MODERN FOLK

Now that spring has broken, it is finally time to complete projects that have lain dormant through the dark days of the year. Here is a video of my trip to a winter solstice ceremony in the middle of the Netherlands last year. The ceremony revolved around the playing of the Midwinterhoorn: a long, curved, hollowed-out tree trunk, wider at one end, narrow at the other end, closed off with a wooden mouthpiece. It is the Dutch version of the Alphorn, and dates back to times when roads were bad, wild predators and invading armies were ever-present threats, and a loud instrument that could communicate quickly, across forests and valleys, of great value.

The ceremony took place in the Veluwe, in the sparsely-inhabited hill region in the center of the Netherlands. The players stood in pairs with their instruments and lanterns, wearing the traditional black wool of the region, spaced at intervals around a hillside about half a mile wide. And at exactly 4:29 PM, sundown to the longest night of the year, the playing of the midwinterhoorn began. The leader of the group started: eight bars of a four-note tune. When he finished, a player up the hillside followed, playing the same eight bars. The sound of the midwinterhoorn passed from player to player, as all light gradually faded from the sky.

The only intrusion upon this traditional scene was a feature that is unfortunately a fact of life in the modern-day Netherlands: namely, the ever-present sound of the closest freeway.

This video is a compilation of some of my interview with Casper van Beek, head of this group of Midwinterhoorn players, and of the experience of hearing the Midwinterhoorn on this evening. I hope you enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your questions and comments!

And here is a video of my first lesson with the Midwinterhoorn: