![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.angelashornstudio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/auf_der_walz.jpg\" "\\"Auf")
<\/a>Over the course of the week hiking, she and her friend would stay in little mountain lodges.\u00a0 Nothing fancy, but they could sleep on a bed, have a shower, rinse their clothes, and eat a hot meal.\u00a0 They would often lodge with other hikers on the same path and had the opportunity to get to know some of them.\u00a0 Eva told me about two of them who were particularly unusual.\u00a0 They are known as Journeymen.\u00a0 They are young men (and occasionally women these days) who have studied one facet or another of handiwork \u2013 woodwork, roofing, furniture making, etc., and as a part of their quest to become master craftsmen, they must essentially be pilgrims for three years and one day.\u00a0 It is a very old tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.\u00a0 They must not travel within 50 kilometers of their hometown.\u00a0 They are to travel far and wide \u2013 all across the world if they wish \u2013 observing master craftsmen and the varieties techniques and methods employed world-wide. \u00a0They are not allowed to turn a profit during this time.\u00a0 They are trained and therefore are paid wages for any work they do, but they must spend that money for their travels. They are not allowed to book hotel reservations or take public transportation (though they must do the latter on occasion these days, especially when traveling across oceans!).\u00a0 The idea is to get into the community, to rely on the hospitality of others, and to learn from and be of service to the communities or people who take them in.\u00a0 In addition, they distinguish themselves by wearing the very particular and symbolic clothing of a Journeyman, may only pack a small rucksack that they carry, and they travel with a walking stick that they have made themselves.<\/p>\nThere\u2019s something about the life of a pilgrim that has always struck me.\u00a0 First of all, there is a central purpose \u2013 some kind of thread that runs through the length of the journey. There is a specific path to be walked, or a particular destination. \u00a0Pilgrims share the same purpose as their fellow travelers.\u00a0 For these Journeymen, their craft is their thread, learning as much as they can from masters in lands other than their own, so that it may inform their own craftsmanship.<\/p>\n
In our lives as musicians, music is naturally a \u201cthread\u201d running through our lives, probably along with one or two more “threads” of whatever might be most important to us.\u00a0\u00a0Music is a beautiful thread to have, I think, and can be so enriching as it leads us to learn not only about music, but also art, architecture, and history.\u00a0\u00a0 We can travel and learn what other musicians have to say about their craft, their lives, or just hear them play, and let these encounters inform us and our own playing and lives.<\/p>\n
Another thing that strikes me about the Journeymen is the length of their journey and the amount of constant trust required of them in their wanderings, as they encounter the unknown on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t mind a good long journey now and then \u2013 either a literal or figurative journey.\u00a0 A true endeavor! There is something about starting out on something monumental that can actually be freeing.\u00a0 You get into the car and you just settle in \u2013 because you\u2019re in it for the long haul.\u00a0 It\u2019s a little the same as distance running.\u00a0 I\u2019ve only run one half-marathon in my life, but I sort of liked the feeling as I started my long runs.\u00a0 Your mind lets go a little bit knowing you\u2019re going to be here for a while and you might as well settle in and relax and be in the here and now. \u00a0Any long-term commitment or endeavor has the possibility of taking on this feeling if we let it, I think.<\/p>\n
This summer, sometimes I feel a little bit like a pilgrim with all of my travels.\u00a0 But in reality, of course, I am not. I know where I will stay from one night to the next, and I am taking lots of public transportation.\u00a0 No need to hitchhike!\u00a0 But until the occasion arises in my life to go on a true pilgrimage I can use the things that are important to me in life (one of them being music) as my \u201cthreads\u201d and attempt to integrate the spirit of a Journeyman into my life and commitments.\u00a0 Learning from those around me, having a spirit of adventure, and trusting that the needs of the unknown around the bend in the road will be met.<\/p>\n
Happy Wanderings!<\/p>\n
To read further about Journeymen and the tradition of going “auf der Walz”, check out these links:<\/p>\n
Fremder Freiheitsschacht<\/a><\/p>\n The Atlantic Times: “He who travels dispels prejudice”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week while rehearsing in New York, I visited with my violinist friend Eva.\u00a0 She had just returned from a long trip to Europe during which she hiked the Alps for seven days \u2013 along the ridges at the very … Continue reading