No.42

The Fountain at Lake Geneva

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HOW I BECAME INVOLVED WITH THE MERRY WIDOW  

and how I acquired a title.

Many years ago Jean and I had a holiday at Evian on Lake Geneva. We were staying in a big Centre which attracted a lot of young people of different nationalities. One day I was approached by a German woman who explained in broken English that she and her friends had been listening to me playing the piano. They were musicians and they had been wondering if I would like to play with them. Of course I readily agreed and we fixed a time for our get-together.

The three of them would be in their 50s, she played violin and the two men cello and clarinet. Language was a big problem, but we got on well together, and the music which was the grand hotel type sounded fine. I discovered that her late husband had been a professional violinist, and every year they had holidayed at Evian, along with the other musicians.

Frau Hamza (I can’t recall her Christian name) was a “touchy feely” person and a bit eccentric. She kept saying “thank you, sir” and “excuse me, sir” to me and of course I told her that she was to call me John. So, for the rest of the week I was “Sir John.”

One morning she and I were practising together, making up a programme which the group would perform on the final evening of the holiday. When we had finished, she said to me “Kom to my house,” - she meant her room - “I vant to gif you cuddle.” Wow! That WAS a shock! I don’t think I said anything for a moment, and then the penny dropped. She had used the French word “cadeau”, she had a gift for me! It was a CD by her late husband’s group The Georg Hamza Ensemble (2 violins, cello, bass, clarinet, piano and drums), and included 3 of his own compositions.

So I didn’t get a cuddle, but at least I was “Sir John” for a few days!

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