To the Bells of Berlin Cathedral Julie Giroux

There is a story told about Franz Kafka, a known bohemian author who lived from 1883-1924. It goes, something like this:

While strolling through a park in Berlin, Franz Kafka chanced upon a little girl who was crying. When he inquired as to the reason for her distress, she explained that she had lost her doll somewhere in the park and she couldn't find it. Kafka searched for the doll as well, but neither of them were able to locate the lost doll. Kafka told the little girl that the doll had merely gone on a trip and promised that if the little girl would return to the park the next day, he would bring her a letter from her doll. That letter stated that the doll had gone on a long trip. She had many things she wanted to see and do. She was sorry she had to leave but promised she he would continue to write letters about her adventures. Kafka continued to deliver letters from the doll for several weeks, arriving each afternoon at the park with a letter for his new friend.

Kafka at that time in his life was quite ill with tuberculosis and would in fact die within the year, at the age of 41. He was to return to Prague before his death, but not before buying his young friend another doll. On his last day in the park, Kafka gave the little girl a new doll and with it came the final letter:

I am so glad to be back home. I saw and did many wonderful things. All of those travels have transformed me. Not only on the inside, but on the outside as well.

The little girl embraced the doll, happy with tears. Kafka and her parted, never to see each other again. Many years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, found a note tucked into the dolls clothing and it read:

Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way.

This story has existed for nearly as long as Kafka has been gone. It has been neither proven nor disproven. Kafka had a girlfriend, Dora Diamant, who was from Poland. The couple lived together in Berlin until March 1924, which was the period during which the "the traveling doll" event is purported to have taken place. Dora claimed right up to her own death, that the story was true.

I imagined their daily meetings in Stadtpark Steglitz, a romantic garden memorial that is located in Berlin's southern district. They would have heard the bells of the Berlin Cathedral. Those bells gave me the musical vehicle I needed to complete this musical journey.

To the Bells of Berlin Cathedral has several very personal facets to it. It is the first music I have composed after the death of my mother. This music may not have been specifically written for her, but there is no putting a wall up between my feelings of loss and my artistic expressions. It just can't be done.

Another facet is, I told this story to my good friend, Bruce Leek. He loved it and it brought tears to his eyes as well as mine. That was also to be my last conversation with Bruce before he died. The beautiful story between an author and a little girl, brought me back to composing.

I will never forget the way it felt, writing these notes. And just like the little girl, I too learned that:

Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way.

- Program Note by composer