Page 372 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace

REMINISCENCES

A HUGE BIRDCAGE

1930

André MULLER

‘In those days [between 1925 and 1935], the moment of the year we most looked forward
to was the staff party which was held between Christmas and New Year. In a huge,

beautifully decorated room, which is now the Sandoz Room, employees and their families
gathered in all their finery. There were more than two hundred of us gathered around
the Christmas tree for a friendly, festive meal. My father thanked everyone for their efforts during
the year and presented each member of staff with an appropriate bonus as well as handing
out long-service medals for between five and twenty years’ service at the Beau-Rivage.

Then it was time for the entertainment. Schoenfelder, the hilarious tapestry maker, regularly
reduced us to tears of laughter. He was a portly, usually taciturn fellow, but in costume and makeup
he became a comedian and singer of mischievous, satirical songs; his sketches in high German

or fractured French were hilarious. Afterwards, the mechanic Gothard Klinger played
the zitter (a German-Swiss musical instrument), then a number of other acts followed.
The evening ended with dancing to the hotel orchestra, which went on until about two
or three o’clock in the morning […].

> Contract between Beau-Rivage and the orchestra, 24 April 1878.

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