European Culture: The Kappler Song (Satis Shroff)

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    Sep 12, 2012
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THE KAPPLER SONG (Satis Shroff)

The occasion was the 50th anniversary of the Schauinsland School in Freiburg-Kappel. The invitees who came to congratulate were the mayor Gerda Stuchlik, the local mayor Hermann Dittmers and school counsellor Susanne Link.

A colourful programme was staged by the school with a musical, a quiz and a photo exhibition. The parents’ band, under Wolfgang Rogge, played and sang quite a number of songs.

Initially, there was a flute number—Hencry Purcell’s suite ‘Reigen,’ followed by words of greeting to the guests by Ms. Mann, the school’s headmistress. Then came another flute song: Uli Führe ‘Insist in the Wish.’ Mayor Stuchlik’s speech was followed by Mr. Dittmer’s one. After that it was the Children’s Musical ‘Das Vier-Farben-Land’ by Gina Ruck-Panquet with the kids of the Class III. Among other speakers were: Ms. Link, Mrs. Preiß and Ms. Mann. The school-kids sang a song.

The MGV-Kappel ‘Liederkranz’ choir was conducted this time by Wolfgang Busse, since Johannes Söllner had to attend the marriage of Felix Rosskopf, the former conductor of the MGV. The men’s choir sang ‘Veronika, der Lenz ist da,’ and a humorous song made popular by the Comedian Harmonists ‘Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus.’ Judging from the applause, the audience liked it very much. The last song that the MGV-Kappel sang was the Kappler Song, by Franz Joseph Vitt, 1936) with the school-kids and parents, with a heart-warming togetherness.

The Kapplerlied was about the hamlet of Kappel, which lies below the crescent of peaks.

O lovely Vale of Kappel,
I think of you.
O my Heimat,
I greet you
A thousand times.

There is mention of the flood of silver-ore from the Schauinsland hill, of Kappel’s small church, where the traveller finds rest and peace. The stream, and the green meadow, and the song of the shepard boy. The hill-stream flows, the wooden mill-wheel creaks and moves, and the pine forests echo with the chirps and tweets of the bird songs. The countryman struggles on the steep hill, the hard-working mountain man uses his drill to dig for ores in Schauinsland. The baskets, heavily laden with ores moved down to the valley along the ropeway. In the deep Black Forest the axe was swung and giant trees felled. The son of Kappler Valley sojourns afar and has longing for his home. His eyes become ultimately tired and close. The Kappler Valley should be his last home of rest and he greets it a thousand times. 

The joy of singing together was plainly evident.

We, as a choir, were also happy when we saw and heard the audience singing with us, for Klaus Sütterle had distributed the Kapplerlied among them before we sang. This school-jubilee showed us again that the choir-music of the MGV ‘Liederkranz’ has the ability to bring the people of Kappel together.

Yes, singing releases hormones within us that make us happy and our souls rejoice too.

Author's Profile

www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/1207 www.lulu.com/spotlight/satisle http://satisshroff.wordpress.com/


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