—by Silke Aichhorn

We were in the middle of a duo rehearsal in a very cold church, with barely enough light to see the music. The violinist hurried into the sacristy to find the fuse box. When the power came on, not only did the festive lighting illuminate the space, but the bells also began ringing.

As we were almost at the end of the first piece, the sacristan ran in, her face bright red. We quickly understood why there was such a commotion. Someone had immediately called to ask if the Princess of Bavaria had died. She was, in fact, still living there at the age of 96.

The exact combination of bells that had been accidentally chosen was reserved exclusively for the passing of important personalities. I can only hope that the elderly lady did not notice anything. It must be a strange feeling to learn of one’s own death through the loud ringing of bells. •