Sixty German Friends and Acquaintances

One of my New Year's Resolutions of Year 2011 was to make acquaintance with 100 strangers. After the Regensburger Domspatzen Concert Tour in Taiwan, I added 60 Germans on my roster. Even before the end of the fist half of year 2011, I reached my goal in making friends and acquaintaces of one hundred! Hooray!

The 60 Germans are no ordinary people, they are gifted with beautiful voices. Whenever the Domkapellmeister Roland Büchner waved his two hands with an invisible wonder wand in the air, the choir produced instantly a mesmerizing pure human sound from the St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg!

Talking about the national music, Japanese have Enka, French have Chanson, Americans have Jazz. What do Germans have to offer? I shall say the German folksongs for chorus for sure, Am Brunnen vor dem Tore, Heidenröslein, to name a couple. Who in Taiwan couldn't hum the lovely German folksongs we grew up with in our childhood?

What impressed me the most about the Regensburger Domspatzen Concert Tour in Taiwan, it would be none other than the liturgical chant. I heard the angelitical voices from heaven, I saw the glow enwrapping the evangelical messagers on stage. I felt the bliss and the peace in my heart. It was simply sensational!

The repertoire of Regensburger Domspatzen's sacred music started with two songs of Hosanna filio David and O Domine Jesu Christe by Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) to pay the homage to the reputable choral composer on the 400 anniversary of his death, followed by Jubilate Deo omnis terra by Giovanni Gabriele (1554/57-1612) or Der Herr ist König by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), concluded by three songs of Wir dein Anliegen auf den Herrn, Hebe Deine Augen auf (Knabenchor), Richte mich Gott by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847). The only regret I had was that not being able to listen to the motet by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594). Maybe that gives me a sound reason to pay a visit to Regensburg in person one day in the future.

Just think about it, I feel contented! Oh, my God. I am so lucky that I could be given the opportunity to escort the Regensburger Domspatzen in Taiwan who chanted for Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel in 2005.