Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche III Cemetery (1)

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche III cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

French Cemetery (5)

French cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Dreifältigkeit I Cemetery (2)

Dreifältigkeit I cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Dreifältigkeit I Cemetery (1)

"The Word of God remains forever", Dreifältigkeit I cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Dreifältigkeit II Cemetery (2)

Dreifältigkeit II cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Alt-Schöneberg Cemetery (5)

Alt-Schöneberg cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Rikard Nordraak (1842-1866)

Commemorative stele of Rikard Nordraak in Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche cemetery, March 20th, 2015, on the 149th anniversary of his death © Emmanuelle Chaze

Rikard Nordraak (1842-1866) was a Norwegian composer. Born in Oslo in 1842, he was destined by his family to pursue a career in trade, but his musical gifts led him to compose and gain recognition for his works while still a student. From 1859, he studied in Berlin and Copenhagen.

He died from tuberculosis aged 24, in 1866, and was initially buried to the Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche cemetery in Kreuzberg, before his remains were brought to his native city of Oslo. Cousin of the writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, he collaborated with him, and together with the poet composed the Norwegian national anthem, Ja, vi elsker dette landet.

The National Library of Norway digitized some of Nordraak's works such as the Nordraakiana, posthumously completed and published by composer Johan Halvorsen. Nordraak's friend Edvard Grieg, the composer of Peer Gynt, dedicated a funeral march to him:

Magdalenen Cemetery (1)

Magdalenen Cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV Cemetery (4)

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV cemetery, March 2015 ® Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (7)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (6)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (5)

Reflection of the solar eclipse in a well, March 20th, 2015, in Luisenstadt I cemetery © Emmanuelle Chaze

Dreifältigkeit II Cemetery (1)

Dreifältigkeit II cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV Cemetery (3)

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV Cemetery (2)

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Sciurius Vulgaris

Because they are plenty in cemeteries, here are some facts about some of these little creatures I often encounter there:

Repeat after me: the Sciurius Vulgaris is also named: Squirrel, Ecureuil, Eichhörnchen, Esquilo vermelho, Ardilla Roja...yes, it's difficult to pronounce no matter what your native language is. The main point is that squirrels are an endangered and therefore protected species in most of Europe, due to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel and to habitat loss.

The red squirrel belongs to the family of tree squirrels. There are 40 subspecies of red squirrels. There are an arboreal species and are omnivorous.

Squirrels are for gender-equality: they aren't sexually dimorphic. They are mostly solitary animals. However, during mating time (end of February/March and in June/July), they can be seen in groups. The hierarchy isn't gendered, but bigger and older squirrels usually take the lead.

Red squirrels weigh an average of only half-a-pound. A newborn squirrel only about 20g. Females can nurse two litters a year and mate with several males. Squirrels measure 15 to 20cm and their tail is as long as their body. Squirrels have a life expectancy of 3 to 7 years.

Red squirrels shed their coats twice a year, they have an Autumn/Winter and a Spring/Summer collection. The first one being darker and thicker, the second cooler. But their bellies are always white. During winter, they might share their drey with mates in order to stay warm.

Red squirrels swim. They also use their tail as a balance when they jump.

 Squirrels bury excess food to ensure they will be able to survive throughout the winter. They like hazelnuts but, unlike the eastern grey squirrel, they can't digest acorn.

And finally, a bit of culture: the most famous red squirrel is the Norse Ratatoskr, for those familiar with the Poetic Edda. But red squirrels also rose to fame thanks to Chip'n Dale, Chip und Chap, Tic et Tac...

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (4)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (3)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

French Cemetery (4)

French cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (2)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

On encounters, bees and pictures

As I was walking through the alleys of the Friedrichswerder cemetery, I saw a beautiful statue and stopped to take a picture. I was looking for the right angle, there was a bed of blooming crocuses on the ground that would look really nice together with the sculpture.

Crocuses in Friedrichswerder cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

An elderly man was walking nearby, and I could see him stopping and turning around to look at me. As I was taking my picture, I felt uneasy being there, thinking that maybe I offended someone who was here to mourn in peace and this person felt hurt by the fact that I was leisurely taking pictures in such a place. But no, when I turned around he was all smiles. We began chatting, he just wanted to tell me that he too used to take a lot of pictures around cemeteries, and that it was such a rich place in terms of sculptures and history. We had a lovely exchange before he left, and I was very happy about this encounter.

Crocuses in Friedrichswerder cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

I resumed my "find the perfect frame for your picture" quest. At this moment, it dawned on me that there was also a very deep sound resonating around me. Like a buzzing. Or a bee, to which I'm allergic. I decided to ignore it and kept looking for my perfect spot, found it, took a couple of pictures. But this buzzing wouldn't stop. Looking at my feet, in the middle of the crocuses bed, I realized I was standing amongst a scattered beehive. They too must have liked pictures, as not one of them bothered me while I was trespassing their space.

Friedrichswerder Cemetery (1)

Friedrichswerder cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Jerusalems- und Neue Kirche IV Cemetery (1)

Friedrichswerde Cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Luisenstadt I Cemetery (1)

Luisenstadt I cemetery, Südstern, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

St. Jacobi Cemetery (6)

St. Jacobi cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Alter St. Matthäus Cemetery (2)

Alter St. Matthäus cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Alter St. Matthäus Cemetery (1)

Alter St.-Matthäus Cemetery, March 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Theodor Reichmann (1849-1903) and a poem by Schiller

Grave of Theodor Reichmann (1849 - 1903), Mehringdamm cemetery, February 2015 ©Emmanuelle Chaze

Theodor Reichmann (1849-1903) was an opera singer born in Rostock on March 15th, 1849. Born in a bourgeois family, he was destined to become a tradesman, but singing lessons in Berlin and Milan led him to embrace an artistic career. He made his debuts in Magdeburg Stadttheater as Ottokar, in Carl Maria von Weber's opera The Marksman (Der Freischütz). He then went on to sing worldwide, in Rotterdam, Strasbourg, Hamburg, Milan, Bayreuth, London, St. Petersburg and New-York. In 1882, he premiered as Amfortas, King of the Grail Knights, in Wagner's Parsifal. He died in Öhningen-Wangen-am-See on May 22nd, 1903.

A mourning statue decorates his grave in Mehringdamm cemetery (Friedhof III der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde) and an extract of a poem is engraved below his name:

Extract of "The Poets from Yesterday", from Schiller, on the grave of Theodor Reichmann (1849 - 1903), Mehringdamm cemetery, February 2015 ©Emmanuelle Chaze

This extract is from the poem Die Sänger der Vorwelt, written in 1795 by Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805). In this piece, the poet compares with nostalgia his contemporaries to the classics.

Die Sänger der Vorwelt

Sagt, wo sind die Vortrefflichen hin, wo find’ ich die Sänger,
   Die mit dem lebenden Wort horchende Völker entzückt,
Die vom Himmel den Gott, zum Himmel den Menschen gesungen,
   Und getragen den Geist hoch auf den Flügeln des Lieds?
Ach, noch leben die Sänger; nur fehlen die Thaten, die Lyra^*
   Freudig zu wecken, es fehlt, ach! ein empfangendes Ohr.
Glückliche Dichter der glücklichen Welt! Von Munde zu Munde
   Flog, von Geschlecht zu Geschlecht euer empfundenes Wort.
Wie man die Götter empfängt, so begrüßte Jeder mit Andacht,
   Was der Genius ihm, redend und bildend, erschuf.
An der Glut des Gesangs entflammten des Hörers Gefühle,
   An des Hörers Gefühl nährte der Sänger die Glut.
Nährt’ und reinigte sie! Der Glückliche, dem in des Volkes
   Stimme noch hell zurück tönte die Seele des Lieds,
Dem noch von außen erschien, im Leben, die himmlische Gottheit,
   Die der Neuere kaum, kaum noch im Herzen vernimmt.

An outdated english translation (1844) of Schiller's poems by John Merivale is freely available here (London, Pickering: 1844). The author's comment and translation of Die Sänger der Vorwelt reads as follows: "This poem, together with Der Genius, Die Geschlechter, Die Macht des Gesanges, and others, all written about the same period, is classed by Hoffmeister as belonging to the Antithetical series, and as founded on the same school of Philosophy that dictated the Aesthetic Letters, the Essay on the Natural and Sentimental, and others of the prose works of Schiller, which ought to be studied in order to a due comprehension of their design and tendency. They need no further illustration in the general form of introduction, which is all that can here be assigned them."

Say, where is excellence departed? say,

Where may I find the Bards whose living strains

Erst held the listening nations deep intranced?—

Whose lays brought God from Heaven down—to

Heaven

Exalted man, and gave the spirit to soar

Upon the wings of song?—ah! still they live—

Those Bards divine—Deeds, only deeds, are wanting,

And a susceptible ear, to bid the lyre

awake to joy. Oh happy Minstrels of

A happy world ! From mouth to mouth the sound 
Of your inspired song—from race to race—

Went flying; and like reverence each man gave

To whatsoever the lofty Genius formed

In word or shape, as to the Gods belongs.

The listener's feelings caught the glow of Song;

The minstrel's fire, in turn, was kindled by

The listener's feelings—kindled and refined.

Thrice fortunate l—to whom i'th popular voice

The soul of song gave back its clearest tone—

Before whom, from without, in life appear'd

The power divine—by bards of later days

Scarce even in heart perceived ! woe, woe to him,

If from without he still expects his coming,

And hails the looked for visitant, and lends

To the seducing voice his cheated sense.

Mehringdamm Cemetery (4)

Mehringdamm Cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

Alt-Schöneberg Cemetery (4)

Alt-Schöneberg cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze

St. Jacobi Cemetery (5)

St. Jacobi cemetery, February 2015 © Emmanuelle Chaze