As a bonus to all the interesting material and activities that Mr. Henry Myers brought to the German Department at LTI in the late 1950s, one stands out as a most pleasant and agreeable contribution to my general introduction to European traditions, cultural heritage and political viewpoints.
Since I have had an attraction to foreign languages going back to my days studying French and Latin at St-Joseph’s Boys H.S. on Merrimack St., his asking us, science and engineering students, to study the history, customs, dances and songs of the Germanic peoples through learning their native music (die Volksmusik) was definitely a brain child.
Several musical classics stand out, and I have highlighted them in the section below.
The first of these student melodies evokes nostalgia, “Sehnsucht“, and it is called: “Freut euch des Lebens“.
Now, if you would like to sing along, this next version with accordion, “ein Schifferklavier”, just might be your cup of tea. Listen carefully and learn the words.
Finally, please consider also these two candidates listed below: