PRAISE THE LORD WITH TRUMPETS AND TROMBONES BRASS FESTIVAL IN WUPPERTHAL, CEDERBERG ON SUNDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2025
For our weekend in the Cederberg in October, we had planned something special: to take part in the great Brass Festival of the Moravian Church — an event held each year in a different place in the Western Cape, where brass players from all over come together to play together in a festive worship service. On a Sunday with blue skies and lovely sunshine, after a bumpy ride along the gravel road through the wonderful and dramatic landscape of the Cederberg mountains, we arrived in the small village of Wupperthal. Wupperthal was founded in 1830 by two German missionaries of the Rhenish Mission — Theobald von Wurmb and Johann Gottlieb Leipoldt, the grandfather of the well-known South African poet C. Louis Leipoldt. The congregation consisted mainly of freed slaves from the Cape Colony — similar to other mission stations such as Mamre, Elim, or Genadendal. The missionaries also brought with them from Germany the tradition of brass bands, which even today remains a vibrant part of Moravian congregational life. After the devastating fire of 2018, which left many residents homeless and destroyed a large part of the historic buildings, we noted that the community hall, the shoe factory, and other houses in the centre of Wupperthal had been restored and shone again in renewed splendour. We arrived early enough to quietly observe the busy preparations. The brass players were already seated under a large tent, rehearsing various pieces under expert direction. The atmosphere was one of festive anticipation. The parking area on the big field filled up quickly; friends and acquaintances of the musicians greeted each other joyfully, and families had brought their picnic baskets along.
It was impressive to see how far the players had travelled to take part in this annual musical highlight: from Mamre to Matroosfontein, from Elsie’s River to Mitchell’s Plain, from Atlantis to Genadendal — that is, from the West Coast and the Cape Town region to the Overberg area — and some even hailed from Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha and Germany. About 300 instrumentalists of all ages offered an impressive performance under the direction of several dynamic conductors (most notably Hilton Smith from Mamre): alongside jazzy gospel sounds, Musical themes (“I Will Follow Him”), and African traditionals such as Siyahamba and Masithi, we also enjoyed beautiful congregational hymn accompaniments and classics like Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9. Even the young brass players had to show their skills… Of course, the 2½-hour worship service, held under the motto “Above all, love one another deeply” (1 Peter 4:8), consisted mainly of music. Yet Rev. Bans, pastor of the Wupperthal congregation, also made sure that the biblical message came to the fore. In her short and powerful sermon, she emphasized the all-encompassing nature of love as a way of life (and not merely as a “feeling”), grounded in God’s unconditional love toward us. Referring to the “fruits of the Spirit” in Paul’s letter to the Galatians and to Jesus’ “new commandment” in the Gospel of John, she said among other things: God is our first love and our foundation. To love is “to walk in the Spirit.” Use your Christian freedom to honour others in love. Showing appreciation for others and giving them value must be a fundamental feature of our relationships with one another.
It was a wonderful experience, and we hope that the ministry of the brass players will continue to be blessed — and that their music will inspire others to become part of the worldwide brass fellowship!
Christiane Simon
