Klabautermann

Contemporary composition for recorder Orchestra. Parts on a CD.

Blessed is the sailing ship on which a Klabautermann lives! As numerous legends from the coastal regions of the Baltic and North Sea testify, the Klabautermann is a dwarf-like ship goblin. He embodies the good spirit of the ship, brings luck, protects against fire, stranding and other disasters and gives rescue commands in heavy seas. The Klabautermann is always looking for cracks in the sails, brittle ropes and leaks in the hull and repairs them. That is why the Klabautermann is always shown in pictures armed with a wooden caulking hammer. However, the Klabautermann does not show up at his work, but only draws attention to the damage on the ship by hammering and knocking. If the knocking persists, it is advisable for the ship's crew to join in the repair work because if there is too much damage, the kobalin will disembark even if seen doing so, and then the ship will be beyond salvage. Only the captain gets to see the Klabautermann regularly and is even allowed to receive him as a guest in his cabin – with the porthole covered, of course. The Klabautermann has an extraordinary appetite, and one usually recognizes his visit to the captain's cabin by the fact that the captain orders two particularly large portions of smutje instead of just one meal.

I. Beutler

_Score 13 pp._