Report on the Czech students stay in the territory of the Spanish monarchy

Before departure

It happened like this...

It was a beautiful day - I'm not sure about the weather but it doesn't matter. We were told two news. As usual, first one was good, second bad. The good one was that our choir will go to the Spain. The bad one turned out to be the fact that only twenty singers of our large choir will be given said opportunity. What to do now?

One could say: "Take the best!" OK, but who is that? Finally it was decided - the Spain will catch sight those who attend the choir most often. Through this imaginary sieve finally fell twenty first-class singers who were chosen to participate on our ten-day "trip".

So we started to work. Translating a text about Gustav Mahler to raise awareness of this Czech-Austrian composer, rehearsing a dancing performance which would broaden horizons of our future Spanish friends about Horácko, singing old and new songs by Czech authors, playing individual songs using a variety of musical instruments and at last but not least determining, who will be assigned the recorder's job.

 

 

28th February

Here it comes! We are standing in front of school, everyone has at least one suitcase and a carry-on luggage, and we are waiting for the moment when we are going to leave our families, our friends, our town and after few hours our entire state.

If I'm not mistaken, all the essential like way to Prague, check-in and boarding a plane, passed without any problems. Flight was calm, the same like half an hour stop on Munich Airport to gain strength to second longer flight to the capital city of Spanish Monarchy. In the bus going to a Spanish Down called Lerma, where we were going to spend the following 10 days, our musical cells were seen in action during random jam sessions. Maybe this was a reason why many of us were exhausted to the bottom of our possibilities.

Families, which we were assigned, appropriate us. Before I started to look good, I sat at the table in the kitchen in one of Lerma's houses and there was a plate with dinner in front of me. There was a little language and relation barrier in our conversation, but it should change, especially after evening walk in Lerma with our Czech and Spanish friends.

 

1st March

We were thrown into a whirl of an amazing adventure right after our arrival. However day with our Spanish families was perhaps only opportunity, how to properly meet Spanish culture!

 

 

2nd March

In the morning we arrived to the school a half an hour later than is usual in the Czech lands. Different cultures, different customs. This proverb was confirmed during our stay many times.

Local Headmaster, Mrs. Mercedes guided us through the school, showing us their gym, computer science room or biological an technical laboratories, not talking about all the "normal" classrooms.

Then we left for the La Piedad concert hall where we rehearsed of all our dancing and musical pieces which we were going to perform during Wednesday’s appearance. Everything proceeded according to plan and maybe even better. Our group was split in half and one half kept practising, while the other visited a music education lesson held in the local school by Mrs. Elena Caramanzana. The practising part of us came back to school just the moment our Spanish friends ended with their usual daily teaching. Let the reader decide who lived better morning.

After lunch the bus took us to the picturesque Spanish village Quintanilla del Aqua where we had to get off at the local museum Museo Yáñez. We didn’t delay and after a tour through the museum guided by its builder we started practising our rich repertoire. After some time, we're just anxiously awaiting the arrival of the audience. I can’t say that we failed appearances, only the piano stool was somewhat lower than I expected. However, our whole performance consisting of singing, playing various instruments and dancing had a unprecedented success and in the future we were forced to repeat some distinctive numbers.

 

3rd March

The following day was full of music. Literary. At 9 o´clock, exhausted after a long bus ride, we came to a house where Antonio de Cabezón was born. It was an important organ player and composer from the 16th century. Even though nowadays it’s just a ruin of the building, it still made a strong impression. Upon seeing a church on our way back to the bus, we couldn’t reset singing a few choral pieces in it.

Then we stopped in an organ manufactory in Torquemada, which was a great experience. In Palencia we had a tour in a conservatory, where we also listened to two organ pieces from Antonio de Cabezón.

Then we came to Burgos. There we visited a fabulous cathedral, where we saw an organ with horizontal pipes, which are almost entirely exclusive to Spanish organs. We also got to sing a few spiritual songs there.

 

 

4th March

Our Day D came! Morning began with wonderful and sunny weather. We visited the town hall in Lerma where we were officially welcomed by the very kind mayor of Lerma. Next, all of us were shown the town and, among other very interesting things, we visited a local church Colegiata de San Pedro. We had a beautiful singing of Santo song there.

That day our after lunch break was quite long, because of preparing ourselves carefully as possible for the expected biggest and most important concert. I think I can say we didn’t waste it and took great advantage of it.

Needless to say how nervous I was before such an important concert. And let’s face it; who wouldn’t be? But the final dress rehearsal must had given us the needed certainty, and the concert was such a success that everyone – we and also our Spanish friends who accompanied us for the whole day – will remember it for a long time.

 

 

5th March

Second half of our ten-day stay was started by two lectures about Gustav Mahler for Spanish students. These were held in English, which was accomplished by Eliška Petříková, but the rest of our group also presented their parts in both English and Spanish, which was considered positive by our Spanish listeners. We deduced that they were really thrived, judging by their unimpressed facial expressions when they had to return to their classes. Then we got a certificate which will be reminding us of our trip forever.

In the afternoon took place a trip to a village named Covarrubias. The village is beautiful, as well as the church, in which we had the pleasure to sing. We were also quite impressed by our young guide Darío, who visited our school in Jihlava recently. Particularly because the most important part of the stay, the previous day’s concert was already done.

Upon returning to Lerma, Czech students met once again in their favourite bar Capri, but because I went to bed soon that day, I cannot provide further information on this topic.

 

6th March

We visited the retirement home in the Villalmanzo village where we also sang in the morning. In spite of not-so-pleasant conditions we carried out the concert with great success. I must say that old people are very grateful listeners!

The second half of the day we continued to expand awareness of Gustav Mahler, this time among the parents of students who have heard our lecture the day before.

Then we had a break in Lerma. Unofficial concert of some of our musicians attracted quite a few young listeners who were excited about us and even wanted our autographs, which we handed out them with pleasure.

Next we visited a rehearsal of an orchestra by the local music school. It was really very interesting experience, especially because we also sang in majestic acoustic of the music school. Then followed a dinner at one unnamed restaurant - unnamed because I don´t remember the name of the restaurant -  and a night walk with thoughts of our departure, which unfortunately approached.

 

 

7th March

Our quiet prayers calling for a break were finally listened to. Even the best musician needs a rest, doesn’t he? And because our music group thinks like one man (or woman), we agreed that the best way to spend our pocket money and free time is to go to the capital of the Spanish kingdom.

 

8th March

On Sunday came the most festive event of our programme. Singing in the church belonging to the Santo Domingo de Silos monastery. After a short tour through the Benedictine monastery interiors, we had heard the singing of local monks. And then it was our turn, which was an unbelievably rare possibility, for which our thanks belong mainly to Adolfo and the local abbot. I don't know how my other classmates felt but the moment we stepped onto the stage the atmosphere was sending shimmers down my spine.

Then we arrived in Burgos, where we visited a Cartusian cloister, were we saw cantorales, parchments with handwritten notes of psalms and other songs. An important event on our program besides a tour around the city was lunch as well. Who wouldn't have eaten after such experience.

In the evening we were trying to forget about the departure which would happen tomorrow. We were trying to forget that this was our last dinner. We were dancing polka (and attempting, with mixed results, to teach it to our Spanish friends), we were singing, we were eating various specialities of Spanish cuisine. It was an evening, which is hard to forget. And yet we had to pack our things, which was the most unpleasant thing of the whole stay for most of us. The moment we had to say farewell to everything we had experienced here.

 

9th March

The last day. When we were saying goodbye, many Czech and Spanish tears were shed. What can we do; everything has to end one day! We got on the bus and left for Madrid.

The journey, check-in and the fright went well, just as the very first day. The only difference was in the fact, that when we came to Prague, we found out that a few suitcases were slightly damaged and in the feeling of being home. What an interesting combination...

I believe that I don’t need to describe the feeling of hearing the Czech language again... The ones, who have experienced it, understand me, and the ones, who haven’t, wouldn’t get it anyway. So we got on the bus again and went to meet new adventures, this time in our homeland.

What should I say at the end? First of all, I’d like to thank our teachers Barbora Voldřichová, Dagmar Němečková and Eliška Vyhnálková for not killing us every time we made them angry. Regarding the trip itself, I’d say just that our trip to Spain was definitely at least a valuable experience. A new country, new culture, new memories and mainly new people. I hope never to forget them.

 

 

Translated by:

Viktor Němeček, Jiří Frantál, Natálie Kottová, Dominika Krásenská, Václav Venglář, Adéla Kolátorová, František Křepela, Adéla Kulhánková a Dominika  Krajíčková