If you are wondering why a German folk band were involved in the recording of the song, ‘The Padre’, with school children from two Basildon schools, read on…
MP Stephen Metcalfe’s Forget Never – The Somme project was preceded two years ago by a project to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of World War One – entitled Forget Never, Vergessen Niemals, Oublier Jamais, which involved Basildon’s twin towns of Heiligenhaus, Germany, and Meaux, France.
The members of Fricklesome Amsel come from Heiligenhaus and were invited to take part in the final Forget Never event of 2014 which was a Christmas Concert, including a dramatisation entitled ‘The Sons of Three Countries Remembered’.
The band read the script and decided on which songs should accompany it – one of which was Chris Hoban’s ‘The Padre’.
Representatives from Heiligenhaus, who attended ‘The Sons of Three Countries Remembered’ in St. Martin’s Church, Basildon, requested that it be performed in their home town in 2015. The members of Fricklesome Amsel directed the music, training the choirs who sang, including a group of seven-year olds. The performance was a sell out and well-received by the people of Heiligenhaus.
On 05 November 2016, ‘The Sons of Three Countries Remembered’ will be performed in Meaux, France, and Fricklesome Amsel will once again be performing.
Their participation in the first Forget Never project gained them many new fans and when the Forget Never – The Somme project was being planned for 2016, it was suggested that ‘The Padre’ should be recorded with choirs from Basildon schools. Lee Chapel Primary School and Beauchamps High School expressed an interest and they began rehearsing in earnest. The recording took place on June 10th at Basildon Studios (see the photos here)
During their recent stay, I asked Fricklesome to tell me a little about themselves.
Peter Klaus and Hannes Johannsen, both keen musicians, met about eighteen years ago in a pub in Heiligenhaus. Hannes’ time in Forres, Morayshire, Scotland, with family, had introduced him to the music scene in pubs and he was keen to start a similar tradition in Heiligenhaus, where there were very few pubs where music was played. He bought a pub in Heiligenhaus and introduced open mic sessions, where he often played guitar with Peter.
Rike Ullenbaum’s sister, Anne, a violin player, who was studying with Hannes, played with them, and later Rike joined in too, although Anna left when her first child was born.
As a church social worker, Hannes led several youth trips to Ireland where he enjoyed the Irish pub music scene. On one of those trips, fifteen-year old Sebastian Zimmerman became inspired to take up the violin and he too later joined the band. During those trips to Ireland, Hannes, along with Peter – who often accompanied him – met many Irish bands and learned much about the Irish music tradition, incorporating ideas into their music.
In 2006, the band toured Scotland and attended The Dougie MacLean Festival at The Loft, near Forres, although they were reluctant to presume that a German folk band could hope to compete musically with Scottish bands who were born into the folk music culture. However, whilst Fricklesome were rehearsing, they were unaware that Dougie Maclean, the renowned Scottish folk singer/songwriter, was listening, and when he praised and congratulated them on their music, their confidence was boosted.
Over the years, other members have joined and subsequently left the band, but the four core members remain – Peter, Hannes, Rike and Sebastian.
And if you’re wondering about their name – Fricklesome Amsel, the German word ‘Amsel’ means blackbird and ‘Fricklesome’ apparently doesn’t have a meaning. The name came from two words of a folk song: ‘frolicsome damsel’ which became ‘Fricklesome Amsel’!
Forget Never - The Somme 