This evening, I performed a set of pieces at Spring Ridge Park Assisted Living facility.  This is my second time performing at Spring Ridge, a facility for adults experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia.  I performed four classical works as well as a set of six songs.  The activities director made song packets for the residents to sing along with me.  Included in the song set were the traditional patriotic song “God Bless America” along with the uplifting song “The Happy Wanderer.”  The latter, originally titled “Der fröhliche Wanderer,”  was written by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller shortly after World War II.  The composer’s sister, Edith Möller, conducted a performance of the song with the Obernkirchen Children’s Choir, many of whose members were war orphans, at the 1953 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.  A BBC radio broadcast catapulted the song to fame and the song was subsequently translated into several languages.  The song has laughter written into its refrain and expresses the feeling of joy one feels while hiking in the mountains.