Liege Day 2
I was left disappointed yesterday with the city of Liege. I felt the citizens to have a superficial sense of nationalism, and that the city was poorly maintained. Today, we went a little a bit deeper into the history of Liege. Coming back to the topic of the local pride in being different, I understood this concept a bit better due to the lecture by Professor Kris Steyaert. He explained that the history of Liege is different not only from other cities of Belgium, but also the Low Countries. Firstly, the city was not ruled by the Dutch or Spanish. It remained semi-independent under prince arc bishop. This independence instilled a sense of self-pride and independence in the people. Therefore, my earlier assumption of their nationalism being superficial was wrong. I misunderstood their sense of pride for their arrogance. Additionally, my facts were incomplete as the city was not completely under foreign rule. Moving on, Professor Steyaert introduced us to the greatest artist of Liege, Andre Ernest Modeste Gretry. Most of the artists we have been introduced to so far have been either painters or sculptors. However, for the first time in this course we were introduced to the world of music. Gretry was the son of a violinist who attained local fame by being first person to play the violin in St. Martin’s. Gretry, on the other hand played the flute. We were fortunate to hear some of his songs, and I immediately became a big fan of his music. I found his music to be very soothing, and his versatility in playing different scales and notes was impressive. Locals adore his music, and there is a museum, a statue, a street along with many bars and restaurants named after him.
The reason why music was so important to Liege is understood when the city was invaded by the French. Instead of revolting against the French, and expressing feelings of antagonism towards them: they city adored the French. This was because of their close connection to Paris. Paris at that time was very famous for musicians, and the local musicians were very influenced by those in Paris. There was a lot of exchange of music between the two cities. Specially, Liege looked up to Paris in the field of music. This somewhat explains as to why the city welcomed the French during their invasion.
In conclusion, I find it very interesting that the citizens of Liege welcomed the French with open hands. I can understand that they looked up to the Paris for inspiration in music. However, what surprises me is the weak sense of nationalism amongst the people. They probably did not see the French as foreign oppression. Gretry’s will could be used to explain a part of this diffused sense of nationalism. He was buried in Paris amongst many famous celebrities of that time. But, in his will he stated that his heart be buried in Liege. I find it diggest to understand the diffused sense of nationalism that citizens of Liege had, but Gretry proved that no matter what, he would always be Belgian first.
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