"Going Into" and "Going Out" on the Lyre
/
Saeko playing at one of several Advent Gardens this season
By Saeko Cohn, Nyack, NY
A year ago, Kerry Lee gave me an article that Christof-Andreas Lindenberg wrote in 1986, titled “The Advent Garden and the Lyre.” After having played at two Advent Gardens this year, I revisited this article and am grateful to be part of this history and the therapeutic impulse that lies behind the simultaneous creation of Advent Garden and the modern lyre in 1926. Here are some of Christof-Andreas’ words that particularly resonate in my heart:
“Is it not striking that one of the first usages for the lyre was the Advent Garden ceremony!” .
“So I asked myself how can we introduce a 'going into' and 'going out' on our lyres....
“New awareness will lead us to answers, and we as lyre players should share what we glean in this search. That in turn will link us to the creative moment in time sixty years ago when the heavens were open enough for impulses of light and of sound to come down to earth....”
These words feel more intimate this year because I could meet Christof-Andreas for the first time, after having played and sung so much of his music, when I visited him in his house in Beaver Run in early November.
On December 1st, I played the lyre for adults who attended the Advent Garden at the NYC branch of the Anthroposophical Society. I played “Over Stars,” “Marjatta,” “Dona Nobis Pacem,” “Welcome Here! (a Shaker song),” “Shalom Chaveim,” “There Comes a Galley Laden,” and Bach’s “Menuet” from Cello Suite No. 1 in G. People liked the deep sound of my Salem tenor-alto lyre, especially in Bach. Special thanks to the Eurythmist Marta Stemberger for inviting me to play.
On December 6th and 7th, I performed in a lyre trio with Laura Langford Schnur and Sally Willig for the elderly at the Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge. Since the beginning of September, we have practiced together every Friday. Following “Over Stars,” we played music by Johanna Russ, Bach, Kazuhiro Yoshida, and Max Gross. Sally also sang a few Christmas carols accompanied by her guitar. I cannot forget the Bodhisattva-like appearance of a 94-year-old lady who seemed to receive our music with her entire body.
On the first night, a lady in the audience became agitated and started to yell at us to stop playing. But the next evening, it was touching to see that the same lady was listening calmly. Special thanks to Laura for choosing such lovely music. On both nights, my five-year-old son Leon sat patiently while we played. For a treat, we went to the candle-dipping room and found Christiane Landowne playing her alto lyre! It was a blissful moment, slowly encircling a beautifully decorated winter landscape with glistening crystals, while listening to Christiane play some of my favorite pieces from Esther Schwedeler’s “Leier-Album” and Colin Tanser’s “The Heart’s Reply.”
Finally, on December 8th, I played the lyre at the Waldorf School of Garden City. I had goose bumps when the students and parents of the nursery classes – most of the children sitting on their parents’ laps, observed a moment of silence before I started. My tenor-alto lyre sounded more resonant as I played pentatonic melodies in the highest register. By playing music for different age groups, I am learning what moods and styles of music are more appropriate for each group. Special thanks to Ms. Rie Seo of the WSGC for having opened my son’s and my path to Waldorf education, and for inviting me to play the lyre at her school and guiding Leon into and out of the spiral. As I write this, the Advent celebrations continue in our Threefold Community. I sing in a choir at the Christian Community and look forward to playing the lyre to accompany the Madonna picture sequence at the Fellowship next week. I am also excited to start teaching the children’s lyre at Green Meadow Waldorf School in January.