Last night my ghost hunting friends
and I headed out to Laurel Hill Cemetery to listen to a concert in front of
Millionaires Row. This is a special section located inside the cemetery that
proves, once and for all that “You can take it with you”
The concert was given by an amazing group called The Divine
Hand. What a treat!! I had heard this group play before at Dorian’s Steampunk
Events in Philadelphia, but there is something just magical about hearing a
concert while in a cemetery.
The Divine Hand ensemble is led by Mano Divina, who is a
professional concert Thereminist. What is a Theremin you dare ask? Click here
to learn.
The group treated us to a special performance of funerary
music, which was very popular during the 15th century. The belief at
the time was that a soul would be more comfortable moving on to the next life if
it was accompanied by music; makes perfect sense to me. Musicians were hired by
the family of the deceased to play music from sunset to sunset on the day of
burial. This beautiful custom was later stopped by Pope Clement. I don’t know
why. Maybe the musicians weren’t playing the Vatican’s favorite hits?
Here is a sample from a few months ago:
The performers played in front of a particularly beautiful mausoleum.
The audience was lifted to heights of surreal imagination via the music that soothed
the souls of the living and dead who had attended that night.
If you get a chance to attend a performance given by The Divine Hand; please do so. You won’t me sorry. And I would suggest you attend one of Laurel Hill Cemetery’s many interesting, educational and fun, events.
Looks awesome Marie! I definitely need to go to a ghost hunting event with you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome to join us anytime we go:)
DeleteBravo, Marie. Music to escort the soul to the next world. Makes sense to me too. This sounds like a great thing to do. Love your interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you Victoria. Next time we go, would you like to join us?
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