Blowing the midwinter horn, in Drenthe we know it as an age-old tradition that is only practiced by a small group. But in Wapserveen it is also alive and well among the young generations.
At a Christmas market in Wapserveen, seven children stand in a row, one by one blowing their midwinter horn. Each horn has its own color and size. Six-year-old Alex, the youngest of the bunch, blows into the horn as hard as he can. His grandmother encourages him: “Don’t forget to blow from your stomach!”
Alex’s grandmother, Jannie Pals, has been playing midwinter horn for 25 years. “This is really my thing,” she says proudly. “I like the dark sound of blowing.” Pals has managed to transfer his enthusiasm for the instrument to local children.
Her grandchildren have also now been infected with the midwinter horn virus; four grandchildren have their own horn and, with a lot of practice, learn to squeeze the first notes out of the horn.
Pals points to her grandson Alex: “The youngest has just started, he has only been blowing for a week, but he is enthusiastic.” A spectacular sound comes from Alex’s horn. Aniek, who is standing next to him, laughs. “You have to make a kind of fart sound,” explains the young midwinter bugler.
“If you practice well it is not very difficult, but it is difficult at the beginning,” she admits. To make it a bit easier for beginners, Alex’s handy grandfather has made mouthpieces. “It is much easier to blow with this attachment because it makes it look like a trumpet,” says Pals.
Pals’ secret to getting her grandchildren excited about an ancient instrument? “You have to get them excited,” she says cheerfully. “My husband made all the horns and they each got one.”
She points to the children’s horns. “Then you have to let them try it themselves and if it works a little bit, then they get into it and they enjoy it.” Moreover, the enthusiasm is contagious, according to Pals. “If one person likes it, the others will join in.”