I Heart... St. Valentine's Day

 I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day – not because of the champagne-and-red-roses kind of romance that Madison Avenue would like to sell you, but because it is a day devoted to love. That said, what we now know as Valentine’s Day began where all good stories begin… in Rome.

There were, probably, two St. Valentines – both Christians living in Rome during the third century AD. We know virtually nothing about either one, but both seem to have been beheaded as martyrs of the faith their legends have, over time, merged.

St. Valentine’s Day (February 14) has long been associated with love and lovers, however, and there is debate and discussion about these origins. Traditionally, St. Valentine was said to have performed secret marriages for the emperor’s soldiers. The Emperor believed that unmarried men made superior soldiers and had outlawed marriage amongst his men. This story, however, has been widely questioned. Some say the association is related to the Roman feast of Lupercalia. Others discount that theory.

 
The Skull of St. Valentine (Santa Maria in Cosmedin)  Photo by Br Lawrence Lew, OP .
Despite this historical ambiguity, February 14 has been associated with coupling for centuries, and relics of St. Valentine can be found in churches throughout Europe including at Santa Maria in Cosmedin (the church in Rome best known for housing the Mouth of Truth).

If you are in Rome for St. Valentine’s Day, make your way to Viale Maresciallo Pilsudski and the remains of the church of San Valentino. The church sits on the site of a 2nd century pagan cemetery.


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Early Christian churches often were built at the site of martyrs’ graves. Pilgrims would flock to the graves to pay homage to the dead, and eventually memorials were built and then churches. Christians were buried in the cemetery from the 4th to the 6th centuries, and a catacomb was cut into the hillside on the site. Eventually a church was built which covered part of the cemetery and honored St. Valentine.

The church fell into ruin, and now it is only open one day each year: St. Valentine’s Day. A mass is said for the saint who has become the patron saint of couples, bee keepers, and happy marriages (sadly, there is not yet a patron saint of bloggers). The mass is generally followed by brief tours of the catacombs which are only open one each year.

Now I am feeling a little mushy, so...

Wherever you are in the world, 
know that I love my readers!

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!



And a special St. Valentine's greeting to my readers from DeliciousBaby.com's Photo Friday .  Hugs and Kisses!

The Sprightly Companions

This week I interviewed Jeanine Krause, Baroque oboist, about playing music on the road. Jeanine is part of the ensemble Sprightly Companions  who launch their East Coast tour tomorrow evening.
Live on the East Coast?  Check out the Sprightly Companions tour schedule:

Nashua, New Hampshire
Friday, 13 February 7:30pm
Christ the King Lutheran Church
(3 Lutheran Dr.   Nashua, NH 03063)

Guest artists: 
Elizabeth Blood, soprano
Timothy Keyl, tenor
Tickets $18/$13
603-882-6142
www.ctknashua.org


Worcester, Massachusetts
Saturday, 14 February 5:00pm
Trinity Lutheran Church
(73 Lancaster St.   Worcester, MA 01609)

Guest artists: 
Timothy Keyl, tenor
Donald Meineke, tenor
For ticket information:
508-753-2989

Abington, Pennsylvania
Sunday, 15 February 7:00pm
Abington Presbyterian Church
(1082 Old York Road  Abington, PA 19001)
Guest artist: 
Katharine Young, soprano

Tickets $15/$10
215-887-4530
www.apcusa.org
Bronxville, New York
Tuesday, 17 February 7:30pm
Concordia College: Sommer Center for Worship and the Performing Arts
(171 White Plains Road  Bronxville, NY 10708)
Guest artist:
Jason Thoms, baritone

Wednesday, 18 February 

12:45-14:00 Master Class
Sarah Lawrence College Music Department
(Bronxville, NY 10708)
For information:
914-395-2334

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Friday, 20 February 7:30pm
University Lutheran Church
(66 Winthrop St.  Cambridge, MA 02138)

Guest artist: 
Tracy Cowart, mezzo-soprano

Tickets $15/$5
617-876-3256
www.unilu.org


Long Island, New York
Saturday, 21 February 7:30pm
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
All Soul's Chapel
(754 Montauk Hwy   Islip, NY 11757) 

Guest artist: 
Katharine Young, soprano

Admission is free
734-255-7161
www.stmarksconcertseries.com



Morris Plains, New Jersey

Sunday, 22 February 4:00 pm

Trinity Lutheran Church
(131 Mountain Way  Morris Plains, NJ 07950)

Guest artist:
Jason Thoms, baritone 
Tickets $15/$10
973-538-7606

Eight Questions for Traveling Musician: Jeanine Krause of the Sprightly Companions (Part Two)

Happy Music Monday... er, Wednesday!  

Travel and music go together so very well.  And many musicians spend significant parts of the year on the road.  This week I am delighted to bring you my interview with Baroque Oboist and constant traveller, Jeanine Krause.  Jeanine lives just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, but she will be in the US for the next few weeks on tour with her ensemble, the Sprightly Companions .  

Today, questions about traveling and music...
AKN:  As a musician on tour, what is the most difficult part of being on the road? 

JK:  I enjoy almost everything about being on tour. But I suspect that it will be difficult to find an internet connection so I can use Skype on a regular basis. It is important for me to share my joys and frustrations with my husband, Sven, who will stay in Germany during this tour.


AKN:  What is your favorite piece on the program?  

JK:  I’ve lived with all the music on this program so long that I love every note of it. Each turn of phrase, each articulation, each slight waiver in the airstream reflects a picture in my head. The Couperin, for example is a labor of love, since the French Baroque is something I’ve learned rather than something I instinctively understand. I know I would have been friends with Henry Purcell. His music rolls through me like a stream. Johann David Heinichen from the court at Dresden is a relatively new discovery for me and probably rarely played in the US. His music allows me to sing with a brilliant palette of colors. Vivaldi is fun because the audience enjoys it so much. 
But my favorite is always JS Bach. I am particularly fulfilled by this work for oboe d’amore because he exploits the instrument’s strengths to a perfection of satisfaction. The highlight for me is working with the singers. They challenge me to seek out new sounds, more nuance. I want to play the text as clearly as they are singing it, sometimes by imitating sometimes by contributing my own ideas, but always in respectful and engaged dialogue.

AKN:  You live and play in Germany, Bach’s homeland. What is it like playing the music of a master in the land where he lived and worked? 

JK:  I’ve been in Germany for over 10 years but the charm has never worn off. In 2002 I was hired to play the Christmas Oratorio with the choir at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, where JS Bach was the Kantor for many years until his death. Dad flew in from Dallas just to hear the concert. That is how meaningful it is to me. Recently, I performed a revival of an opera by J.S. Bach’s son, Johann Christian in Leipzig at the Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy University in Leipzig. 
I am really excited about a concert in Hamburg this coming Lent. We will perform J.S.Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in the Mendelssohn version. We will perform on Romantic instruments. Mendelssohn was responsible for the rediscovery of J.S.Bach’s work. 
But it isn’t just Americans who are moved by such thoughts. The European musicians I work with are equally excited to walk in the footsteps of their masters.

AKN:  What does the 2009 travel season hold for you?

JK:  A highlight for 2009 will be a concert tour in Japan with the Massachusetts based orchestra, Cambridge Concentus under the direction of Joshua Rifkin (of Ragtime fame!). We will perform J.S.Bach’s St.Matthew Passion. It is very convenient that Bach wrote this work for a double orchestra and choir making it easy to use both American and Japanese Baroque specialists with the theme non-European baroque musicians. 
The next Sprightly Companions tour is in the makings….to be continued.

AKN:  Thank you so much, Jeanine!  

The Sprightly Companions (featuring musicians Jeanine Krause, Rachel Cama-Lekx, and Hsuan-Wen Chen) begins their Force of Eloquence tour on Friday, February 13 in Nashua, Hew Hampshire.  They will appear in cities up and down the East Coast this month.  For more information about The Sprightly Companions and for concert dates and times visit their website .