cheerful, but Swiss rather than Irish. I guess a "Swiss Miss."
The Hungarians - like some other South European nationalities (Greek, Italian, etc.) - can have a slow, even slightly sultry (pouty?) cadence, " I am . . . . . Miklos." Not that they are actually being that way. It is just more the cadence. However, when they go into German, they liven up, and when they speak English they adopt a British accent ("that's a great idear.")
SWISS/GERMAN DIFFERENCES: The Swiss are still proud of their independence. They have their own currency AND - when in Konstanz - I saw that they had their own Train station! There is the train station of the city of Konstanz where all trains enter and leave, then there is the separate one a block down for Swiss Rail. Fr. Skeris is offended by this, but I still too charmed by them to get upset.
GERMAN TELEVISION: In the hotel last night in Reichenau. Many dubbed American movies and television series from the 80's/90's (Cheers, Roseanne, etc.). Even a 1940's Agatha Christie movie with Miss Marpel from England! News programs in German. A home improvement show called, I think, "Ihre Traum Haus" (Your Dream House). Original shows in German. One seemed to be about a husband-wife team who fight crime on the "Auto Bahn" - a bit like "Hart to Hart" from the 80's but a younger couple and much less glamorous. Maybe it was just the one episode involving the Autobahn. Some better original German programs. A German imitation of an incredibly goofy American stock comedy from the 80's involving: 1)standard "cool guy" character, 2) standard "klutzy guy" character, 3) standard "jolly, overweight guy" character, and 4) standard "attractive dumb blonde" character. Sadly, a channel devoted entirely to pornography.
EUROPEAN CULTURE: I must muse on this more as it is too soon, and - per above - I have gotten very mixed signals.
More tommorow.
4 comments:
Any David Hasselhof on the TV--I hear he is HUGE in Germany.
Guess I shouldn't ask more about the TV--I'll be branded a complete philistine (although the horse is probably out of the barn on that one).
I enjoy hearing the descriptions of people, since most of my perceptions of Europe are based on two cows jokes.
have a great trip
karl
Karl,
I haven't seen David Hasselhof, but I wouldn't be surprised. I saw Kurt Russell and Michael Douglas on German television.
(Incidentally, speaking of European types, I had to deal with a rather shabby beggar on a bike today. He started speaking to me in German, so I said, "Ich kann nicht Deutsch sprechen." He looked at me as if I was mad - "but you ARE speaking German" he must have been thinking. Then he said, "Haben Sie das klein Geld?" - which I fully understood, so I just said, "Nein," and he peddled off.)
Kurt
As for the two cows joke, there is something to it. Life is definitely more relaxed here, but there are people who clearly work hard. I hear taxes are very high in Switzerland. There also is much more culture and history and art here. I am still trying to sort it all out - I have been here only 4 days.
As for the language, just think of the stereo type and that is pretty accurate. Think of an exaggerated German accent, and that is the way many talk. Think of a coo-coo clock, and that is the way many Swiss talk. (As I write, I have been hearing a woman say to a little boy - for the past 15 minutes - "Tschoos, Tschoos - Tschoos, Tschoos." Dropping a minor 3rd just like a coo-coo clock.)
"Tschoos" means 'good-bye' in German.
Post a Comment