It is another gorgeous bright crisp Spring day. We needed gloves on the bike ride to Haarlem this morning. Holland went to Summertime last night, so it was early. The service at the Cathedral was a real treat for me. Every other Sunday the Cathedral Boys Choir accompanies the Sunday 10 o’clock mass. Pure, crystal clear voices. There are a few older men who were at one time members of the boys choir. Two 10/12 year olds sang a duet, without amplification and you could hear them loud and clear in the back of the cathedral. Superb accoustics. Listen to them 03 Nummer 3 . They sang Ave Verum Corpus from Edwar Elgar, during the offertory. Unforgettable.
But it as a I have written before, the congregation barely outnumbered the choir with an average age above 65. Last week’s collection was below 500 Euroes… In many countries I have visited full churches and much lower age averages who would kill for the maginificent churches and the liturgical accompaniment here. The over hundred Saint Matthew passion performances this Easter season in Holland are sold out at ticket prices from $50 to $75. The Dutch worship the music and architecture inspired through the Faith of their forefathers but feel no need to worship the same God who inspired the architects and Bachs and Haendels.
