Das Hirt auf dem Felson - The Shepherd on the Rock

One of the pieces that particularly caught our attention at Marlboro this week was a song by Franz Schubert, Das Hirt auf dem Felsen, written for soprano, piano and clarinet. It has been recorded many times by various groups (including one in the distant past at Marlboro featuring Rudolph Serkin, piano; Benita Valente, soprano and Harold Wright, clarinet, which is on YouTube and well worth listening to). Our favorite from the past features Elly Ameling, soprano, whose delicate, nuanced voice is perfect for this piece. What we heard last week featured Lydia Brown, piano; Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano; and Yuhsin Galaxy Su, clarinet. They were all top-notch, as all Marlboro Music Festivsl musicians are, but Yuhsin Su, the clarinetist, seemed to us to be a step above: she was extraordinary. Ellen said, "I felt I was hearing the clsrinet for the first time an entirely new instrument." Su played with her entire body, and the clarinet was a part of her body. She was mesmerizing to listen to and to watch. Fitts Gibbon was at her best in the middle section of the song, which is softer snd more anguished. There, her voice and the clarinet matched each other beautifully. In the brighter passages, her high range was more explosive and not as light and nuanced as I would have liked - not like Elly Ameling, who is perfect. But we never ceased to enjoy hearing the piece, and since it is short, we did hear it several times. That piece and the Brahms Piano Quartet were our favorites of the week, but the Schubert Piano Trio, the Beethoven Clarinet Trio and the Dvorak Terzetta were also all beautiful. And on Saturday we heard a Britten String Quartet for the first time which was interesting, extremely difficult, and at times even beautiful. So it was quite a week. Katie Tolles joined us on Saturday and heard the Schubert "Shepherd," the Brahms Quartet and the Britton. I think she really enjoyed being there, and the three of us had a little picnic lunch in a shed that covered s couple of picnic tables a short walk across a field behind the ooncert hall. Here is the text and translation of Das Hirt auf dem Felsen:, and some notes: "Schubert wrote Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (“The Shepherd on the Rock”) in 1828 for Pauline Anna Milder-Hauptmann, one of the leading soprano singers at the time. The piece explores a range of emotion for the singer, per Milder’s request. It begins with a solemn lament from a shepherd towards his lover, growing darker as the shepherd is consumed by his feelings, until the coming of spring revives his spirits. Der Hirt auf dem Felsen has also become a staple of clarinet repertoire, featuring the instrument through various poetic interludes between verses and call and-response phrases from the singer that evoke an echo effect. The piece was eventually performed by Milder-Hauptmann; however Schubert had already been dead for two years at the time of its premiere." - Part One: Wilhelm Müller – "Der Berghirt" (The Mountain Shepherd) Wenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh', In's tiefe Tal hernieder seh', Und singe. Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln Tal Schwingt sich empor der Widerhall Der Klüfte. Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, Je heller sie mir wieder klingt Von unten. Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir, Drum sehn' ich mich so heiß nach ihr Hinüber.[6] When, from the highest rock up here, I look deep down into the valley, And sing, Far from the valley dark and deep Echoes rush through, upward and back to me, The chasm. The farther that my voice resounds, So much the brighter it echoes From under. My sweetheart dwells so far from me, I long hotly to be with her Over there. Part Two: Varnhagen – "Nächtlicher Schall" (Nightly Sound) In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich, Mir ist die Freude hin, Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich, Ich hier so einsam bin. So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied, So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht, Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht Mit wunderbarer Macht.[3] I am consumed in misery, Happiness is far from me, Hope has on earth eluded me, I am so lonesome here. So longingly did sound the song, So longingly through wood and night, Towards heaven it draws all hearts With amazing strength. Part Three: Wilhelm Müller – "Liebesgedanken" (Love Thoughts) Der Frühling will kommen, Der Frühling, meine Freud', Nun mach' ich mich fertig Zum Wandern bereit.[7] The Springtime will come, The Springtime, my happiness, Now must I make ready To wander forth.

Two views of the Schubert "Shepherd" trio at Marlboro.

Two views of Yuhsin Su from her Curtis Institute graduation recital.

A Hallowell gathering

Yesterday afternoon, about 25 Hallowell members gathered at the home of Kathy Leo and Tom Goldschmid, and had a chance to sing together and share experiences. Kathy talked fairly exstensively about how Hallowell is evolving organizationally, due to our aging, Kathy's personal pulling back from her central role as founder, and the restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hallowell is twenty years old, a milestone we will mark on August 26th with a celebration. It has a strong commitment of support from Brattleboro Area Hospice to continue. But others will be taking over what Kathy has been doing, and there will be a concerted effort to recruit younger members: a new generation. There was a time when Ellen and I were involved in virtually every sing, many of which we led, and we jointly led several workshops with Kathy and Tom, helping to create new groups like Hallowell in other parts of Vermont, and in Maine, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., añd Indiana, etc. Those days are over. But they were wonderful while they lasted.

Gathering and visiting. L. to R.: Val, Patrice, Connie, Gill, Kathy, Mary Cay, Mike, Bonnie, Tom.

Tom and Kathy's house.

Part of the circle of song: Jamie, Tom, Mark, Peter, Manny, Susan and Terry.

Another part of the circle: Calvin, Hans, Mike, Walter, Gill, Bonnie and Tom.

A beautiful evening

Sunday evening we went to a Sam Amidon concert in nearby Gill, MA, at Antenna Cloud Farm, a place unknown to us and spectacularly lovely, up on a hill overlooking the mountains to the south. It was a perfect evening weather-wise, and Sam was great, as always, turning old ballads and hymns into new harmonic adventures. He plays guitar, banjo and fiddle, and was accompanied by a percussionist. His family, his parents, and his brother, Stefan, and his family, nine or ten in all, were there, and several joined him on a song. After the concert I discovered some friends I had not realized were there, and also some food: homemade bread, several kinds of cheese, and cookies! It was great!

Sam singing and playing.

These give a feel for the setting.

Amiidon family singers.

Goodbye, Savanna

Our beloved Savanna, or to use her full official name, Patricia Savanna Ouellette, took her last breath Saturday evening, July 22, 2023 at 10:14p.m. Katie was alone with her ar that moment. After days of labored breathing, weeks of struggle with pain, months of fighting the cancer and its complications, it was a relatively peaceful death. Her spirit lives on in us, but her physical presence will be sorely, deeply missed. So we have entered a new reality, and each of us in our own way will have to find our way through this time as best we can and still honor her very lively spirit which was devoted to life, and especially the enjoyment of life. Ellen and I joined Katie at the Fisher Home, and we spoke one last blessing and farewell to Savanna, and Ellen helped with packing up personal belongings while we waited for the undertakers to arrive. When they did arrive, around midnight, the two men were very thoughtful and kind in their work and their communication with us, and we noticed especially the lovely quilt they used to place over Savanna as they took her out. We are grateful that a difficult task was performed with dignity. We are grateful also for the Fisher Home staff and their care in Savanna's last days.

Patricia Savanna Ouelette (July 4, 1945 - July 22, 2023)

Old-timers' night

Thursday evening we did something unusual - at least for the time we are in right now - we drove up to Dummerston to attend an event at the Historical Society: the celebration of the life of 93-year-old, old-time resident, Don Hazelton. We met in the Dummerston Historical Society building, a former one-room schoolhouse, a school Don had attended as a child. He was born in Dummerston, and his parents, Merton and Hazel Hazelton, had grown up in Dummerston as well. The family owned an orchard and farm, and were well-known especially for their apples, strawberries and maple syrup. Many people at the meeting had worked for the Hazeltons picking apples or strawberries. When I first came to Dummerston, in 1956, Don was working for his father, who was still active. When Shirley and I moved into the parsonage in Dummerston in 1957, just after my graduation from seminary, we became neighbors of Don and his wife, Bunny, who lived next door to the parsonage. They had a little baby boy, Michael, who was about a year old or so, and he was often left in his play pen, which was set up in the yard between their house and ours. One day he managed to get his head caught between the slats of the playpen and strangled to death: the worst thing that one can imagine happening. I went next door to see Don and Bunny, as a neighbor, but also as a new pastor. It was my first experience of the death of someone in my parish! Bunny loved telling this story and did so on any occasion she could. (She died a few years ago). Shw would say, "Larry didn't have any idea what to say, so he just came in and cried with us." She was right. I didn't know what to say. Three years of seminary had not taught me what to say to parents of a little toddler who died under those circumstances. Actually, no one can teach such a thing - the words come to you, or they don't. So we just held each other. It was my "baptism by fire" as a pastor. There were a lot of stories told last night. Four of Don's five children were there: Phyllis, Steve, Ted and David. They each talked a bit about their dad and mom, and growing up in Dummerston. And in the case of three of then - deciding to move away. There were two men there at the meeting who had graduated from high school in Brattleboro in Don's class - Class of 1948 - and thus this year was the 75th anniversary of their high school graduation. So it was a fascinating occasion, and Ellen really enjoyed it too, even though she did not know many of the people. She did know some through our connection with the Dummerston Church. And one of those three men who graduated with Don was Tucky Houghton, whom we know through the Guilford Church. Here are some pictures:

The guest of honor, Don Hazelton. Below are the four children who were there; a fifth, Jeanette, was unable to come.

David

Steve

Ted

Phyllis

Chuck Fish, one of the officers of the Historical Society, who presided over this meeting.

Bob Evans, one of Don's high school classmates.

A quick turnaround

We had been at Oxbow Lake for about twelve hours when Ellen got an early-morning text message from Katie saying that Savanna had changed - she seemed to be in a final stage, and she would like us to be there. So we did some last-minute things, packed up, had a bit of breakfast, and left the lake. We stopped in Speculator at a store where Brendon bought some lamp oil for a lamp he had just bought, and we were on our way! We at least got to see the lake and spend a night there. It was a beautiful day - it's too bad we couldn't stay.

Wednesday morning scenes.***************** We came back via Amsterdam, NY and the NY Thruway, and were at Fisher Home by 4p.m. or so. Now, a day later, Savanna is about the same. Earlier today, three members of the group called One Journey, Helen, Dorothy and Katie - were all in the room with Savanna, who played the bass in that group. So they sang- Ellen said it was wonderful. If you want to hear One Journey go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng2p15Cf5mw. Katie's voice stands out on the melody. Since Savanna is not conscious, the move to bring her home is cancelled. I am at the house in Shutesbury. Brendon isn't up yet. I think this stage is VERY hard for him to deal with. He doesn't want to see Savanna looking the way she does right now. Very understandable. My only companion at this point is Cloudy, who is asleep in a chair nearby out here on the porch.

Cloudy********************************** I would like to be over at Fisher Home, but Ellen doesn't want me to drive - plus, the only car here is the red Prius, and I am not that familiar with it. So Brendon will have to drive me.

Brendon's carved boat

Just before we left to come to the lake, a package was delivered to the house for Brendon - a wood carving set he had ordered. So when we set out, he got right to work, and he worked on carving a boat the whole trip. When we got to the lake, he showed it to us. He did a nice job on it.

Views of Brendon's boat.

We are at Oxbow Lake

Well, we came, and here we are. We left Shutesbury at about 2:00p.m., stopped brief;y at Fisher Home - but Savanna was asleep - and got on I-91 and went down to the Mass Turnpike, headed west to the NY Thruway, got off west of Albany onto Rte. 30, then Rte 29, then 10, then 8. Got here about 6:30p.m. The pizza place we thought would be open was closed, no other place to eat in Speculator except an ice cream stand. We went to a general store and I got antipasto and crackers for supper. It was okay. It is lovely here, quiet. Very few people are around. Sort of feelslike we have the place to ourselves.

The cottage at Oxbow Lake.

Scenes from the cottage***************************** So, I guess it wasn't so crazy after all. Savanna slept all day. Is she declining? Or just tired? She is coming home Thursday or Friday. How will that go for everyone? We will just have to wait and see.

Decision time

Talking with Brendon about going to Oxbow Lake in Adirondak State Park in New York. It seems crazy to me, but he wants to go. We would leave tomorrow, spend Wednesday there, and come back Thursday. Fine! But Savanna may come home that day. Not being there to help that day seems crazy. We'll see what Katie thinks.

Talking with Brendon while Ellen checks her phone**************

Oh yeah - We went to ClaWs in Rockland for seafood, but I never posted photos. Here they are:

Claws restaurant and Rockland harbor.

Catching up

I don't know why there has been such a gap since my last post. I haven't been any busier than usual. But it has been a week! This is the week Brendon was at camp. It turned out to be a good experience for him. He called home - called Katie - the first two nights, but not again. Jim and Mary picked him up Saturday morning, and said he was in a very good mood and well-prepared, all packed up. He was very positive in his report. It turned out that he was one of the few just gay people there - over half the camp was trans. His cabin was all trans guys, except him. It must have been a very interesting camp!

Group portrait of Pride Camp.*********** Coming home from Owl's Head on Monday morning, we met Phil McKean at the Rising Tide Coop in Damariscotta, ME for breakfast. A very nice Coop, for sure, and they had a hot bar for breakfast. We sat at a table outside under cover and had a lovely visit while we ate. Phil is renting out the Cushing house for the rest of the summer and living at the McKean cottage in Friendship.

Rising Tide Coop.*********************************** Another feature of the week was a special meeting of the GCC Council, open to everyone, on Thursday night. About 30 additional people came, and there was a very full, passionate discussion. It is confidentiial, so I won't report on it here. But it was important for the future of our church. This was also the week we nailed down a date for work to be done on the car, and made arrangements for a rental car. It will start tomorrow, and we will have a rental car for the week. The coming week is the one that the cabin is rented at Oxbow Lake in the Adirondacks, and we have discussed the possibility of going there with Brendon. I'm not sure what is happening in that regard. Savanna is still doing reasonably well, but the big news is that Fisher Home is closing at the end of the month, for H-VAC renovations, and Savanna will probably come home, possibly with Fisher Home Hospice being in charge of home care. That is going to be a huge change, and probably not easy, maybe even very difficult. But there are no good options. John and Cynthia are going to Grand Manan during the last week of the month. This is also the month of the Marlboro Music Festival, but we have not been able to go at all. Quite a change from last year! This has also been a week in which I received a proof copy of the book I am having printed at Bridgeport National Bindery - An Untold Story: Frederick Barnes Tolles' Unpublished History of Colonial America and the Story Behind It. It is beautiful to look at and to hold. It's in Vermont and I am in Massachusetts, so I can't take a picture. But I will. Meanwhile I have been working on organizing a DVD that will accompany it - in an envelope glued inside the back cover (this is a hard-cover book) - containing almost all of Prof. Tolles' articles and book reviews that are listed in the book. I thought it would be nice for family to have easy access to those articles. Otherwise, they would have to track them down in a large academic library, which they would be unlikely to do. So, I have been busy. But no excuse.

A quick trip to Maine.

Brendon has camp this week - in Maine! Normally, Katie would have driven him over. Maybe even Katie and Savanna together. But this is not a normal time. Katie's place is at Savanna's side. So Ellen and I brought him over yesterday. We took Katie's Prius and left Shutesbury Sunday morning a little after nine. We were headed for Pilgrim Lodge, a U.C.C. camp belonging to the Maine Conference, located on Lake Cobbosseecontee, near W. Gardiner, about 50 miles due west of where Jim and Mary live. It was about a 4-hour drive. plus we stopped at Bob's Clam Hut for lunch. We arrived at camp between 2:30 and 3:00 - perfect! Brendon got unloaded and registered while we looked around, took some pictures, met some staff. It's old-fashioned (100 years old), but very well maintained. This week is a special "Pride" camp, and Brendon seemed happy. We hope he has a wonderful week.

The "Welcome Committee" of staff greeting and registering campers.

The main room of the lodge - which gives a feel for the overall ambiance of the camp - sort of a "Teddy Roosevelt" era camp.

Ellen in front of the dining hall.

A boardwalk connects the cabins along the shore of the lake.

Brendon in front of his cabin.

A view of the lake from the boardwalk.

Not sure if this boat is merely decorative or is actually taken out on the lake.

The "Pride" banner greeting campers.************************* After we said goodbye to Brendon, we headed over to Owl's Head - Route 17 much of the way - a route familiar from other trips, especially when Mary lived in Hope, ME. It took about an hour and a half to get there, maybe a bit less than that. We went to "Claws" Lobster Hut, overlooking Rockland Harbor, for supper. I got steamed clams, my usual order there, but this time they were unusually gritty and tough. I couldn't finish them. Then we went home and watched Season 8 of "Grantchester" on PBS Masterpiece. Unusually dark episode. As was Saturday night, when we watched the conclusion of "Titanic," which is one of Brendon's favorite movies. I had never seen it before. We had watched the first part of it earlier in the week. The conclusion was harrowing as the ship tilted upright and sank. Jack does not survive, but Rose does and lives a long life, unmarried. The movie ends with her death-bed vision of being re-united with Jack.

Trying to keep cool!

We are having a heat wave. It's nothing like the Southwest U.S., but it is in the high 80's and low 90's, with high humdity. Yesterday I stayed home at the house in Shutesbury, and I was hot! There is no air conditio ning there. There was a little air movement on the screened porch, but not much. Inside it felt pretty warm. I ended up just staying quiet and not trying to do anything physically or mentally. I fixed my lunch, cleaned up the kitchen, made the bed, stuff like that. So not much to report there. Today, John and Cynthia came down to Amherst! We met at the Amherst College Library. Ellen dropped me off just as they were arriving. We came inside where it was cool, and sat in the cafe area and talked for a while (the cafe in the Library is closed during the summer). Two prospective student tour groups came through while we were sitting there. Then Cynthia got the car, she picked me and John up out in front of the Library, and we looked for a place to eat lunch. We saw an Indian place, but it turned out not to have air conditioning, so we went next door, to the Black SHeep Cafe, which turned out to be cool and to have gluten-free sandwiches, something John could eat. It's a bit pricey, but it was my treat, and actuallly not that different in price from everywhere else these days. So we had a good lunch, a good visit, and they brought me back to the Library which is where I am now. Ellen will pick me up here in about 2 1/2 hours - and I'll be comfortable that whole time. While J&C were here, I didn't think to take a single picture! But here's something anyway:

The Black Sheep Cafe

We sat at just this table - but those other people weren't there.

My spot in the AC Library.

A portrait of Robert Frost as a young man. In the Frost Library at AC.

Sad News on Another Front

My friend, Doug Hamilton, has been in Hospice care at home since last FridaY. I went by the house to see him - Sunday, I think it was, but he was asleep. I stood by his bed and talked with him and blessed him, while he slept. Yesterday morning I called to see if I might visit before we went to Savanna's party, but was told by his caregiver, Ben, that he was asleep. So afternoon, after we came back from the party and were at Hannaford's picking up a few groceries I called again. This time I got his daughter, Marian, and learned that yesterday morning, probably not long after I called, Doug had slipped away. I did not get to see him and talk with him, but I'm grateful I at least was at his bedside and maybe he sensed that unconsciously. It all happened pretty fast. I asked Marian if she would like a visit, but it was not a good time for that. She will let me know when there is a gathering of some kind.

Happy Birthday, Savanna!

Savanna was born on the Fourth of July, 1945. So today is her 78th birthday! We (Jim, Mary and I), have just returned from a birthday party for her which was held in the living room at Fisher Home, a lovely setting, not often used. Savanna was in a rolling recliner, the same chair she was in when she was outside the other day. They are able to use the Hoyer lift to transfer her from bed to chair without any stress or strain on her or on anyone else. She looked great, fully paticipated in her party, opened her cards and gifts, had some champagne, and some of the three cakes Ellen had made for the occasion: a carrot cake, an intense chocolate cake, and a chocolate cream pie, all of which were delicious. Brendon sang, "I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire," with Jim accompanying on guitar, and Katie led us in several songs including "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" ("The End of War"), "Ameliia Earhart's Last Flight" "Hallelujah, I'm A Bum," "The Titanic," "Bridges," etc. It was a nice group: in addition to family, there was Ginny, Dusty and Dorothy, Karen and Bryan. Some of the staff joined in briefly. Savanna held up very well, amazingly well, I would say. She'll probably be exhuasted when she finally gets back in bed in her room, but I think she will feel it was eorth it - she really enjoyed it.

Ellen and Savanna at the party.

A glimpse of some of the folks there: Ginny, Bryan, Mary, Jim and Karen.

Singing: Karen, Brendon, Dorothy, Dusty and Ellen.

The Chocolate Cream Pie and the Chocolate Cake with Raspberries

Anorher view with the carrot cake in the foreground, and the chocolate cake beyond.

The card I made for Savanna. I worked on it late last night.

A water color painting Jim made for Savanna - his abstract mode, which is new for him.

A card from Ginny and Betsy

And a card from Dusty and Dorothy