In the column “Listen with…” Soundtrackcity interviews residents from De Pijp about the meaning of sound in their lives. What sounds do they hear and what sounds do they find appropriate in their living environment? For this fifth episode of ‘Listen with,’ we speak with Angelika Finger, who lives in the Amstel House.
A house full of music
Angelika has many passions, but one thing stands out for her: sound. As a child of musicians, she grew up in a house full of music. In the Amstelhuis, where she has lived for 3 years, she takes the initiative to occasionally perform classical music live on harp or piano.
The Amstelhuis is a lively place with many activities. From pop and Amsterdam music evenings to dance afternoons. It is never quiet in the Amstelhuis anyway. “The murmur of people is one of the nicest sounds there is,” Angelika believes. Her love of sound goes beyond music. At the same time, that means she is particularly sensitive to sound. Sometimes she wishes she could close her ears just like her eyes. Her sensitivity to sound has also helped her learn new languages. When Angelika was 33, she came to Amsterdam from Germany for love. Being aware of rhythms, pitches and articulation helped her learn to speak Dutch more easily.
Angelika is convinced that musicality is in every child. If you are allowed to make sounds and sing as a child, it contributes to your musical and general development. From her own experience, she can talk about it. As a small child, her babysitters were two young opera singers who sang opera arias like lullabies to her.
A collaboration with her brother
Angelika worked as a radio producer for many years. Together with her brother, a musician, she produced more than 50 radio programmes about music. A fine collaboration. They made programmes about music history, about the emergence of genres like blues and Irish folk music, and about the development of instruments like the guitar. Her brother played the music and she wrote the lyrics for the programme.
Life as a symphony
Sounds of nature are also indispensable to Angelika. Splashing water, the sea and the rustling of trees. There are many poplars in her neighbourhood and she finds them making beautiful, soothing sounds. Music, the murmur of voices, sounds of nature. ‘I experience life as a symphony. Sounds and colours enrich our lives,’ Angelika says.
Listen with Angelika is part of the Listen with… of Urban Sound Lab, where local residents, sound artists, and architects listen to the city together. Together, they explore how to achieve a better-sounding city and how that contributes to the personal well-being of city dwellers. Find the other episodes here.
