Music of Luxembourg

On the final blog, I picked a topic that is closely related to my family. The topic I chose was the music culture of Luxembourg. The majority of my ancestors came from Germany and Luxembourg. So, to learn more about my heritage, I wanted to discover the music in Luxembourg. First, let me tell you a little bit about this country. It is one of the smallest countries in the world and is bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Due to the geographical location, Luxembourg was considered a little fortress and even though many countries tried to capture this small country, they have remained autonomous since the 10th century. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides, which made it hard for larger countries to ever successfully capture it.

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Now once we know where Luxembourg is located, I am going to delve deeper into the culture and history. The majority of the population speak Luxembourgish which is German with some French words. There is a lot of syncretism in this country as many people cross through it and spread their language and beliefs as they travel. Their main religion is Roman Catholic with a few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. Luxembourg also has a lot of foreigners in the Country; about half is native from Luxembourg, then 15% are Portuguese, 8% French, 4% Italian, 3% Belgian, and 2% German.

 


Next, I will share with you all the musical culture of Luxembourg. First, I want to mention the street music in Luxembourg. All across the streets in downtown, there are many pianos spread around the city with different idiophones attached to the main instrument. Similar to the video attached below. These pianos are able for anyone to use just to bring more liveliness to the streets of Luxembourg. This music is just a small unique part of the overall culture of Luxembourg. 




The next topic of music in Luxembourg is classical. This is the most popular type of music in Luxembourg due to their philharmonie concerts and other symphony events. I know this is not as cool as other music that we have listened to as it is just more classical, but I still found it interesting in how prominent this music is all around the world. Many musicians like Francesco Tristano, have started their career in Luxembourg and are now famous all over the world. Attached below, is one of his songs on the piano. Another interesting fact regarding classical music is that many songs in Catholic hymnal books have actually originated in Luxembourg. The main hymnal book, Gotteslob in German which is translated to “Praise of God” was made by composers from Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. 




Along with street music and classical music, Luxembourg also has a large influence of jazz. This type of music was first brought in by American soldiers during World War I then by the 1950’s was a very prominent music culture. One of the most important musicians that influenced this shift to jazz was Ernie Hammes. He has traveled the world playing for different orchestras and jazz bands. With each trip he learns something new and brings it back to the people in Luxembourg. Ernie Hammes learned how to play the trumpet at the conservatory in Luxembourg and then would travel to other countries to perfect his talent. Below is one of his famous pieces played with the rest of his band composed of drums, saxophone, piano, cello, and guitar.






The last cultural aspect I want to share with you is dance in Luxembourg. Dancing is very popular all over Luxembourg ranging from contemporary, afro, partner, dance sport, traditional, and urban dance. There are also many performances of ballet at the cinema like Giselle's thwarted loves, Corsair's exotic adventures, the Nutcracker's magic or Swan Lake's tragedy. Due to this love for dance, there are many schools throughout Luxembourg to learn all variations. For example, at the Conservatoire, classical, jazz, and contemporary dance can be taught. In these classes the instructors will teach the training in dance, dance history, kinesiology, and body expression. If this type of dance is not your style, they also teach swing dance for more festival dancing on the streets of downtown. Below is a video of more of a traditional dance in Luxembourg and then a swing style.






I hope you enjoyed my blog and learned something new about my own history!




Works Cited: 

(www.dw.com), D. W. (n.d.). Singing a new tune in Germany's Catholic Church: DW: 13.12.2013. DW.COM. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.dw.com/en/singing-a-new-tune-in-germanys-catholic-church/a-17270809. 

Dance in Luxembourg. luxembourg.lu - New window. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://luxembourg.public.lu/en/society-and-culture/artistic-creation/dance-in-luxembourg.html. 

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Luxembourg. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Luxembourg. 

Jazz in Luxembourg (III). luxembourg.lu - New window. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://luxembourg.public.lu/en/society-and-culture/artistic-creation/jazz-luxembourg-partie3.html. 

What is it music of Luxembourg. encyclopedia. en.google. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://amp.en.google-info.in/990173/1/music-of-luxembourg.html. 

Comments

  1. Karsyn LucyDecember 6, 2021 at 8:44 AM

    I like how you have such a connection to this culture from your family and that is why you would like to learn more. I find it very interesting how the language is a mix between German and French. Like you said, I'm sure the cultures cause a lot of syncretism.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Claire MormandoDecember 6, 2021 at 5:51 PM

    The fact that people playing piano in the streets is actually the most incredible thing I've heard. And that song by Ernie Hammes sounded like something I'd listen to while studying. It also weirdly sounds a bit like the music from the Peanuts movies? And the dancing in those last videos looked like so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 8, 2021 at 9:39 AM

    I like how you connected with the blog that you did. You adding your family history in the blog makes people understand it from your point of view. And I love the jazz music mentioned in your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ChanayaDecember 8, 2021 at 3:33 PM

    I love that you chose a topic close to you. I really enjoyed watching the dancing videos, the people all looked so passionate.I never knew that Luxembourg was one of the smallest countries. Overall I truly enjoyed your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 8, 2021 at 8:32 PM

    it was really cool to learn something that is apart of your culture. I love learning about where other people are from and how their culture is so close to them. It was cool to learn some of the dances that have came from your where your culture is from.

    ReplyDelete

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