The past few months have been light here, due to a number of disruptions, and there was no subscriber newsletter for October or November. We will be getting back on track!
Sunday, November 23rd is the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe in the post-conciliar calendar. King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
As Americans are thankful this week for all our incredible blessings “from sea to shining sea,” especially the riches and freedom of Holy Church, remembering (note Our Lord exactly quotes Deuteronomy)…
“He afflicted thee with want, and gave thee manna for thy food, which neither thou nor thy fathers knew: to shew that not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.”
Deuteronomy 8:3
“[Jesus] answered and said: It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Of course, let us pray for all places of persecution and martyrdom which Christians are suffering with at this time. Let us count our blessings and fight the good fight lest these evils increase upon us. And let us pray for the soul of Charlie Kirk and his family, since many consider him, including Bishop Athanasius Schneider, to have been a US martyr. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him!
*** Beethoven Was a Man of Gratitude ***
Beethoven: Hymn of Thanksgiving
On this feast of St. Cecilia, martyr, the first incorruptible, and patroness of music, let us talk about Beethoven! This piece starts out slow, but picks up pace. It can be a meditative experience, trying to place yourself in Beethoven’s shoes, after a brush with death. Some may superficially deem this like a dirge, but we the devout, know that there are deeper levels to spirituality which defy common perceptions. This piece parallels the one below, which was written 17 years earlier, expressing a shepherd’s thanks after a storm, but they are entirely different, the latter being more accessible. Is this shepherd thanking God for the rain, or that the storm has passed? Maybe both! It was presented at the same concert in which Beethoven’s amazing “5th Symphony” was first played, in Vienna, 1808 (see notes below).
These are both parts of larger pieces. From the video notes:
This movement from Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132, has been described as "Music in its purest form, that transcends time and space, style, and history." Beethoven himself gave it the descriptive title, "Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der Lydischen Tonart" (Holy Song of Thanksgiving of a Convalescent to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode). Beethoven was giving thanks for recovering from a digestive ailment in the winter of 1825 that nearly cost him his life. We give thanks that he chronicled his recovery in this incredible music, and that our Ensemble in Residence, the Borromeo String Quartet, is on hand to perform it.
Michael Parloff on Beethoven’s “Holy Song [Hymn] of Thanksgiving”
This is a very interesting short study on this piece. From the video notes:
Beethoven completed his A Minor String Quartet, Op. 132, in July 1825, shortly after recovering from a severe, life-threatening illness. His recovery prompted one of the few genuinely autobiographical manifestations in his music. He expanded the quartet’s traditional four-movement structure to include an ecstatic middle movement entitled…(A Convalescent’s Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode). Beethoven’s radiant Holy Song of Thanksgiving is one of the most transcendentally spiritual movements ever written.
Beethoven: Shepherd's Song, Cheerful & Thankful Feelings After the Storm
From the video notes:
After the merry gathering of the countryfolk and the storm comes, the finale of Beethoven's Sixth, titled "Shepherd's song, Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm," with the Italian tempo mark "Allegretto" (slightly fast). Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major, opus 68, 'Pastoral', is so different from his Symphony No. 5 that it's almost hard to believe that they came from the same composer. All the more surprising: Ludwig van Beethoven worked on both at the same time. Both were presented on December 22, 1808 in the same, four-hour concert at Vienna's Theater an der Wien that also included his Fourth Piano Concerto and other music. One might wish that a time machine existed to take us back to that notable event. At least, however, this performance comes from Beethoven's home town, Bonn, Germany, where the original score to the Symphony No. 6 is preserved at the Beethoven House archive. Studying original sources is important to conductor Paavo Järvi, who prepared these recordings over a period of years in the "Beethoven Project."
*** Christmas is Coming! ***
Book: Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
From the publisher’s notes:
Handel, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Messiaen . . . Men of genius as different as their music - but all inspired by deep spiritual convictions. Peter Kavanaugh uncovers the spirituality of twenty of music's timeless giants, revealing legacies of the soul as diverse as the masterpieces they created. Warmly written, beautifully illustrated, and complete with listening recommendations for each composer, Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers is a fascinating look at the inner flame that lit the works of these masters.