tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post5720169939851321123..comments2024-03-28T22:50:02.315+11:00Comments on ART and ARCHITECTURE, mainly: Silent Night, Holy Night - sung in the WW1 trenches Christmas Eve 1914Helshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-55323642957037364782017-01-06T21:38:03.414+11:002017-01-06T21:38:03.414+11:00Yvonne
Thank you... the King Singers' version...Yvonne<br /><br />Thank you... the King Singers' version was great to hear, even though I did notice that a few of the musical notes were different from the ones we are used to. And the German words were great to hear. (By the way, my husband's German is excellent; mine consists of a long list of nouns, limited to food, clothing and family members). <br /><br />Re the Allies on the Western Front in 1914, I believe they were British, French and Belgian. But imagine the horror of fighting at Gallipoli, surviving and then being shipped off to the Western Front. I would have thought the Gallipoli survivors had "done their bit".<br /><br />Helsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-39915272653301674342017-01-06T07:40:29.995+11:002017-01-06T07:40:29.995+11:00Thank you for sharing the story of 'Silent Nig...Thank you for sharing the story of 'Silent Night' - my favourite Christmas carol. For those who don't want to join the Andre Rieu bandwagon, you could listen to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbhxZOOXLvU" rel="nofollow">King Singers' version</a>. I also prefer to listen rather than watch. It is about the words after all, not the visages of the performers.<br /><br />And thank you for digging up sources about the Christmas Truce. This is just the kind of emotional story that gets embellished over the years. Your care in linking first-hand accounts is appreciated.<br /><br />I am in the midst of reading letters from an Australian soldier on Gallipoli in December 1915. The soldiers were being evacuated from the Peninsula just before Christmas, so it wasn't until Christmas 1916 that the AIF were on the frontline at Christmas. There may have been a few Australians on the Western Front for Christmas 1914, but they would have been serving with the British Army. Yvonnehttp://www.stumblingpast.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-52545620502476680362017-01-04T17:12:59.327+11:002017-01-04T17:12:59.327+11:00Andrew
that is so true. The Germans particularly ...Andrew<br /><br />that is so true. The Germans particularly celebrated each Christmas Eve, more than Christmas Day itself. So when the German lads crawled out of their trenches that night, they were seen to be very young, very homesick and very much missing church and family on over the religious holidays. Imagine the British, French and Australian lads seeing candles and Christmas trees in the German trenches... and having to say "maybe Germans are just like us and are not all killer thugs, after all".Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-15210152588478208232017-01-04T17:04:01.272+11:002017-01-04T17:04:01.272+11:00CherryPie
me too. I have been to Salzburg but had...CherryPie<br /><br />me too. I have been to Salzburg but had not even heard of the very small village of Oberndorf. Sometimes life is full of unexpected flukes. If the river had not flooded, and if the Rev Joseph Mohr had not already written the words, and if his friend Franz Gruber was not at home when Mohr came running etc etc.. we would not have heard of Silent Night. And the Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf would never have been built.<br /><br />A happy 2017 to you!<br />Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-38245919697417017682017-01-04T16:18:00.625+11:002017-01-04T16:18:00.625+11:00As above, detail filled in. The filthy Hun obvious...As above, detail filled in. The filthy Hun obviously turned out to be quite nice people. Neither side was taught to hate enough. People generally don't want to kill other people without a 'very good' reason, which so often is not a good reason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-83927496484600944642017-01-04T10:49:43.142+11:002017-01-04T10:49:43.142+11:00Interesting post, thank you :-)
I have always kno...Interesting post, thank you :-)<br /><br />I have always know about the Christmas truce, but I didn't know so much detail about it.<br /><br />I enjoyed reading about the origins of Silent Night, that was new to me too.CherryPiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11788084724907992076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-3889570998993138872017-01-03T23:38:08.277+11:002017-01-03T23:38:08.277+11:00bazza
the generals, who apparently did not sleep,...bazza<br /><br />the generals, who apparently did not sleep, eat and wear flea-infested clothes in the trenches with the ordinary soldiers, still must have been very worried about sending other peoples' sons Over The Top. Yes 200 generals were killed, wounded or captured (BBC News) but I wish they would have said to the politicians to end the war at Christmas 1914. Even if the Allies did eventually win, 17 million parents/widows never saw their men again.<br /><br />Re Andre Rieu, the first part was music-only and not particularly special. But the second part, with the voices, was sublime.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-89306123937899636482017-01-03T23:28:14.141+11:002017-01-03T23:28:14.141+11:00Student
assuming letters were indeed censored, th...Student<br /><br />assuming letters were indeed censored, then the majority of the young soldiers' stories would have come from those who survived and went home with their brains intact. I am very glad your grandfather was one of the men who shared his WW1 stories.<br /><br />I did have a bit of a search for cricket, but found only images and newspaper reports about football/soccer.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-13980736313074127872017-01-03T23:19:29.997+11:002017-01-03T23:19:29.997+11:00Grant
I think that too. I have no personal exper...Grant <br /><br />I think that too. I have no personal experience with Christmas or carols, but Silent Night always makes me emotional.Helshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-38461439200057358912017-01-03T23:12:15.062+11:002017-01-03T23:12:15.062+11:00The story of the Christmas truce only serves to un...The story of the Christmas truce only serves to underline the futility of that awful war where the generals viewed each action in terms of how many soldiers would be lost.<br />Unfortunately I find Andre Rieu a big turn-off - he just seems to be too much in love with himself!<br /><b><a href="http://todiscoverice.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabuous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’</a></b>bazzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794010156639774028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-42958154820308244432017-01-03T22:24:28.736+11:002017-01-03T22:24:28.736+11:00I heard the story of the Christmas Eve truce from ...I heard the story of the Christmas Eve truce from my grandpa many years ago. He was not in France or Belgium ... he was in Egypt and Beersheba. But it must have already been a well known story. The only difference I remember was that the men played cricket.Another Studentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067098918914268503.post-40026827426522426602017-01-03T19:00:06.625+11:002017-01-03T19:00:06.625+11:00Haunting music that will last forever.
GrantHaunting music that will last forever.<br /><br />GrantGrantnoreply@blogger.com