5 januari 2018
TONIGHT I was reading a newly published historical novel… (“Ik, Vondel” or I, Vondel) about the Netherlands’ “Shakespeare”… Joost van den Vondel. Halfway this book poet Vondel reports on a bithday concert inside this A’dam Oude Kerk, for him an awesome experience! It was the 80th birthday feast of secretary (to) prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange, in 1679. And our Vondel was then 88… HE WAS totall awed, that he should live to experience the, for Holland (till then) totally unknown, great beauty of the “Vespro della Beata Vergine”.. by Claudio Monteverdi. TO BE there with this great Italian and together with two other, very important figures (ladies) in his long life, whom he indicates as M. & M. Both burried in this awesome church space, and now together, the four of them experiencing the city’s greatest accoustics… AND then, halfway this “Vespro”, his eyes are suddenly drawnn to a beautiful, silver church ship (model) carrying the name of the holy virgin’s mother, Saint Anne ! (image: thus was quite ‘Funny’…) 😊
THANK you writer Hans Croiset!
Herbert van Hasselt
Afbeelding Interieur Oude Kerk Amsterdam door Emanuel de Witte
