tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39880055663884119602024-03-19T05:15:37.389-07:00campanile in the cornfieldlife for an aspiring numen facilitator in the heart of the USA- musings on music, history, books, other arts, and a host of many and sundry issues as they pertain to me and my cultural milieuDouglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-15983283522842112482013-03-09T08:51:00.000-08:002013-03-09T08:51:27.787-08:00Commendo spiritum meumI've returned.<br />
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Strangely enough, there's a campanile nearby. It has not three bells but a carillon with 53 bells. They are English. I like the deep toll on the hours but nothing compares to the peal of French or Franco-Flemish bells when everything gets going. At midnight--after the Easter Vigil--at the University of Notre Dame the sacristan set them all lose for the first time in over 40 days. It was rough. It was wild. It was awesome. Some of them were out of tune but it was good ecclesiology--"here comes everybody," as Chesterton said.<br />
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But I digress.<br />
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We had a pile of snow last week and the week before. Class was cancelled on Tuesday. When I awoke I found my machine-portal-to-the-lives-of-others (i.e. Facebook) abuzz with news of the death of Marie-Claire Alain + 26 Febuary 2013. I was snowed in my house feeling immense guilt for not practicing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Bio-BIG/Alain-Marie-Claire-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Bio-BIG/Alain-Marie-Claire-04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In case you're not aware, she was amazing--perhaps, literally, awesome. She was also my grand-teacher. (Musicians are weird about these things).<br />
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It has been a strange week since then.<br />
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Abraham Maslow famously distinguished between typical D-cognition and B-cognition in his development of Positive Psychology. His research revealed that "self-actualized" individuals seemed indefatigable, impervious to challenge or adversity, unconstrained by norms, generally uninhibited, able to draw on an eternal well-spring of internal motivation, and so forth. These were humans that seemed super-human!<br />
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Who else has made over 300 records? Again, my practice guilt surfaces!<br />
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But professional productivity is only one facet of life. People count the most. And Marie-Claire's students loved her because she loved them and loved them particularly by challenging and pushing them to grow. Dr. H. recalls after playing for her, "she said, 'this was good, and this, and this...this? not so good!'." Honesty is the best policy!<br />
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Her relentless optimism and energy defy circumstances that would break the spirits of most of us. Indeed, Daniel Roth recalls her ceaseless smile in the NYT obituary. By age 14 Marie-Claire had lost two of her older siblings--Odile to a mountaineering accident and Jehan to the Second World War.<br />
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In many ways Jehan resembled Mozart, Purcell, or Reubke--an immense light snuffed prematurely. There are few compositional voices in Western music in the twentieth-century that ring as richly as his does. One would think nature operates on something like a "zero-sum"game with talent. Not the case with the Alain family! Father Albert possessed formidable energy and intellect. Brother Olivier proceeded to become a notable pianist and musicologist.<br />
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Marie-Claire? She was a cornerstone for a generation of people who practice our art.<br />
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Coincidentally, we had a recital by Parisian organist Carolyn Shuster-Fournier--another student of Marie-Claire this evening.<br />
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She made it to the funeral in Saint-Germain-en-Laye Friday morning. The Requiem Mass was packed with parishioners and people from across Europe. The preaching was good. Several renowned organists traded spots on the bench. The moment in time: "moving."<br />
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Tonight we heard two of her brother's pieces: the "Postlude pour l'office de complies" and the "Litanies."<br />
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The 1930 "Postlude" seemed sublime. The quoted chants balance a petition--"miserere"--with a declaration: "commendo." The tension between supplication--with its implication of anxiety or privation--and declarative commendation/trust always struck me as at the heart of Catholic soteriology. Grace builds on nature even though the world can be awfully messy. Somehow faith prevails. It is almost overwhelming to consider the serenity of this piece--the serenity of the Abbey of Valloires in the Somme where Jehan wrote it--in contrast with the hell that ravaged that place a few years earlier, leaving Europe with a generation of ghosts. In seminary, in the communal praying of the Divine Office I always found compline to be a time of great peace--not in its Kronos sense, but more the Kairos sense. Come what may--and Marie-Claire passed from her earthly life in her sleep--"in manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum." Good words by which to live! Good words by which to die!<br />
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We always prayed "that awake we may keep watch with Christ and, asleep, rest in his peace." When our predecessors wrote these words they perhaps had a different sense of life's fragility than we do today. Yet, mortality still looms--however ignored! This needn't me morbid but rather impel us to live more fully. On Friday Dr. H. implored us: "I must tell you: take the time now to go study with that teacher you've wanted to, to express your gratitude, to tell someone what they mean. You may want to wait until tomorrow. And you may not get that opportunity." That's a YOLO exordium that beats the hell out of some "epic" night of undergrad binge-drinking!<br />
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Of course, Jehan's 1937 "Litanies" stands as the most famous piece he wrote. After the applause, Carolyn said "I can play nothing after Jehan Alain's "Litanies"." Indeed, Bernard Gavoty recalled that Jehan told him that one wasn't playing the piece correctly if they did not finish exhausted--utterly spent.<br />
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The inscription on the piece captures this tenacious insistence:<br />
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"<i 13px="" 19px="" font-size:="" line-height:="" sans-serif="">Quand l’âme chrétienne ne trouve plus de mots nouveaux dans la détresse pour implorer la miséricorde de Dieu, elle répète sans cesse la même invocation avec une foi véhémente. La raison atteint sa limite. Seule la foi poursuit son ascension." </i><span 13px="" 19px="" font-size:="" line-height:="" sans-serif="">[When the Christian soul can no longer find words in its distress to implore the mercy of God, it ceaselessly repeats the same invocation with vehement faith. Reason reaches its limits. Faith alone (can) proceed on high.] </span></blockquote>
At the recessional of the Requiem Mass for Marie-Claire Alain her casket was left below the point d'orgue as Jean-Baptiste Robin played her brother's "Litanies," written 76 years before--this work of faith that weathers grief, and exasperation. I've heard Jean-Baptiste play this piece elsewhere. It pulses with sheer hermetic zeal.<br />
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When I heard the same piece tonight I knew that it was not literally the same piece that those mourners heard Friday morning in the parish church at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Yet the post-structuralists may take that notion a-packing because time and space seemed to shrink a bit. There's an Augustinian notion of time that brings past, present, and future together (and thus, muddles space a bit). Christians have a communion of saints that coheres on this premise. As artists--if nothing else--we sometimes suspect that we stand on the shoulders of titans. There were giants on the earth in those days...<br />
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When that wild E-flatish chord died, silenced followed and Mme. Shuster-Fournier could remark on the disappearance of a generation. It leaves one somewhat naked--anxious but perhaps anticipating, waiting "in joyful hope." <br />
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So what's next? What for us then?<br />
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Perhaps to take the high road, pouring everything out for others--come what may.<br />
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There's a model!<br />
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RIP + Marie-Claire Alain<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/arts/music/marie-claire-alain-organist-and-teacher-is-dead-at-86.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/arts/music/marie-claire-alain-organist-and-teacher-is-dead-at-86.html?_r=0</a><br />
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<br />Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-46056098274847924092009-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:002009-08-05T00:40:27.466-07:00Rhein Wein All The Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSMTbvYmF_rTTuMv-tAkpCKksocqfl6XjP0c2Fcx8wpi1SEBjJvdMtFly9jMltPHD7wJv12aain_YkK-uaoHOIW4b8Yy008PYkuWPBBZyzbE8f8skwVrOoCY0DNDSMI3zQe6ETvv4UQDU/s1600-h/P1040349.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSMTbvYmF_rTTuMv-tAkpCKksocqfl6XjP0c2Fcx8wpi1SEBjJvdMtFly9jMltPHD7wJv12aain_YkK-uaoHOIW4b8Yy008PYkuWPBBZyzbE8f8skwVrOoCY0DNDSMI3zQe6ETvv4UQDU/s320/P1040349.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366373267995987906" border="0" /></a>At the tail end of my second summer Europe tour we spent a day in Rüdesheim am Rhein. As its official name suggests this small Hessian village is located on the Rhine. The so-called "Rhine Gorge" is a picturesque segment of this river as it straddles the border of Hesse and Rheinland-Pfalz. The scenic rolling hills, countless vineyards, and historical structures in the immediate vicinity draw more foreign tourists to tiny Rüdesheim than anywhere in Germany after Cologne Cathedral.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnzPK1e55JfB213SKyoAKdf67Ds04P30pxURLTqpgBOm0z5cjd0AOhASjhpPbqVYNsiZkw2QXyMwrh8x0ZlevFvsN5riVKR8VwtmRr37kNLT2UGvm5AuUdP8DDAzEs2HKK3tbq25vhgYe/s1600-h/P1040351.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnzPK1e55JfB213SKyoAKdf67Ds04P30pxURLTqpgBOm0z5cjd0AOhASjhpPbqVYNsiZkw2QXyMwrh8x0ZlevFvsN5riVKR8VwtmRr37kNLT2UGvm5AuUdP8DDAzEs2HKK3tbq25vhgYe/s320/P1040351.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366373277650151634" border="0" /></a>Rüdesheim sits almost directly across the river from Bingen, the birthplace of Hildegard, one of the medieval world's most fascinating personalities. Despite being disadvantaged because of her sex, Hildegard counselled popes and saints, abbots and emperors. (She was also author, abbess, linguist, composer, naturalist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, channeller, visionary, and polymath). In 1165 she founded a Benedictine Abbey on a hill over Rüdesheim at Eibingen. The secularization of the early 19th century dissolved Eibingen Abbey but a century later in 1904 Prince Karl zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, a wealthy Catholic nobleman, reestablished it. Today this house belongs to the Beuronese Congregation of Benedictines.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmBdca_TVW9FlurGi8kAe4P4qIwhgIRWj3E1ZdFbohubpIgHxEuP-RD9ctmE6EVzOTL4BE5Q9f0vNqIhnC7hD2RlvvNH35XVMEoepzeXdOw42lNPpC8RiMNnAGLFzVLSk7zuUuW2_tK8S/s1600-h/P1040357.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmBdca_TVW9FlurGi8kAe4P4qIwhgIRWj3E1ZdFbohubpIgHxEuP-RD9ctmE6EVzOTL4BE5Q9f0vNqIhnC7hD2RlvvNH35XVMEoepzeXdOw42lNPpC8RiMNnAGLFzVLSk7zuUuW2_tK8S/s320/P1040357.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366375124710995506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The reconstructed <a href="http://www.abtei-st-hildegard.de/">Eibingen abbey</a> complex features a neo-Romanesque church in rough stone, renowned for its Beuronese decor. The gardens in front of the church contain a beautiful contemporary sculpture of the local patroness. Nuns of this house work vineyards on the surrounding slopes. I missed the winetasting but heard it was phenomenal— labels employ motifs from Hildegard's artwork.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKQx3e5tu3VhUPTyiyT7EyW9v7BBvnB7SyzhH5D-223tgsnP5sODZs9eDKi6hRcudY58gZnSk3OaE_zsbg-zvbXyCL03xhAlB00B3fWyJUxwZkAAeFDCL-sY2b9FxDhKhGIInfxhryem5/s1600-h/Rudesheim+Coffee_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKQx3e5tu3VhUPTyiyT7EyW9v7BBvnB7SyzhH5D-223tgsnP5sODZs9eDKi6hRcudY58gZnSk3OaE_zsbg-zvbXyCL03xhAlB00B3fWyJUxwZkAAeFDCL-sY2b9FxDhKhGIInfxhryem5/s320/Rudesheim+Coffee_small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366376345254496818" border="0" /></a>Rüdesheim has more wine in one small space than I have ever encountered. It was okay. Our hotel nudged up against the <span style="font-style: italic;">Drosselgasse,</span> a narrow 15th century alley crammed with souvenir stores, and wine shops. The area produces fine Rieslings. We enjoyed many of these local wines during our night at Rüdesheim— perhaps too many for the 10 hour flight the next morning! Ansbach was tasty too.<br /><br />Ansbach, a locally distilled Uralt Brandy, finds its way into nearly all souvenir shops and caffeinated beverages— <span style="font-style: italic;">Rüdesheimer Kaffee</span> is not your cup of Folgers! We visited a bar adjacent to the hotel for this local treat. The waitress lit some Ansbach and sugar on fire and doused it with steamed coffee. A generous dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings crown this delectable beverage.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Niederwalddenkmal </span>looms nearby on a promontory just west of town. Kaiser Wilhelm I laid the foundation stone for this massive monument to German unification in 1871. All creepy over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48U3qCBlN3WYcd967XW-T0hXSyEfpzxiNMGlV9gB2C5uxMPxX0npOwyDPq1CvmH8WZ6LcacU5qtDZgN0OBxnUhQhRyVK4OqbEpY6VKBwy7JuhyPOeW6yGpNiJLX3ogHH_MqQ_OEbxeXnK/s1600-h/P1040347.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48U3qCBlN3WYcd967XW-T0hXSyEfpzxiNMGlV9gB2C5uxMPxX0npOwyDPq1CvmH8WZ6LcacU5qtDZgN0OBxnUhQhRyVK4OqbEpY6VKBwy7JuhyPOeW6yGpNiJLX3ogHH_MqQ_OEbxeXnK/s320/P1040347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366376340605731458" border="0" /></a>tones of nationalism aside, this giant statue of Germania which was completed in 1883 looks impressive. The location affords a breathtaking view of the Rhine valley as well. I could just picture Wagner and the gods high in Valhalla...looking enviously down upon the Rhine Maidens— Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde frolick and sing merrily keeping watch over <span style="font-style: italic;">Das Rheingold...</span>and then comes an ugly dwarf Alberich— "I wants the gold" etc. <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Who's up for 15 hours of voice killing sonic meat and potatoes?<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhi3S0PhD-_-9zOr2khUCCXVoziz0yvPjDOW9aFfPw33nUf7wH_qL-oplMuxwzZJbd1LwooZZjjedAFJoq6OI-ZzZCFfleLQkxqhp1WecTAI5xbg5PuL-UJ8JSGzJpud2Xp2U_EDtp58m/s1600-h/P1040345.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhi3S0PhD-_-9zOr2khUCCXVoziz0yvPjDOW9aFfPw33nUf7wH_qL-oplMuxwzZJbd1LwooZZjjedAFJoq6OI-ZzZCFfleLQkxqhp1WecTAI5xbg5PuL-UJ8JSGzJpud2Xp2U_EDtp58m/s320/P1040345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366375136513943298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We got lost as we drove up to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Niederwalddenkmal </span>and found ourselves in the middle of a <span style="font-style: italic;">Rhein</span><span style="font-style: italic;">gau </span>field. It wasn't so bad.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-65699151850234535342009-07-31T14:45:00.000-07:002009-08-02T12:50:22.244-07:00I'm...(Insert Prepositional Phrase)I could subtitle this post "Summer Stupidity." In the last couple weeks several friends introduced to me or reminded me of a couple of the world's more ridiculous musical numbers. They're catchy. Yet, in the same breath I can't exaggerate their utter meaninglessness.<br /><br />First<style></style>— "I'm at the Pizza Hut; I'm at the Taco Bell; I'm at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell." "Das Racist," a Brooklyn based group is responsible for this doozy. What are the lyrics for a majority of the song? You guessed it! I suspect illegal drugs were partly responsible for this song. Remarkably, some people feel this one is a stroke of genius.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?1cgnub0lmyj">I'm at the Pizza Hut etc</a>.<br /><br />A friend who attends law school in San Francisco alerted me to this song. Apparently Victor Vazquez, one of two in "Das Racist," comes from the Bay area and they have made recurring appearances at a particular club in the vicinity. Wannabe hipster site pitchfork.com has hailed this as the ultimate summer tune. I think they missed the mark. I dub it the ultimate validation of drugs-gone-wrong.<br /><br />Second<style></style>— "I'm on a Boat." SNL brings us this fine skit in the form of music video. A special guest appears with "The Lonely Island." This one, contrasting our former number, brims with sundry creative lyrics and a special guest who exemplifies use and abuse- here concerning Auto Tune! The song itself parodies many rap cliches and climbed to the top of You Tube in February 2009. Don't expect to find it there, however- NBC seems pretty diligent about getting its material pulled. Strangely enough, it really takes an effective jab a commercialized hip-hop's all-too-frequent absurd materialism. It sits a few notches up from the previous number on my quality ladder.<br /><br /><object width="512" height="296"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Dv3pQGG92oRM4otdHcMV-g"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Dv3pQGG92oRM4otdHcMV-g" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="512" height="296"></embed></object><br /><br />When I listen to these songs two things happen in this order:<br /><br />1. I think of people who argue for "context" as the final determinant in Liturgical Music and those who draw lines quickly. I can't fathom a situation where music that sounds like this could ever be near a Church. However, there's not much to counter this if all that matters is how music "speaks to people" directly. On the other hand, I can't see where people who cast out whole genres quickly make their boundaries. Music exists on a massive continuum. If a congregation sings <span style="font-style: italic;">Tantum Ergo</span> at benediction and Tom Booth immediately follows up with a crashing trap-set for the recessional, this seems perverse. But if the whole Mass was Tom Booth, young people who came expecting this, and most importantly, were edified by it<style></style>— where's the beef? However, I think these songs show that we can imagine boundaries if not pinpoint them precisely!<br /><br />2. My brain shuts down.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-10466543369252599432009-07-24T23:19:00.000-07:002009-08-02T07:46:24.931-07:00The Danger of Profiling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZekbDp1IVbgprZ0c4E8yYYuzyX7EOp0G1Bj6v-wsvJAGiRQJ7EiROsPDnPEx5VYquf_y7lIBfVCo9J10BtuURadeAeQeJCk3Nki2REkLh7nTZLa5G7yeycg36IhrJSwYZePRO0mUCUddB/s1600-h/TridMass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZekbDp1IVbgprZ0c4E8yYYuzyX7EOp0G1Bj6v-wsvJAGiRQJ7EiROsPDnPEx5VYquf_y7lIBfVCo9J10BtuURadeAeQeJCk3Nki2REkLh7nTZLa5G7yeycg36IhrJSwYZePRO0mUCUddB/s320/TridMass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362301127999009378" border="0" /></a>This is a hot topic, especially today with all the hullabaloo about the Cambridge MA Police Department arresting an African-American breaking into his own home, Obama commenting, etc. But that's not the application I wish to address.<br /><br />In perusing Catholic blogs again (as I convalesce from a wretched tooth extraction) I become a little weary and wary when the soundbytes start to fly. I tend to believe that anything worthy can't be so simplistically reduced. Yet, I find myself continually disappointed.<br /><br />I find myself in an awkward position for a couple reasons:<br />1. I am a Catholic musician who is converging on a music degree<br />2. I am a Catholic musician converging on a music degree living in an extremely conservative/neoconservative/orthodox? diocese who considers graduate studies at Notre Dame.<br /><br />Regarding the first: There is an apparent chasm in Catholic culture, specifically in liturgical matters. Language has been duly appropriated, terms politically charged. This is unfortunate. For example: parish pianist vs. parish organist, choir director vs. choir leader, parish/pastoral musician vs. music director, pastoral musician vs. sacred musician, sacred musician vs. liturgical musician, Latin vs. no Latin.<br /><br />I understand there may be substantive differences with these, particularly sacred vs. liturgical (Anthony Ruff distinguishes the two well in his homerun, landmark book). However, it's the politic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb7nYdO67AQssl0yDSGDSpdH39feEyiI-FsbInhy-8l7p5JxfJ_EoafUSRioTHyRvNG5zM49NULwVhJPdg61y5grqgYG9Pvl9LOjl-ESUUDwsK5FojIyzDh8YjIUKYbmPcpbXD3E6g5bn/s1600-h/CharismaticMass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb7nYdO67AQssl0yDSGDSpdH39feEyiI-FsbInhy-8l7p5JxfJ_EoafUSRioTHyRvNG5zM49NULwVhJPdg61y5grqgYG9Pvl9LOjl-ESUUDwsK5FojIyzDh8YjIUKYbmPcpbXD3E6g5bn/s320/CharismaticMass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362301131072731778" border="0" /></a>al connotations that make this silly. Should we be confortable with making these profiles more from politics than informed theological positions (of which many are valid I must emphasize)!<br /><br />I can't recall at the moment where I read this but apparently an Episcopal Church Musician once said that "pastoral musician" was essentially a synonym for "bad musician." I'm sure plenty of Catholics who read NLM, CMAA, Fr. Z. etc. would wholeheartedly agree and happily supply anecdotes. "Pastoral musicians" could easily retort with a wholly valid argument: the primary purpose of liturgy is not to showcase art.<br /><br />On the other hand, I've read many a blog where "pastoral musicians" express disgust for the idolatrous aestheticism that can overtake the highly schooled musician or artist. One may simply counter, however, that the Catholic Church has perhaps the largest tradition of any institution to encourage the development of art. Bug off with the iconoclasm.<br /><br />I'm not sure precisely where it appears I fall. I'm not sure that I have a choice. Currently the cards are stacked against me: organ is not a favored instrument in many Catholic parishes, organ lit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKrVaH3PD4D5a1T-fXKoo7NkZw3RzGJRTbj-DvFfVtHflHld9ByWFtsTedfq8FUUoN_Vv_oF0C8PHkHiVKznRF-Zy1CIt4ywM6TGekJt_DEr1Dv7Z6Ynk-v_OIrKqwvWDi26ZBzY_MxAr/s1600-h/StJohnCantius.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKrVaH3PD4D5a1T-fXKoo7NkZw3RzGJRTbj-DvFfVtHflHld9ByWFtsTedfq8FUUoN_Vv_oF0C8PHkHiVKznRF-Zy1CIt4ywM6TGekJt_DEr1Dv7Z6Ynk-v_OIrKqwvWDi26ZBzY_MxAr/s320/StJohnCantius.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362301977606573954" border="0" /></a>erature holds even less relevance or prestige, degree holders are increasingly rare in church music. Thus, due to my love of something associated with the past and high artistic standards, I'm probably an elitist- and that's a bad thing.<br /><br />Regarding the second: There are few places to pursue a sound, well-rounded liturgical/sacred music graduate degree in the US- especially with a Catholic twist. Notre Dame stands out as a rare and notable exception. Problems arise though. As one acquaintance recently put it, and he didn't mean it well, "Oh, you mean the newly christened University of Obama?"<br /><br />This vexes me. People would be all too eager to make assumptions about my politics, albeit via flawed reasoning (the whole <span style="font-style: italic;">post hoc, ergo propter hoc</span> thing.) This becomes a problem for no other reason than it can create tension with parishioners where I work- parishioners who happen to be both nosy and politically zealous. No, I don't love ND because the President spoke at graduation. No, I wasn't disinterested before he came either. Neither statement reflects my thoughts on the President or politics. Think carefully on that one.<br /><br />It alarms me, however, that even bishops will encourage this kind of thinking. At a recent conference I helped with an attendee queried Bishop Jackels of Wichita regarding the preservation of "Catholic" identity in our "Catholic" colleges and universities. His answer was to boycott them- not just Notre Dame, but most others too. He suggested several alternatives.<br /><br />The problem, however, is that the 4 alternatives probably have a collective 1500 students and 3 programs. That's great if one wishes to study philosophy, theology, or youth ministry. What about the novel idea of studying one of the world's many other topics at a Catholic school? Apparently, that's not a concern.<br /><br />An<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1rgDP6Z-LN6pf6SFsHfYoXd7MGVkHM41iS0rBhOQF6aeqKoO2nT8SUEa13yjEAFnioR1HNAEtTUlAyd2pH6sh0vrvaWB_PqZ5o_kQh2EFWeWPZFAk6uG34Ah4y7S-EeiIY5Dm6dOhqB-/s1600-h/HFRockford.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1rgDP6Z-LN6pf6SFsHfYoXd7MGVkHM41iS0rBhOQF6aeqKoO2nT8SUEa13yjEAFnioR1HNAEtTUlAyd2pH6sh0vrvaWB_PqZ5o_kQh2EFWeWPZFAk6uG34Ah4y7S-EeiIY5Dm6dOhqB-/s320/HFRockford.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362498545688588354" border="0" /></a>d really, all music schools are full of flitty, feather-brained liberals. "Birds of a feather flock together." Read: Orthodox Catholics beware of applicants armed with graduate music degrees! Thus, I'm probably a theologically dissident liberal.<br /><br />But what ever happened to letting people speak for themselves? What about the possibility of a "both...and" solution. Can a person with a degree be a relevant "pastoral" musician? Yes. Can one without a degree be a competent one? Yes, as well. The answer truly varies from person to person, from situation to situation.<br /><br />We all know the stereotypes, but what use has invoking them? Ultimately this calls for an explanation and explanations of stereotypes inevitably devolve into polemical rants or fierce anecdote wars. It's like a conversation I had this morning:<br /><br />Me: I didn't realize Rush Limbaugh was fired from FOX for racist comments<br />Party 2: He only said that black quarter-backs were better.<br />Me: Which is meaningless and, like I said, racist.<br />Party 2: No, he's just stating the fact that blacks are better athletes<br />Me: really, we're going there?<br /><br />Who knows if that stereotype really means something? It's possible, but the truth lies deeply buried in a myriad of converging explanations and a tangled web of sociology. In short, like most generalizations, their ambiguity and offensiveness far outweigh their usefulness.<br /><br />So, I've been called an elitist<style></style>— wholly due to my zeal for learning. In this case, I'll wear that badge with honor. If music school teaches me how to write a singable melody and that's "elitism" we're in bad shape. I'm not, however, going to go into a Byzantine fracturing of "Eagle's' Wings" or "Be Not Afraid" and tell 100 reasons why these are poorly written. They are. Yet, people sing them- however incorrectly. This is proof enough for me but winning an argument isn't the point. Improving the situation is- whether that's teaching the songs correctly, writing new ones, or resorting to the "Treasury of Sacred Music" when possible.<br /><br />Elitism is not what you know but what you do with it- if I learn something I plan to share it with my parish and choir. Beauty and Truth will always be hot commodities. Conscious mediocrity might be second to dishonesty in things that set me off.<br /><br />Do I have aesthetic standards? Yes.<br />Do I wish to engage people in the liturgy? Yes<br />Is it possible to maximize variables? No<br />Is it possible to optimize variables? Yes<br /><br />Wow! Fancy that. As long as I don't turn into a philandering AGO grouch someday I'll consider myself marginally successful.<br /><br />But, really, Vatican II got rid of that old music and Purgatory...<br /><br />Just kidding.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-65327244113543251172009-07-24T19:03:00.000-07:002009-07-24T20:54:28.661-07:00Archbishop Lucas- The Installation Part II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZkUDzjCY3PyWjSEmFojXYNJMDHsObvSgwJsfrLppmEWi0_sUXVsZYDecQmqvBVCWkaZc89L5rbDfpHyKhLHDe31qcoRonVAlMgqot08GIPpnLqpvYI_8aprsr89DCnf6PffYmHPxLsUJ/s1600-h/StCec6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZkUDzjCY3PyWjSEmFojXYNJMDHsObvSgwJsfrLppmEWi0_sUXVsZYDecQmqvBVCWkaZc89L5rbDfpHyKhLHDe31qcoRonVAlMgqot08GIPpnLqpvYI_8aprsr89DCnf6PffYmHPxLsUJ/s320/StCec6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362237240836195938" border="0" /></a>"All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing: Alleluia!"<br /><br />St. Cecilia Cathedral's eloquence in stone as well as the silvery words of Archbishop Lucas instilled in me (and surely all those assembled Wednesday) a renewed conviction of evangelical enthusiasm. This is not the intellectually bankrupt and trite excitement that characterizes some of the crazier Fundamentalist denominations but the broadest, richest, and most universal sense that is unique to Catholicism. The homily text may be found here: <a href="http://www.archomaha.org/newsevents/pdf/Mass%20Homily%207-22-09.pdf">Lucas Homily</a>. For the moment, one may watch the ceremony on-demand here: <a href="http://www.catholictv.com/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=111&videoID=763">Lucas Installation</a>.<br /><br />St. Paul, the first Apostle to the Gentiles, seems a good place to start. Accordingly Archbishop Lucas began his homily reflecting upon the Epistle from 1 Corinthians 12:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">St. Paul tells us very cl</span><span style="font-size:85%;">early that there will be different s</span><span style="font-size:85%;">piritual gifts, different charisms in the Church. Each gift is truly a manifestation of the One Holy Spirit. The gifts are ordered in their diversity to serve the one Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God that these God-given gifts are so evident as we gather here in this Sacred Liturgy. We are the proof that St. Paul was right about the nature of the Church.</span> </blockquote>And evident they were! The very ambo from which he preached is carved of South American mahogany and flanked with sculptures of doctors of the church (Peter, Paul, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great). The pulpit itself anticipates the richness of the Word. Czech-born sculptor Albin Polasek created this stunning piece of liturgical furniture as well as the moving crucifix and Stations of the Cross.<br /><br />Continuing the theme of creativity: Brother William Woeger FSC, Archdiocesan Worship Director designed a Missal specifically for the Installation Mass, never to be used again. The Missal nearly covere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcRmx5Ol7vFsni_HQgpAVWAGWmEnZqi5YjII-ECeB-3k9LFfL_3nE4-JrGCbBL6LVxB04Rqwt2Ne7XflErc_EWs8fGJVzIyspLv8jOr0gZrf2lWUysRAXyb4d9hR1u8M3Mj8BvouM6Ti0/s1600-h/LucasMissal.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcRmx5Ol7vFsni_HQgpAVWAGWmEnZqi5YjII-ECeB-3k9LFfL_3nE4-JrGCbBL6LVxB04Rqwt2Ne7XflErc_EWs8fGJVzIyspLv8jOr0gZrf2lWUysRAXyb4d9hR1u8M3Mj8BvouM6Ti0/s320/LucasMissal.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362238543283398594" border="0" /></a>d the upper torso of the acolyte- it is about two feet tall. Constructed of heavy stock, it was stitched by the Art Department at the University of Nebraska Omaha. The cover is striking: white with a large variant of the Patriarchal Cross in gold with flecks of forest green emblazoned upon it. This is a symbol of the Byzantine Church in the East but also represents the office of Archbishop in the West. I created a horrible replica to give a sense of it. One may catch glimpses of it in the broadcast.<br /><br />Archbishop Lucas expanded on this concept of diverse gifts as he worked his way through the homily, giving credit to the many people who contributed and attended. He departed from the script a little when he spoke of Music:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> just overwhelmed as I think we all are with the gifts of our choir and musicians. You help us long for the heavenly Liturgy as we lift our minds, hearts, and voices to God. You bring honor to St. Cecilia herself and to her Lord and our Lord.</span><br /></blockquote>Amen! Countless things about that space proclaim Music as a gateway to heaven. Need I mention the patroness, St. Cecilia in the rose window? First, the building itself sings. When empty the Cathedral has a superb undistorted reverberation of seven seconds which surprisingly helps song blossom and the organ to sing. Sound dances as much as light i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6gupuso7ajKyISnhglYsteSfc_HJt4m_Yc5Xhp0du_mKQwssIL0eDFCnyhMp8PF8_Xu7RIQK_mSQxwTwqodPCXnZdBIhNqYe32j-cAaJ4uIQ2QvrlynshZ1-rplLyonugKcHpbwW0qiE/s1600-h/StCec10.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6gupuso7ajKyISnhglYsteSfc_HJt4m_Yc5Xhp0du_mKQwssIL0eDFCnyhMp8PF8_Xu7RIQK_mSQxwTwqodPCXnZdBIhNqYe32j-cAaJ4uIQ2QvrlynshZ1-rplLyonugKcHpbwW0qiE/s320/StCec10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362237746362160194" border="0" /></a>n this harmonious space. The post-renovation ceiling is full of warm, Mediterranean gold, deep red, and rich star-studded blue. The sun splashes its light as alive as the voice of the Church singing there.<br /><br />Secondly, the windows. Designed by Charles Connick of Boston, the clerestory windows literally depict the great hymns of the Church: the <span style="font-style: italic;">Magnificat</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Te Deum</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Gloria</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Stabat Mater</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Victimae Paschali</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Veni Sancte</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Spiritus</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dies Irae</span>, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pange Lingua</span>. Thus, the very light which illuminates our worship passes through song!<br /><br />Thirdly, literally. Text from the Antiphons for the feast of St. Cecilia scroll around the nave high in the entablature at the base of the barrel vaults. Translated it reads:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Alleluia, Alleluia! As dawn was breaking into day, Cecilia cried out saying, "courage, soldiers of Christ. Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light!" While the instruments were playing, Cecilia sang unto the Lord saying, "Let my heart be undefiled that I be not ashamed." Alleluia, Alleluia!</span></blockquote>I thought about this as I listened to the choir sing "Greater Love Hath No Man" at the Offertory. Archbishop Lucas em<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_ru11L9E34Y6Nz2bOy7AsIvq4aQ8OYPqyG1hO2cEOUHQuDo-DH9qlcTfV1vUu2jtrmYH5eKBy-wXdEvjq5eoeF_p2UbfIYy9TDI0Y9OY-6Hq-p2lV3omtY6kSFNzFGbXeycSH_xwSr_8/s1600-h/StCeciliaTomb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_ru11L9E34Y6Nz2bOy7AsIvq4aQ8OYPqyG1hO2cEOUHQuDo-DH9qlcTfV1vUu2jtrmYH5eKBy-wXdEvjq5eoeF_p2UbfIYy9TDI0Y9OY-6Hq-p2lV3omtY6kSFNzFGbXeycSH_xwSr_8/s320/StCeciliaTomb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362236297437562306" border="0" /></a>phasized that we did not come here today from nowhere- we come from the labors of those before us. People have been using their gifts since St. Paul. According to tradition, St. Cecilia sang to God as she died. Walking through subterranean Roman tombs in May, I could viscerally contemplate Cecilia and the early martyrs with their pioneer spirit.<br /><br />These things are so far away in space and time yet they persist in one remarkable continuum. We unite our voices and sing: "Lord, hear our prayer. <span style="font-style: italic;">Deus exaudi nos</span>. <span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"><em>Señor</em></span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">escucha nos.</span>" When one comes together with a thousand and supplicates these words in song it puts identity and purpose in perspective. It brings us into awareness of the Communion of Saints, the Universal Church. Archbishop Lucas summarized: <blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">Do we need any further evidence then that St. Paul is right? All of these different people whom I have mentioned manifest the actions of the One Holy Spirit. We don't form separate constituencies; We are not partisans. We are members of the body of Christ. It is the living Lord that is present in this Sacred Liturgy...Drinking freely of the One Spirit we come now to offer fitting praise, honor, and glory to our One Father.</span></blockquote>Echoing his words from high above the organ, flanking the gallery, John Dryden's (1687) "Song for Saint Cecilia's Day" exclaims: <blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">From Harmony, From Heav'nly Harmony<br />This Universal Frame Began:<br />From Harmony to Harmony,<br />Through all the Compass of Notes it Ran.<br />The Diapason Closing Full in Man.<br /><br />But Oh! What Art Can Teach,<br />What Human Voice Can Reach<br />The Sacred Organ's Praise?<br />Notes Inspiring Holy Love,<br />Notes that Wing Their Heav'nly Ways<br />to Mend the Choirs Above.<br /><br />But Bright Cecilia Rais'd the Wonder Higher:<br />When to Her Organ Vocal Breath Was Given,<br />An Angel Heard, and Straight Appear'd-<br />Mistaking Earth for Heaven.</span></blockquote>And heavenly it was.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-85659149222742713542009-07-24T14:28:00.000-07:002009-07-24T15:44:39.334-07:00Archbishop Lucas- The Installation Part I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNkZzHR3a7nX9o8S1odAioHUvAE9ux7YRyX6BEbc_bCeqHB7fQSUV7m1DP415NcOTwrKSIlujonUYWXKcVTt_-Fw_NxjcRI72fnOpPiTurlWgKMIQdXeFDSFXn8_3U8CDtOdAj3Dys7oz/s1600-h/StCeciliadistant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNkZzHR3a7nX9o8S1odAioHUvAE9ux7YRyX6BEbc_bCeqHB7fQSUV7m1DP415NcOTwrKSIlujonUYWXKcVTt_-Fw_NxjcRI72fnOpPiTurlWgKMIQdXeFDSFXn8_3U8CDtOdAj3Dys7oz/s320/StCeciliadistant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362157902460744306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I had never attended a Eucharistic Liturgy in St. Cecilia Cathedral. Needless to say, Wednesday's installation could not have been a better first time! I've been to numerous events at St. Cecilia's but never a Mass. After receiving a ticket at the last moment for this closed-door event I was bursting with anticipation.<br /><br />The day converged on perfection. The weather couldn't have behaved better for July in Nebraska- mild, slightly breezy and overcast, making the outdoor hors d'oeuvres and champagne reception exceedingly pleasant.<br /><br />The Mass, however, was amazing. For those who love ceremony it offered a true feast. The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi officiated with Archbishop Emeritus Elden Curtiss at his side. The suffragan bishops of Nebraska sat close by as well. Cardinals Rigali and George attended along with over 40 US bishops and the abbot and retired abbot of Mt. Michael Abbey in the Archdiocese at Elkhorn. Numerous priests (ca. 250) from Omaha, Springfield, IL, St Louis, and other dioceses filled the front left quarter of the nave.<br /><br />Following the lengthy procession into the cathedral, the rector, Fr. Gutgsell and the College of Consulters processed to the main door as Dr. Bauer played a solemn anonymous 16th century intabulation of <span style="font-style: italic;">Veni Creator</span> with <span style="font-style: italic;">zimbelstern</span> on the mean-tone stops. It was hair-raising.<br /><br />Archbishop Emeri<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQv-K7Su7OBMIdVRbq1mvVPTqnvP_6WfMseKU9m7HCPdDJ0o5nObZYCKzXR-KqmJAZSEdc-DR9NuUhopQ7ct_QaB_SSl08lgJTx4dyVFeMFI6CUw2Gvj0k1c4HgPAwvsAoowLq-KuhdXIc/s1600-h/Sambi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 127px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQv-K7Su7OBMIdVRbq1mvVPTqnvP_6WfMseKU9m7HCPdDJ0o5nObZYCKzXR-KqmJAZSEdc-DR9NuUhopQ7ct_QaB_SSl08lgJTx4dyVFeMFI6CUw2Gvj0k1c4HgPAwvsAoowLq-KuhdXIc/s320/Sambi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362158121603566466" border="0" /></a>tus Curtiss offered words of welcome and Archbishop Sambi subsequently read an English translation of the Holy Father's bull appointing Lucas to the Metropolitan See. A .pdf of the bull can be read here, <a href="http://www.archomaha.org/newsevents/pdf/Papal%20Bull%20in%20Latin%20and%20English%20Translation.pdf">BXVI Omaha Bull</a> . Following the Consulters' inspection the Chancellor presented it to the entire congregation assembled.<br /><br />Sambi and Curtiss then led Archbishop Lucas to the cathedra and seated him with his crozier. Following vigorous applause the choir sang Duruflé's ethereal <span style="font-style: italic;">Ubi Caritas </span>as representatives of Archdiocesan associations and ethnic communities greeted their new Ordinary. The Mass thence proceeded customarily. One may see a program here: <a href="http://www.archomaha.org/newsevents/pdf/Installation%20Mass%20program%207-22-09.pdf">Lucas Installation Mass</a>.<br /><br />This liturgy validated everything I have heard about the high standards at St. Cecilia Cathedral. The ministers executed all the actions of this celebration with organic fluidity yet exacting precision. The wedding of sacrament, assembly, sound, and space was breathtaking.<br /><br />Dr. Bauer des<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3HorA00jjl6IcloqLsWATY2HCwbpxnpv6Zv3KrbXaKRtUMqAJBOtLyWRDJv-WdR6-_SGN57bwfg2J_3JSVIuhZXsgtfQdpvRH3pmDeWv8EM8dHuRPaHJIb9JBu8zchIBhEQ5KjSoF3bq/s1600-h/Curtiss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3HorA00jjl6IcloqLsWATY2HCwbpxnpv6Zv3KrbXaKRtUMqAJBOtLyWRDJv-WdR6-_SGN57bwfg2J_3JSVIuhZXsgtfQdpvRH3pmDeWv8EM8dHuRPaHJIb9JBu8zchIBhEQ5KjSoF3bq/s320/Curtiss.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362158863417723730" border="0" /></a>igned a prelude program which highlighted the Church as Universal and thus fittingly prepared the assembly for the liturgy shortly to transpire.<br /><br />The first component was offered in "Honor of the Church on Earth." It commenced with De Grigny's <span style="font-style: italic;">Plein Jeu </span>from <span style="font-style: italic;">Veni Creator Spiritus- </span>using the old mean-tone temperament, course! A composition from Dr. Bauer's pen followed this rousing French Baroque work. "Take My Life" couples a poignant poetic text of 1874 by Francis Havergal with a lyric choral setting accompanied by flute and organ. The theme of service and sacrifice was most appropriate. Palladium Brass rounded out this segment with an intabulation of Palestrina's <span style="font-style: italic;">Agnus Dei</span> from <span style="font-style: italic;">Missa Sacerdos et Pontifex</span>- again, how fitting!<br /><br />"In Honor of the Church in Heaven" commenced with "O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem" by the always gorgeous 20th century English composer Herbert Howells. Buxtehude's <span style="font-style: italic;">Nun lob, mein' Seel', den Herren</span> followed- showcasing again, the Pasi organ's unique mean-tone capabilities.<br /><br />Sections honoring Pope Benedict XVI, the BVM, and Our Lord, came next with Duruflé's <span style="font-style: italic;">Tu es Petrus</span> (with the chant and brass arrangment as well), the ubiquitous Schubert <span style="font-style: italic;">Ave Maria</span>, and Hassler's <span style="font-style: italic;">Cantate Domino</span>, respectively. The prelude concluded as the brass declaimed Andrea Gabrieli's solemn "Ricercar on the Sixth Tone."<br /><br />Highlights <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMMqHt9zSvSBwMldqWRvP2Yt3vyxZcVf_TEtq7CPrFdWEst_RsfG0JkWB1iRPrCScifTm0jNftuGPqLMKM5UjY6YxoGya3jlRd4wA3KEuj5NwkJgs7u-5uQ01RBzGeR33xS6jP5Uoj8Ba/s1600-h/MarieRBauer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMMqHt9zSvSBwMldqWRvP2Yt3vyxZcVf_TEtq7CPrFdWEst_RsfG0JkWB1iRPrCScifTm0jNftuGPqLMKM5UjY6YxoGya3jlRd4wA3KEuj5NwkJgs7u-5uQ01RBzGeR33xS6jP5Uoj8Ba/s320/MarieRBauer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362159343718369138" border="0" /></a>of the music at the Mass include John Ireland's apropos<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>"Greater Love Hath No Man" at the Offertory and Henryk Gorecki's ever popular <span style="font-style: italic;">Totus Tuus </span>after the communion hymn.<br /><br />The hymns closely followed the texts of the liturgy- the choir chanted the proper <span style="font-style: italic;">Communio </span>from Psalm 23 and then we all sang "The King of Love" and Theophane Hytrek's "I am the Good Shepherd." Another great example of engaging, well-planned liturgy.<br /><br />Kudos to Dr. Bauer for steering a sterling program at Omaha's Cathedral. Good music that contributes to good liturgy is a gift that keeps on giving- in more than one way! American Catholic church musicians who wish to grow their programs should look to Omaha. It's amazing how many of the old excuses and obstacles fall away or diminish when a skilled, qualified, and magnanimous person takes the wheel.<br /><br />In case it seems like my enthusiasm about all these details somehow lies tangent to some "proper," or rather, more dispassionate and cerebral concept of what matters in Liturgy, that is, Church, let me offer my summary of Archbishop Lucas' premier homily.<br /><br />Continued... <br /><span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"><em><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></em></span></span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-41656181391049111792009-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:002009-07-26T13:56:14.472-07:00Archbishop Lucas- The Vespers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSpGvc7hRWQo4yJbahdxnNysGUNSLGjeDmoVTvKi8gY2rH7S2e6vVpFNUw2eICml0aktg2zw9-wHkovhe0LcX0JaZ4LwcluSVAhNYxyHw0Wh2FuGUdU2d3iEioI1R1UJg4E1KpSQWBDlj/s1600-h/StCec12.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSpGvc7hRWQo4yJbahdxnNysGUNSLGjeDmoVTvKi8gY2rH7S2e6vVpFNUw2eICml0aktg2zw9-wHkovhe0LcX0JaZ4LwcluSVAhNYxyHw0Wh2FuGUdU2d3iEioI1R1UJg4E1KpSQWBDlj/s320/StCec12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361837863221769202" border="0" /></a>The last two days have been filled with local churchly celebrations of the highest order. Omaha has celebrated the coming of George J. Lucas, appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Omaha by Pope Benedict XVI last month. As one staff member told me Monday, "the Cathedral is all abuzz."<br /><br />Events began Tuesday evening July 21 at 7pm with Solemn Vespers in St. Cecilia Cathedral. I have mentioned it before, but I still intend to post copiously on this spectacular building. Constructed over several decades, it is a rare gem of pristine 20th century Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture perched high on a hill over mid-town Omaha. This cathedral, one of the nation's largest, received a thorough restoration for the Jubilee Year 2000. Many aspects of the architect's original design, henceforth unexecuted, were brought to fruition.<br /><br />Tuesday's service hosted many of the archdiocesan permanent deacons and their families as well as civic authorities and leaders of the broader faith community including Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu representatives.<br /><br />I participated in the choir for Vespers. For having only two rehearsals things went remarkably well. Quite nearly the only snag arose from unavoidable environmental factors- the growing heat and humidity caused the organ's combination system to go a little 'haywire' and a couple reed stops only partially drew. The organist squelched the wheezy screech soon enough!<br /><br />Obviously, as a musician, the balance of my focus was a little weighted- but I wasn't alone! Archbishop-designate Lucas made conspicuous mention of the choir and musicians in his homily. Indeed, for this event t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutpb9TeI4BGpo7n2nNWT0SAotWwPAXt96JgLtMC78-CcAlJWh9NhA-P7B1vXZXBi-ihnGlWzavpVtqyAbKA_KVN50PMfUbOJKDwlcDHF8DR_1HS0Cbg06xhR-L5ZySX6nAqXMuVzdMfeh/s1600-h/StCecPasi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutpb9TeI4BGpo7n2nNWT0SAotWwPAXt96JgLtMC78-CcAlJWh9NhA-P7B1vXZXBi-ihnGlWzavpVtqyAbKA_KVN50PMfUbOJKDwlcDHF8DR_1HS0Cbg06xhR-L5ZySX6nAqXMuVzdMfeh/s320/StCecPasi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361839499216992178" border="0" /></a>he time and place could not have been better. The reading for vespers of Tuesday, week IV, Colossians 3:16 reads: "Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you. In wisdom made perfect, instruct and admonish one another. Sing gratefully to God from your hearts in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs." Lucas said that if Tuesday is representative he looks forward to realizing St. Paul's mandate in the future at the Cathedral.<br /><br />St. Cecilia Cathedral has always given special attention to its music on account of its patroness. In 1985 the Cathedral Arts Project (CAP) was founded as a ministry to draw the whole creative person into the life of the Church. Through promoting and organizing visual art, musical programs, and cultural events the CAP seeks to emphasize the medieval spirit of cathedral as a place for all. <a href="http://www.cathedralartsproject.org/about.asp">http://www.cathedralartsproject.org/about.asp</a><br /><br />In more recent years the St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum was founded under director Kevin Vogt (now working in Kansas City.) The Schola Cantorum is a rare organization in the Catholic United States and an invaluable asset to the Archdiocese. Today under the direction of Dr. Marie Rubis Bauer, its choirs provide music for cathedral parish and archdiocesan events. <a href="http://www.stceciliacathedral.org/music.htm">http://www.stceciliacathedral.org/music.htm</a><br /><br />Furthermore, the Archdiocese operates the St. Cecilia Institute for Laity Formation on the Cathedral campus. The Institute offers classes and seminars on countless topics for people of all ages. <a href="http://www.archomaha.org/education/sci/index.html">http://www.archomaha.org/education/sci/index.html</a> For the architecturally inclined there are wonderful opportunities- Brother William Woeger, FSC, Archdiocesan Director of Worship and renowned liturgical consultant offers excellent presentations. I speak from experience.<br /><br />Back to Vespers...<br /><br />There's nothing that underscores the sense of a living Church and vibrant liturgy like the creative act. For Tuesday's service the music included newly composed works as well as classics. Cathedral Music Director and Organist Marie Rubis Bauer wrote three new Psalm Antiphons which beautifully emphasize their texts yet maintain singability. (Organists have a knack for this!) The program has details: <a href="http://www.archomaha.org/newsevents/pdf/Installation%20vespers%20program%207-21-09.pdf">http://www.archomaha.org/newsevents/pdf/Installation%20vespers%20program%207-21-09.pdf</a><br /><br />My favorite was the Magnificat Antiphon "Do great things for us, O Lord, for you are mighty, and holy is your name."Created to "sandwich" Kevin Vogt's "Magnificat on the Fifth Tone," Bauer's short duple meter setting made liberal use lively syncopations, silences, and augmented fourths. Vogt's similarly pungent "Magnificat" is equally memorable. Written for the 2003 dedication of the Noack Organ at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul MN, the melodic line is written so well and engagedly that it's hard to notice the high 'f'! Everyone sang with gusto.<br /><br /><object width="392" height="238"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hqmzK3sxZFs&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hqmzK3sxZFs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Embedded here is the choir of Visitation Church in Kansas City singing this piece. St. Cecilia's is a bigger space and we had a few more people so Dr. Bauer took a broader tempo. Nevertheless, this gives one an idea. Dr. Vogt's piece shows that it is possible to optimize our variables: to use traditional Catholic texts with new, yet singable lines. It's available from Morningstar.<br /><br />We bookended vespers with "The Day You Gave Us, Lord, Is Ended" (ST CLEMENT) and "O God Our Help" (ST ANNE). The choir men sang Lloyd Pfautsch's "Seek to Serve" and the women did the chant <span style="font-style: italic;">Ave Maria</span> as well as a Dvorak setting. The whole choir sang Hassler's <span style="font-style: italic;">Cantate Domino</span> as well as the Palestrina <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicut Cervus</span>. Dr. Bauer played the <span style="font-style: italic;">Adagio</span> from Widor's Fifth and a Pachelbel <span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"><em>An Wasserflüssen</em> <span style="font-style: italic;">Babylon. </span><br /><br />The only downer to the evening (and this happened to a lesser extent the next afternoon) was how loud people were durin</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjW1NcbznJ5AWOAk9v_t9mXeMer5hXcRT7FoMgPQwpIsgvPJVAty7Ba2gaOekRD57eXdrJ2x272QLxEU42RyeU8h9Rez3pb0Q29879x7RSYP3JANn_l9_Zyjyk767UKSnaeOcEswAjyGf/s1600-h/StCec11.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjW1NcbznJ5AWOAk9v_t9mXeMer5hXcRT7FoMgPQwpIsgvPJVAty7Ba2gaOekRD57eXdrJ2x272QLxEU42RyeU8h9Rez3pb0Q29879x7RSYP3JANn_l9_Zyjyk767UKSnaeOcEswAjyGf/s320/StCec11.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361838639314634002" border="0" /></a><span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">g the preludes. Episcopalians would never make that much noise! Strangely enough, people hushed almost as soon as an <span style="font-style: italic;">Ave Maria</span> began- both times! There must be something lodged deep within the Catholic psyche that begs silence for Marian piety- and little else. I was sad when we sang <span style="font-style: italic;">Sicut Cervus</span>- no one could hear</span></span>. If the <span style="font-style: italic;">Mona Lisa</span> were a motet it would sound precious close to this.<br /><br />It's not the musician in me so much that gripes but the minister: "The goal of all music ministry then, is not the comfort and entertainment of church goers, nor the decoration of rituals for asthetes, but the praise of God and the sanctification of all humanity, making it fit for the choir of heaven."- adapted from “An Apostolic Model of Music Ministry,” Kevin Vogt, DMA.<br /><br />I also noticed that the Archdiocese seemed to roll out their new logo in conjunction with these events: a burnt orange silhouette of the cathedral over "Archdiocese of Omaha." The program itself was attractive as well. The interior front and back covers featured the same burnt orange with interlocking outlines of the cathedral's rose window.<br /><br />All things considered, things were off to a most fitting start!Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-24444158247758514152009-07-21T21:42:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:21:49.787-07:00Praha Part III- Sacred Heart History<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0sz_tkbV_4nQj0_RZzFNViPEQUVKuimQmy2y0MOLLa2a3PVAgT-5adBxTGan5IQ02AOOfakgUQ4axK4KgUguvAEkevmVS4ZkQDmSm_At3WH84SsSLjSeJf_B283__ElalyFYPCJogKOA/s1600-h/Skarda.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0sz_tkbV_4nQj0_RZzFNViPEQUVKuimQmy2y0MOLLa2a3PVAgT-5adBxTGan5IQ02AOOfakgUQ4axK4KgUguvAEkevmVS4ZkQDmSm_At3WH84SsSLjSeJf_B283__ElalyFYPCJogKOA/s320/Skarda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361162389342015538" border="0" /></a>In this post I give the story of one of Prague's most fascinating ecclesiastical structures.<br /><br />In March 1914 St. Alois parishioners organized a church construction Association under the new pastor Rev. Franti<span class="style4">š</span>ek Škarda. Almost from the start money posed a problem. The Archbishop's Consistory required proof of financing before any construction and the War years were especially difficult. At the outbreak of the War parishioners asked the Archbishop if they might rededicate their parish to the Sacred Heart. The Consistory approved the change.<br /><br /><style></style>Fr. Škarda, the vicar, the mayor of Vinohrady, and several architectural experts formed a jury which took 31 design proposals in October 1919.<br /><br /><span class="style1">Josip Plečnik (1872-1957), a Slovian born architect, offered a design which</span><span class="style1"> the committee rejected for being too costly. His second proposal of 1925 failed for the same reason. But the third time's the charm- the association accepted his 1927 proposal. </span><span class="style1">Plečnik characteristically took classical iconic forms and a</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJABVZhqmaXxD9_RT3G5Hn29M4lLkFyAt_ISldeKsLpMLm8gB7cTLUoLc7GC66k8wduP5cfecNz3n-YUx2NPZvVDXRn2H08eQ3vDRyjg0uNKK2Rc5x7cR7BtdT2faRepaftXJQFAgfIFTy/s1600-h/SHPragueElevation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJABVZhqmaXxD9_RT3G5Hn29M4lLkFyAt_ISldeKsLpMLm8gB7cTLUoLc7GC66k8wduP5cfecNz3n-YUx2NPZvVDXRn2H08eQ3vDRyjg0uNKK2Rc5x7cR7BtdT2faRepaftXJQFAgfIFTy/s320/SHPragueElevation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361162643785632882" border="0" /></a><span class="style1">dded a personal twist- here, a rectangular Greco-Roman temple with a large tower as wide as the building over its middle. A large glass window and clock form the center of the tower.<br /><br />Fundraising rapidly continued with collections, lectures, concerts, bazaars and theater p</span><span class="style1">roduct</span><span class="style1">ions. On 28 October 1928 the Archbishop dedicated the cornerstone with thousands present. Pius XI sent a congratulatory telegram.<br /><br />And then nothing happened for a year. The government finally authorized construction 26 August 1929 and 60 workers labored tirelessly excavating and pouring foundations through the fall. The Archbishop gave a dispensation to work on Sunday 15 December but the frost soon came and concrete work halted.<br /><br />1930 was the big year for building- by April 1930 the foundations were complete and excavations for the basement chapel done; May 1930 walls to 1 meter, delayed because granite arrives late; June 1930 walls to 5 meters; September 1930 walls complete and choir loft built; October 1930 the steel roof from Rainberg of Pardubice installed; November 1930 tower constructed. </span><br /><br />The 1931 winter was long so plumbers and electricians worked indoors. Father Škarda proposed purchasing six bells from the Brno firm Manou<span class="style4">š</span>ek for<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje79JGcxR5SUA-8HggSALfglOxeKi7wgeazqdjAOH9EKUWrdFzWn6azrqXXi461cA8HBhKnQRIO77znnCz4nSKf8NtIvXXDeerO62jOXsuanEyuSQWtEws578glFp53fVEFuWbVy-rQDEJ/s1600-h/P1040298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje79JGcxR5SUA-8HggSALfglOxeKi7wgeazqdjAOH9EKUWrdFzWn6azrqXXi461cA8HBhKnQRIO77znnCz4nSKf8NtIvXXDeerO62jOXsuanEyuSQWtEws578glFp53fVEFuWbVy-rQDEJ/s320/P1040298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361163449846101266" border="0" /></a> CZK 208,080. The city rejected this but in September 1931 a local man donated the bells.<br /><br />On 15 November 1931 the workers installed the large window and clock in the tower. Through this time the Association stayed afloat through countless donations and bequests amounting to many hundreds of thousands of Crowns.<br /><br />There were 13 bids for the construction of the main altar. Prastav was selected and the altar was installed 14 February 1932. The terrazzo floor and pews arrived shortly thereafter.<br /><br /><style></style>On 9 April 1932 the bells arrived and the vicar general dedicated them the next day:<br /><br />1), "Holy Trinity", weight 3620 kg, 1775 mm bottom diameter, tone B0<br />2), Divine Heart of the Lord ", 1650 kg, 1487 mm, D1<br />3), Our Lady ", 970 kg, 1197 mm, F1<br />4), Holy Family, 750 kg, 1088 mm, G1<br />5), St. Jan Nepomucký ", 420 kg, 895 mm, B1<br />6), St. Joseph "and" Soul ", 40 kg, 440 mm, B2<br /><br />Sculptures of the Sacred Heart and six Czech patrons (John of Nepomuk, Agnes, Vojtech, Wenceslaus, Ludmila, and Procopius) were commissioned from the sculptor Damián Pešan and cast in bronze by Charles Pešan. The Sacred Statue arrived in the spring of 1934 and the last of the others in November 1938.<br /><br />By this time there was no money for an organ (big surprise!) so the old organ from the St. Alois chapel ws moved to the church in early May 1932.<br /><br />Finally, on 8 May 1932 Archibishop Dr. Karel Ka<style></style>špar dedicated Sacred Heart Church to much fanfare. He placed relics of Sts. Wenceslaus and Adalbert in the altar. The church, largely constructed by the contractor Nekvasil, cost CZK 4,711,865.44- about $4 million today.<br /><br />The clock already had problems in 1933 and roof and gutter deficiencies addressed in 1935 put the organ again on the backburner. Though the church was dedicated many things remained unfinished- holy water fonts of dark Silesian<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XAKgGU3ZvY2nAkADrnwfvLkdl6rv-KC2XqMIlYzSpGmcaLCx4rGej7T8ZOITNl7k8GT20I1f82EFRNT76yUo0hY9pZShPP9zOiYvpBNue1Iu1EFY3t7q1RMlNe1Vt6pS9cth8Ov1AtCs/s1600-h/P1040308.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XAKgGU3ZvY2nAkADrnwfvLkdl6rv-KC2XqMIlYzSpGmcaLCx4rGej7T8ZOITNl7k8GT20I1f82EFRNT76yUo0hY9pZShPP9zOiYvpBNue1Iu1EFY3t7q1RMlNe1Vt6pS9cth8Ov1AtCs/s320/P1040308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361164188083920690" border="0" /></a> marble by stonemason Jan Mrazek came in December 1938, art glass windows, and side altars.<br /><br />Fr. Škarda approved a window proposal in January 1941 but the Archbishop's Consistory rejected it and declared a competition. Ultimately it chose the exact same artist, Karel Svolinsky. The windows arrived in 1944 but were kept in the basement during the War. Likewise, in March 1941 Fr. Škarda ordered side altars dedicated to Sts. Anthony of Padua and Therese of Lisieux from the architect Rothmayer and mason Mrazek. When they arrived he was unhappy and things weren't resolved until August 1942.<br /><br />The War years were hard. On 27 March 1941 the occupying authorities confiscated all but the smallest bell. On 16 June 1942 the assistant priest Father Zamecnik was arrested by the Gestapo- a German woman in the neighborhood turned him in for not wearing his cross badge. He tried in vain to fight the allegations but was sent to Terezin and then Dachau where he died 22 November after being subjected to medical tests regarding artificial infection methods.<br /><br />Father Škarda witnessed the arrest with horror and fortunately evaded it himself. He died 7 October 1942 at age 75, having guided the parish for over 25 years.<br /><br />53 parishioners died in bombings in February 1945.<br /><br />During the 50's the Communist government persecuted the priests, often removing, arresting, or pressing them into military work. Following the Prague Spring uprising of 1968 things began to gradually improve for the parish.<br /><br />In 1991 three new bells were finally ordered from Manou<span class="style4">š</span>ek.<style>ns */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -</style>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-87875996280796489622009-07-20T22:16:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:19:16.764-07:00Praha Part II- Kostel Nejsvětějšího Srdce Páně<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsk6dH4Q1fQlXZEgT-MpRh5RR_ObR1QYWXbBUlovSC12Sb3wCL1BLrUrJSEYGNL9Shyphenhyphen-3AIsK62GW1RulECWy7XxjZmYyboDaitxAqY91pOSK0okVu2qWqpNKhssvFogB7QaGYZPYkeew/s1600-h/P1040295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsk6dH4Q1fQlXZEgT-MpRh5RR_ObR1QYWXbBUlovSC12Sb3wCL1BLrUrJSEYGNL9Shyphenhyphen-3AIsK62GW1RulECWy7XxjZmYyboDaitxAqY91pOSK0okVu2qWqpNKhssvFogB7QaGYZPYkeew/s320/P1040295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360799473464723810" border="0" /></a>That's "Church of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord" in Prague 2, Vinohrady district. Our Czech translator had no concept of the English expression and both our tour guide and our director were not Catholic. Thus, "Holy Heart of Lord" (emphasis on no article or possessive pronoun) became the operative name.<br /><br />We sang the Saturday Mass of anticipation last weekend at this one-of-a-kind church. I can't quite pinpoint it- Greco-Roman-Art-Deco? Could there be such a thing? When Frank Gehry visited he reportedly said, "I didn't realize that Mike Graves had already got ahead of me in Prague."I guess this was his way of saying "Wow, this is impressive." And it absolutely is- one doesn't see many buildings, especially churches like this from the 1920's. As our translator put it, "They thought he [the architect] was mad, a crazy man." Plenty of the kids did too.<br /><br />The liturgy itself was interesting. We arrived at 5pm. Mass was at 6 and we had an hour guaranteed to warm up, tune the brass etc. I had even less time to acquaint myself with the button/knob/tab laden gameshow box of a console. Just when things started to click a loud voice pierced the silence at 5:30 sharp. Choristers and director looked around in confusion. It was the Rosary! And in case we didn't realize it, an elderly congregant stood up, wheeled around, and heckled us to make it clear. So much for preparation- or communication for that matter! Our liaison informed me, "the blind organist will arrive in the gallery one minute before the Mass to play the holy tunes." Great! In many ways it could have been the liturgy of a small Czech parish in Nebraska. All things considered, it went okay.<br /><br />We had good fortune to be inside- apparently the building is only opened during Mass times. Because of this, the lights were also on. This gave the rare opportunity to get some decent inside shots. When we entered we came in the back through the sacristy. I was surprised by the amount of room behind the sanctuary. It felt spacious. (Little did I know, this was part of the radical design). Who would have thought?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LlXQL4K49f4&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LlXQL4K49f4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The interior, composed largely of brick, makes for an interesting acoustic. Though the body of the church has a flat ceiling it is a large enough space that it still has a significant volume. Additionally, there was so little physical obstruction that the singing sounded about right to me. The brass players weren't fans. Personally, I've always been fascinated by the brick sound (e.g. Westminster Cathedral.)<br /><br />It's hard to judge the organ simply because I can't say I ever quite figured it out. The church website gives some information about the organ (and extensive general parish history too- all of which generally informs these posts and was horrible to translate and work through!) <a href="http://www.srdcepane.cz/">http://www.srdcepane.cz/</a><br /><br />The organ was built in 1936 by the Kutna Hora firm of Josef Mölzer. The console has four manuals and pedal though only three manuals were completed- the fourth was to be in the tower where the sound would filter th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzNyK01gA8-OQf3o7jZDAEhTVxsBc42LuAc3gjjGiDoJt4QS_19zZDd25yJhfDZ0-2WbPvV-yGwo1hfFg6L0B5FLwh1Nnv-NxMSKJ8Zw326_Wxqxm8Lb9_8uGg1unv7yV_QaPzIT0duvq/s1600-h/P1040299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzNyK01gA8-OQf3o7jZDAEhTVxsBc42LuAc3gjjGiDoJt4QS_19zZDd25yJhfDZ0-2WbPvV-yGwo1hfFg6L0B5FLwh1Nnv-NxMSKJ8Zw326_Wxqxm8Lb9_8uGg1unv7yV_QaPzIT0duvq/s320/P1040299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360800141058100482" border="0" /></a>rough two windows over the altar. This division was planned to have 23 ranks. Today the whole instrument has 45 ranks with 3234 pipes.<br /><br />I confess I don't know much at all about Czech organs. For that matter, I don't know that anyone does. Therefore, it's alarming to me that even the church website explains, and I paraphrase, "Melzer was known as a company to build cheap things, to use cheap materials. Problems arose quickly..." Yikes! Starting in the 1960's the organ went through several overhauls, rebuilds, extensions, and revisions by a couple builders. For most of 20 years it was unplayable but all was "well" by 1992.<br /><br />Thus, the current specs are something like this:<br />Melzer, etc. 1936, etc.<br /><br />Pedál<br />44. Principálbas 16’<br />45. Subbas 16’<br />46. Salicet bas 16’<br />47. Oktáv bas 8’<br />48. Flétna špičatá 8’<br />49.Chorál bas 4’<br />50. Mixtura (3x) 2 a 2/3’<br />51. Pozoun 16’<br /><br />I. Manuál<br />16. Principál 16’<br />17. Principál 8’<br />18. Kryt 8’<br />19. Salicionál 8’<br />20. Oktáva 4’<br />21. Flétna trub. 4’<br />22. Superoktáva 2’<br />23. Mixtura (6x) 1 a 1/3’<br />24. Trompeta 8’<br /><br />II. Manuál<br />2. Kryt 8’<br />3. Kvintadena 8’<br />4. Kopula 4’<br />5. Principál 4’<br />6. Roh lesní 2’<br />7. Kvinta 1 a 1/3’<br />8. Flétna syč. 1’<br />9. Cymbál (3x) 2/3’<br />10. Klarinet 8’<br /><br />III. Manuál<br />30. Kryt 16’<br />31. Principál 8’<br />32. Flétna 8’<br />33. Vox angelika 8’+4’<br />34. Prestant 4’<br />35. Flétna příčná 4’<br />36. Nasard 2 a 2/3’<br />37. Flageolet 2’<br />38. Tercie 1 a 3/5’<br />39. Akuta (5x) 1’<br />40. Hoboj 8’<br /><br />Couplers<br />12. III - II. 8 '<br />13. III - II. 4 '<br />14. III - II. 16 '<br />15. Vacant<br />25. I. - I 4 '<br />26. II. - I. 8 '<br />27. III. - I. 8 '<br />28. III. - I 4 '<br />29. III. - I. 16 '<br />42. III. - III. 4 '<br />43. III. - III. 16 '<br />52. P - I 8 '<br />53. P - II. 8 '<br />54. P - II. 4 '<br />55. P - III. 8 '<br />56. P - III. 4 '<br /><br />Auxiliary equipment<br />1. Power hand records<br />11. Tremolo II.<br />41. III Tremolo.<br />Switch language<br />Free combination of 1<br />Free combination of 2<br />Loose 3 combinations<br />Free combination of 4<br />Power<br />Pleno<br />Tutti<br />Power crescendo<br />Switch connectors from cerescenda<br />Aut. ped. (a combination of pedal)<br />Crescendový cylinder<br />Blinds III. man.<br />Indicator War<br />Indicator blinds<br /><br />And so, hooray! I found the Wicks of Communist Czechoslovakia! What to do? I just played a Dupré piece with lots of woofy 16<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjColhJJNXYCIrLZArur3bFvZl0_9ym-P_8C7tpnXOn8YfwI5II3ot4S_Ohs79jMNfrc7mZdF9KKb9flMEhsdpVeQLFNVCR5Vgb737_S02q8ktD819soqL5gfUK6vtzRE6lrm0zjeLpIRA6/s1600-h/P1040305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjColhJJNXYCIrLZArur3bFvZl0_9ym-P_8C7tpnXOn8YfwI5II3ot4S_Ohs79jMNfrc7mZdF9KKb9flMEhsdpVeQLFNVCR5Vgb737_S02q8ktD819soqL5gfUK6vtzRE6lrm0zjeLpIRA6/s320/P1040305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360800803458336306" border="0" /></a>, 8, and 4 and called it a day.<br /><br />The best part of the organ were the many decorative lightbulbs which ornamented the sleek case below the facade pipes. It reminded me of St. Francis Church in Humphrey, Nebraska!<br /><br />The architecture, however, will blow your socks off...Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-41336310950985637952009-07-20T21:51:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:28:01.130-07:00Praha Part I- Metal Babies in "Royal Vineyards"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9bkJqdmd7UPIZZYTEbSnYtoFOlke7sN1U6zbEsDFUWIYUCmsZTFkC12lzqhsXxvYTLowgXoe-esM6Pf6pfCNgoW1rh7UN3un7U6NuSARWbynreftAFtPxjC3c8yQS76JV7VtmgdcQvyu/s1600-h/P1040282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9bkJqdmd7UPIZZYTEbSnYtoFOlke7sN1U6zbEsDFUWIYUCmsZTFkC12lzqhsXxvYTLowgXoe-esM6Pf6pfCNgoW1rh7UN3un7U6NuSARWbynreftAFtPxjC3c8yQS76JV7VtmgdcQvyu/s320/P1040282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360772155234846562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On my most recent European adventure (accompanying a student choir) we dipped into the <st1:place><st1:placename>Czech</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Republic</st1:placetype></st1:place> for a couple days. Being of 50% Czech extraction I looked forward to this opportunity with typical Bohemian reverence. Even though we had only time to visit touristy parts of <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> (I wouldn’t mind spending a couple days in <st1:city><st1:place>Plzeň</st1:place></st1:city>!) it offered something new for this traveler.<br /><br />The Charles Brid</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:place><st1:placename>ge</st1:placename></st1:place> was crowded, St. Vitus Cathedral filled with “a million babbling yahoos,” and the town square full of sketchy people dressed like leprechauns advertising free booze at a party (a.k.a. be ready to part with a kidney!) It was pleasant but I found the most curious aspect of <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> to be off the beaten p</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ath.<br /><br />From</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> the <st1:place><st1:placename>Prague</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Castle</st1:placetype></st1:place> one can look far across the old </span><span style="font-size:100%;">city and up the hill rising beyond the <st1:place><st1:placename>Vltava</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>River</st1:placetype></st1:place>. At the pinnacle of the hill is a giant telecom tower- the <span style="">Žižkov </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="">Television</span></st1:placename><span style=""> </span><st1:placetype><span style="">Tower</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="">, a massive, 709 foot communist structure built between 1985 and 1992.<br /><br />Th</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">ough </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="">Žižkov</span></st1:placename><span style=""> </span><st1:placetype><span style="">Tower</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style=""> has a restaurant (and food is particularly tasty in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Prague</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="">) and an observation deck affording an impressive view its Communist nativity and strikingly modernistic, skyline rupturing design has caused many locals to despise it.<br /><br />L</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">ook closely!<br /><br />Naturally, someone thought to beautify this functional steel eyesore. Thus, in 2000 David </span>Černý, an artist who has tempte</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHc-LqrmRMH2Paqqr7TsPkZX0igcPEvbiX5POxLQ_fZUqrPTIuqxisQrJAOVe32ivmsVULq8b79rcYqGjNQ-rZpWXFs9uolMpvtz9AAxi5zaBJOzNRjvsUQzeD-5EJsE-Cr3B9kQ9oJSr/s1600-h/P1040309.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHc-LqrmRMH2Paqqr7TsPkZX0igcPEvbiX5POxLQ_fZUqrPTIuqxisQrJAOVe32ivmsVULq8b79rcYqGjNQ-rZpWXFs9uolMpvtz9AAxi5zaBJOzNRjvsUQzeD-5EJsE-Cr3B9kQ9oJSr/s320/P1040309.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360769346057950162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">d even Europeans to censorship, created giant, crawling, metal babies and affixed them to the tower. They came down but because of popular admiration crawled back </span><span style="font-size:100%;">up in 2001.<br /><br />A</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> little context to appreciate the humor here: I live in a city where people bitch about </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the expense and impracticality of <i style="">any </i>civic art or beautification (i.e. sculptures of stylized bikes along bike trails- difficult concept, eh?) Imagine how the high school kids reacted when they saw 1800 pound, 10 foot infantile masses of metal swarming a TV tower!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Moving on.<br /><br />Th</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e district around <span style="">Žižkov is called Vinohrady, until 1968 </span><i>Královské</i><i style=""><span style=""> Vinohrady</span></i><span style="">- “Royal Vineyards.” The name comes from the 14<sup>th</sup> century when Charles IV planted vineyards in this hilly area outside of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Prague</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="">. To this day a city park nearb</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">y contains an active vineyard! </span>In the 18<sup>th</sup> century large gardens filled the area.<br /><br />V</span><span style="font-size:100%;">inohrady experienced rapid growth through the 19<sup>th</sup> century. In 1849 it became an independent community, in 1879, a city. The population was estimated at 15,000 in 1880 and more than doubled (34,500) by the next decade.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />T</span><span style="font-size:100%;">o permanently serve the needs of community members St. Ludmila parish was established in 1893- two mission chapels were not enough! (This is a striking neo-gothic edifice.) Though this was a step in the right direction the population rose to 50,000 by 1900. This 90% Catholic community needed a new church!<br /><br />O</span><span style="font-size:100%;">n <st1:date year="1908" day="2" month="12">2 December 1908</st1:date> the City of <st1:city><st1:place><i>Královské</i><i style=""><span style=""> Vinohrady</span></i></st1:place></st1:city><i style=""><span style=""> </span></i><span style="">donated land in </span><i style="">Jiřího z Poděbrad-</i> “George of Poděbrady Square” for a new church. Though the city council made the real estate selection quite carefully </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepzzymvG4ONZ9lXJkB7GroFI-eFnJmtvBap09jJzc-Hz0ghhkKUETLvHXL5Nf-4t1m9eDhDj_ir6G08iFImOSXiLiK0ks2Z5qltXUG5vmQbCj0YcYuK6hmIt8yy6-z2_6lUaIsDyn34oT/s1600-h/SLudPraha.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepzzymvG4ONZ9lXJkB7GroFI-eFnJmtvBap09jJzc-Hz0ghhkKUETLvHXL5Nf-4t1m9eDhDj_ir6G08iFImOSXiLiK0ks2Z5qltXUG5vmQbCj0YcYuK6hmIt8yy6-z2_6lUaIsDyn34oT/s320/SLudPraha.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360773400790549138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">a number of radicals protested and the commitment was litigated for a number of years. Not until 1928 was it set in stone- literally!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Me</span><span style="font-size:100%;">anwhile, St. Alois Parish was established on <st1:date year="1914" day="1" month="1">1 January 1914</st1:date> and operated out of a new school building and its chapel on th</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e north side of the Square. This small and inadequate chapel held Mass and services until 1932!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">C</span><span style="font-size:100%;">onstruction and details of </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the church (subsequently rededicated to the Sacred Heart) are traced in a forthcoming post.<br /><br />A</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s for the neighborhood…Vinohrady was annexed to <st1:city><st1:place>Prague</st1:place></st1:city> in 1922. Because of its politically involved, upper-middle class r</span><span style="font-size:100%;">esidents the Post-War Communist government split it into three districts in 1949.<br /><br />T</span><span style="font-size:100%;">oday Vinohrady attracts renown for its wealth of 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> century architecture. (St. Ludmila pictured).<br /><br />Google images: crawling babies zizkov. It may disturb you.<br /></span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-34052180763450305462009-07-19T18:04:00.000-07:002009-07-24T00:13:24.026-07:00More Fresh Air for Nebraska<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQanNucXmUc5Z62unGqnyd7GbBlgwzam2UEL219L9kagc_se2wnZERDM7zU7yD249fnY5p30PVD0amxkTl84IWHUpIuUbD3-Wxq3SZBgFGigyMujxflVG_bBfXj0iPl03WYKjbSirOXRx/s1600-h/GeoLucas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQanNucXmUc5Z62unGqnyd7GbBlgwzam2UEL219L9kagc_se2wnZERDM7zU7yD249fnY5p30PVD0amxkTl84IWHUpIuUbD3-Wxq3SZBgFGigyMujxflVG_bBfXj0iPl03WYKjbSirOXRx/s320/GeoLucas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360342823798712754" border="0" /></a>...Not that we're ravaged by much smog of any kind, George Lucas looks like a good deal by all accounts.<br /><br />Nebraska has three dioceses: Omaha, Grand Island, and Lincoln. Omaha I love, Grand Island I feel badly for every now and then, and Lincoln (to put this carefully) is like nowhere else.<br /><br />Lincolnites have a distinctive pride in their diocese and its self-branded orthodoxy. Being a college student in Nebraska I've heard more than my fair share of propaganda from enthusiastic folks regarding their home diocese.<br /><br />Quite often, whether it's from Omaha natives, out-of-state students, etc. I get a positive vibe (i.e. "Yay, Springfield-Cape Girardeau!") Lincolnites, likewise, have no shortage of praise for their local ordinary and his policies. This is fine...but it never stops here. Unfortunately, it seems like there's always a jab for the stinger (i.e. "I once went to a Mass in <span style="font-style: italic;">Omaha</span> where the priest denied the Real Presence/necessity of Baptism/Papal authority, etc.)<br /><br />Great! I guess I'm glad that all's well "south of the Platte..." because, really, we all know that's what really matters in the Church. We can only pray for those besieged heathens in liberal Omaha. But I digress...<br /><br />My serious question is: why do Lincolnites feel it is necessary to degrade other bishops to praise their own? I can understand the temptation- the rhetoric of orthodoxy, the danger of rogue bishops making scandalous decisions, standing up for the Truth- truth as one perceives it. This is all quite valid but it is a hand too frequently played and a problem increasingly rare. It's like 8 year olds and sand castles: 'mine' isn't quite good until I've pointed out that yours is 'bad.' Seriously?<br /><br />Perhaps its time to consider the flip side of the coin: We are One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. In a time when the Church is beset by many external and institutional foes it seems most imperative to cut the infighting, to grow our sense of solidarity, to underscore the Universal. For every Mother Angelica who righteously castigates a Cardinal Mahoney on National TV there's also the sticky corresponding reality of the Pope who appointed him. That is to say, the reality of his Apostolic authority.<br /><br />To me these criticisms are costly- read the footnotes, literal or proverbial, before calling a bishop a heretic and what else. Concede that there is room in our Church for many types of leaders- hard headed ones, bold ones, analytical ones, pensive ones, unconventional ones, dreaming ones, and gentle shepherds too. Because one's presentation of the issues is different than another is not cause for alarm but wonder- In what other Church is there room for so much diversity?<br /><br />This week I celebrate Archbishop George Lucas. Maybe some Omaha priests have spoken out of line in the past- maybe my peers weren't merely telling tales. Even if these stories were true I can only trust the new Archbishop will do his job- and do it well. In fact, I <span style="font-style: italic;">must</span> trust and do so with full hope. This preposterous and unconditional hope (even in the face of so many questions and challenges) has the paradoxical effect of keeping the Church "ever ancient, ever new." This is nothing less than the Catholic ethos. The Holy Spirit has spoken. Let us come together and rejoice!<br /><br />It is marvelous to behold and we will sing accordingly: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sacerdos et Pontifex...pastor bone in populo!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.omaha.com/article/20090719/NEWS01/707199956/1009">http://www.omaha.com/article/20090719/NEWS01/707199956/1009</a>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-12529809094931662402009-07-18T15:37:00.001-07:002009-07-24T00:10:02.322-07:00Stairway to Heaven<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyN3mTkA_DhKz3slTO9A1Dq1yK4ragWlvY_1BqsvT0W7yCA5O66G5jZtK7tDt9eE36lWK3YI59BCF-tEOjuKTY3u-GveYYJzPoNWljkAiLdgz8OIAHB9KhqXthvgvCl51l3zGKGOqF2EW/s1600-h/P1030767.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyN3mTkA_DhKz3slTO9A1Dq1yK4ragWlvY_1BqsvT0W7yCA5O66G5jZtK7tDt9eE36lWK3YI59BCF-tEOjuKTY3u-GveYYJzPoNWljkAiLdgz8OIAHB9KhqXthvgvCl51l3zGKGOqF2EW/s320/P1030767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359933467099905522" border="0" /></a>Last May I had a busy organistic Saturday in Paris. In the afternoon Suzanne Chaisemartin gave a recital at St. Paul-St. Louis. It was remarkable to hear one of Marcel Dupré's last students and an octogenarian, no less, play so well. Pierre Cogen sat across the aisle- this made it no less exciting!<br /><br />From <span style="font-style: italic;">Le Marais</span> I hopped on Line 1 and made my way to <span style="font-style: italic;">La Madeleine</span>. I met François-Henri Houbart, the titular organist. We mounted the tribune and he played Dupré for the Mass of anticipation- that is, his teacher's teacher (Mme. Chaisemartin, being his teacher.)<br /><br />After Sortie, the angsty and powerful "Amen" toccata from "Vêpres de la Vierge- 15 Pieces," (complete with the chamades!) M. Houbart, the sacristan, and I all simultaneously declared our hunger and set off across the plaza for dinner.<br /><br />We were joined by a colleague of M. Houbart, M. Frédéric Blanc, titular organist of Notre-Dame d'Auteuil in the 16eme. I immediately recognized his name because he was giving the afternoon recital at Notre Dame de Paris the very next afternoon. M. Blanc invited me to visit Auteuil on Monday when the the recital would be behind him (understandably so- it was phenomenal, especially the improvisation).<br /><br />To make a long story somewhat shorter, M. Blanc was the last student and disciple of Mme. Marie Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier. For a number of reasons M. Blanc inherited the Duruflé couple's personal effects and apartment. Today he heads the Duruflé Association <a href="http://www.france-orgue.fr/durufle/">http://www.france-orgue.fr/durufle/</a> and is a dedicated ambassador of their legacy. <em></em><br /><br />Unknown to me at that time, he asked, "would you like to see where M. Duruflé lived?" I said "Yes! You know where this is?" He grinned, "I <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhN1eOyAkjeDvWw7g61NOnZS6zCmGXthfIpKJsKyyXRIVLA942FttS197YyUi1HHYs3Cls-E-a_rUi9kRklaM-s6QvdXoX0QXZ4uLLLtfqNgUFTymu_mfp1buD_pRedX1nGsPZZMfKtnr/s1600-h/P1020675.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhN1eOyAkjeDvWw7g61NOnZS6zCmGXthfIpKJsKyyXRIVLA942FttS197YyUi1HHYs3Cls-E-a_rUi9kRklaM-s6QvdXoX0QXZ4uLLLtfqNgUFTymu_mfp1buD_pRedX1nGsPZZMfKtnr/s320/P1020675.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359966555169678546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">live </span>there."<br /><br />6, place du Panthéon is about 8 stories and a typically Parisian building. There are many luxurious apartments and a beautiful lobby- but this is not our entrance. Through a small and unassuming passageway one approaches the stairs traversed thousands of times by one of the 20th century's musical masters.<br /><br />Maurice Duruflé became titular organist of St. Etienne du Mont in 1929. Looking for a place to live he found this apartment across the square. A wealthy butcher's wife from <span style="font-style: italic;">Les Halles </span>owned the building and her aspiring artist son occupied the small studio residence on top. When things went south he left and Mme., the landlady, offered it fairly cheaply on account of its size. M. Duruflé moved in and stayed nearly his entire life.<br /><br />For respect of his privacy I do not have photos of the interior. This is alright because the best part belongs to everyone. The view, at the level of the towers of Notre Dame, allows one to panoramically survey the enormous and breathtaking entirety of the city. At night it is most stunning. In this place, o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcopBcDND9P-fkqc0cKTv_S3EQdkmAXUHe5i_pCcmcKNQb8xZd6RELik0P3yJYCNO-4V437HshuNg6gHWe5frEzY97KHZK7WXiApO9-Almm59irP_TfKd_xwywOGf10I-UQkuliu_Om16i/s1600-h/P1020676.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcopBcDND9P-fkqc0cKTv_S3EQdkmAXUHe5i_pCcmcKNQb8xZd6RELik0P3yJYCNO-4V437HshuNg6gHWe5frEzY97KHZK7WXiApO9-Almm59irP_TfKd_xwywOGf10I-UQkuliu_Om16i/s320/P1020676.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359966561259816018" border="0" /></a>ne can understand how <span style="font-style: italic;">Requiem</span> came to life, how the <span style="font-style: italic;">Messe cum Jubilo</span> was born, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Quatre Motets</span>- not to mention the organ works. The surreal surroundings drove Duruflé's already demanding standards of himself to such exclusive heights that his few extant works near perfection.<br /><br />The first time I heard Duruflé I was bewitched with it- with its undulating rhythmic propulsion, its seemingly timeless metrical ambiguity, its refined post-impressionistic color, its nostalgic modal harmony, its religious passion. M. Blanc grabbed an old score of <span style="font-style: italic;">Andante et Scherzo, Op. 8 </span>and we listened to a recording. My eyes followed the dancing notes, intermingled with pencil markings. In the upper right corner of the cover the owner's name was penciled like many scores. Needless to say, this one was different!<br /><br />Absolutely everything danced. In a word, it was heavenly.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-40826152579401821042009-07-18T12:59:00.000-07:002009-07-30T00:49:22.451-07:00The Ignominous Tyburn Tree- Still the Shame?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9MzGVRs0oVk3xnWWPZh2VjsYyFQrgOzA5DPnATM8h9-PtB5uFl-oM9MKdMUu12ZemiY-sqjJN6MCdTInHdLD73Isyu9HYGFNiVFZFy3scHDrf48Kd-jjIEfQGXQ7ogzUnvss8t-v641p/s1600-h/P1030855.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9MzGVRs0oVk3xnWWPZh2VjsYyFQrgOzA5DPnATM8h9-PtB5uFl-oM9MKdMUu12ZemiY-sqjJN6MCdTInHdLD73Isyu9HYGFNiVFZFy3scHDrf48Kd-jjIEfQGXQ7ogzUnvss8t-v641p/s320/P1030855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359893922557128274" border="0" /></a>I have been busy- so busy, in fact, I forget to post! Months later I tell myself "better late than never." So here I continue...<br /><br />In May I embarked upon another European expedition. While in London my travel companion and I met a friend who was also in town. We were on our way home via Heathrow and she was on her way to the continent. So, for a couple days we wandered around London and did nerdy musical things like hop from one Choral Evensong to another, buy hymnals, and see the Handel House.<br /><br />Among the more interesting and obscure things we did was explore the history of Tyburn. Located roughly at the corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch tube stop, Tyburn was, at one time, a village in Middlesex. London long ago engulfed it. Tyburn is most famous/infamous for being an execution site for Londoners from 1196 to 1783.<br /><br />In 1571 authorities erected the "Tyburn Tree"- a strange gallows with a horizontal triangle on three legs. (It resembled a three-legged stool). In addition to the many thieves, murderers, and conventional political criminals executed at the "Triple Tree" were 105 Roman Catholic priests or people who assisted them, notably Sts. Edmund Campion SJ, and Oliver Plunkett.<br /><br />Many of these religious offenders weren't merely hung- they were "hung, drawn, and quartered," that is, hung until nearly dead, cut down, sliced open, and entrails torn out. Absolutely gruesome.<br /><br />Nearby, today, stands Tyburn Convent. <a href="http://www.tyburnconvent.org.uk/home/index.html">http://www.tyburnconvent.org.uk/home/index.html</a><br />Benedictine nuns from Montmartre fleeing the French secularization of 1901 established this house and to this day it dedicates itself to spreading the memory of the English Martyrs who died at Tyburn just meters away.<br /><br />In the basement of the convent (rebuilt after destruction in the Blitz) we explored a fascinating museum about this period of English history. Displays included many relics and a smaller scale replica of the "Tyburn Tree."<br /><br />We had a wonderful guide, Sister N-, who provided us with a number of interesting facts. Particularly, the Marble Arch tube stop was supposed to be a bit further west than it is today. Crews had to stop digging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oNtFD9K-_DJvVu3pj3575nIXjfRvDilSVX7H5W5XdWHZhLb6u_6PJF_MjjEYiMzdmP217bi7sdxskQi9Bt2gNWu93xObeFdxcXpea7OF12Awkh4LMRC1AFgPcm8mWZ5YROPAPEcGRHFU/s1600-h/P1030856.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oNtFD9K-_DJvVu3pj3575nIXjfRvDilSVX7H5W5XdWHZhLb6u_6PJF_MjjEYiMzdmP217bi7sdxskQi9Bt2gNWu93xObeFdxcXpea7OF12Awkh4LMRC1AFgPcm8mWZ5YROPAPEcGRHFU/s320/P1030856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359904967891199890" border="0" /></a> in the first location because the area was thick with human bones- no doubt the countless bodies of those cut down from the "deadly never green Tyburn Tree." (One never thinks what's all around whilst riding about the Tube!)<br /><br />Sister also told us where we might find a small plaque in the middle of a pedestrian traffic island which marks the location of the gallows. Understandably, she thought it was a scandal that so little and obscure a memorial commemorates this place. She chalked it up to shame, even today.<br /><br />Which got me thinking...<br />Why would the government make a point of marking this? Many English people today (and hardly practicing, nominally Anglican ones!) can tell as a point of cultural pride about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the temporal meddling and corruption in the Reformation era, foreign, Roman Church. Sadly, much of this is absolutely true- but it hardly justifies the deaths of those many priests. These were not miserly corrupt abbots but missionaries who wanted nothing but to be both good Englishmen and good Catholics, living the Gospel. Many were charged with incredulous plots of treason and convicted by kangaroo courts on false evidence.<br /><br />To this end, I would be embarrassed. Indeed, the laws have long ago changed, the Roman dioceses reestablished, and Roman Catholics are now the practicing majority in England. And yet, the C of E is still the state religion, however meaningless this may be. Thus, I don't think this tiny plaque comes from "shame" but, at worst, some wildly stretched and stubborn desire to stick to ones' guns- which I don't suggest is any more noble in this case. (If anything this is a battle lost. Remember, this is the Church which now venerates St. Thomas More!)<br /><br />On the other hand, perhaps the 21st century post-industrial, post-modern, post-everything UK, with as much historical myopia as any other Western country, simply forgot this place. To me, this seems far more likely an explanation than "shame," though depressingly benign.<br /><br />T.S. Eliot wrote regarding the martyrdom of Thomas Becket: "Wherever a saint has dwelt, wherever a martyr has given his blood for Christ, there is holy ground, and the sanctity shall not depart from it." With Becket this is easy to see- there was a church, then and now. Tyburn is different. Standing in the grey drizzle on a traffic island at the confluence of Edgeware Rd, and Oxford Street, surrounded by a swarm of traffic, it's undeniably a strange kind of shrine.<br /><br />Yet, I thought the plaque worked well- It seems so appropriate and like in kind to the humility of those who died there. As with so most places, this crosswalk seems an odd place for sanctity!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-18288248873224667932008-12-23T17:21:00.001-08:002009-07-24T00:28:44.277-07:00Würzburg, Part IV— The Cathedral 1945 - 2008…And then 1945.<o:p><br /></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>On <st1:date year="1945" day="16" month="3">the night of 16 Mar</st1:date><st1:date year="1945" day="16" month="3">c</st1:date><st1:date year="1945" day="16" month="3">h 1</st1:date><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtwf4smidsJt1BExmzKmA2nhvi2beQJAY6Y0J_QAzRcLq_QRgxNBI__clR5D9lJJfmYMXqkU9qFndn9-I4arbZ_imYweNHBdc6sWMX3xGBh0RUWrO7U7xceUvTFwh_XaedCEY5RmkGYTi/s1600-h/1945Wuerzburg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtwf4smidsJt1BExmzKmA2nhvi2beQJAY6Y0J_QAzRcLq_QRgxNBI__clR5D9lJJfmYMXqkU9qFndn9-I4arbZ_imYweNHBdc6sWMX3xGBh0RUWrO7U7xceUvTFwh_XaedCEY5RmkGYTi/s320/1945Wuerzburg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283161435719431970" border="0" /></a><st1:date year="1945" day="16" month="3">945</st1:date> 226 Lancaster Bombers of the RAF reduced this magnificent house of God to rubble in 17 minutes. The medieval city center was engulfed in a firestorm which killed 5000 people in as much time. 90% of the city smoldered in ruins. Fortunately, some artwork was preserved— the bell of 1257 which was moved into the crypt, St. Kilian’s Book of Gospels which he brought from Ireland nearly 1300 years before (housed in the University Library) etc. Proportionately, Würzburg was more completely destroyed than <st1:city><st1:place>Dresden</st1:place></st1:city> to the east.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>In another sickening twist of fate a month later…much of the state and ecclesiastical archives were moved for safekeeping to the castle at Wässerndorf (next to Seinsheim) in the country. Among other things, prosperous segments of the Diocese of Würzburg had kept exquisite and thorough sacramental records dating back to the beginning of the 16<sup>th</sup> century— exceptionally rare considering the Council of Trent did not mandate this practice until decades later that century. Following the death of an American officer USAF P-47 Thunderbolts firebombed the area and ground troops torched the castle on <st1:date month="4" day="5" year="1945">5 April 1945</st1:date>. The building burned for days and most records were lost.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>In the winter of 1946 most of the remaining sections of the <i style="">Kiliansdom</i> collapsed. Over the next two decades countless <i style="">Trümmerfrauen</i> (‘Rubble-women’) carefully rebuilt and replicated much of the historical city.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>There were three reconstruction proposals for the cathedral. The winning bid was taken in 1960 and the building <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6HfRKZXoCTOFurIp1tw8oqNMCM8towYmneO1wY_T5apWwv0zFqYdQsD95cdQ3IVTw-GpytAbkcDmng2Rb0C4SDmTY2LrMqfvrTsuzq_OvC8ECU_U-P31RQPd1PKFHRqMEFfK6oqAawr5/s1600-h/WuerzburgDomorgel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6HfRKZXoCTOFurIp1tw8oqNMCM8towYmneO1wY_T5apWwv0zFqYdQsD95cdQ3IVTw-GpytAbkcDmng2Rb0C4SDmTY2LrMqfvrTsuzq_OvC8ECU_U-P31RQPd1PKFHRqMEFfK6oqAawr5/s320/WuerzburgDomorgel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283162266170876354" border="0" /></a>was completed in 1967 incorporating what it could of the previous structure. A splendid historically-informed organ by Klais arrived in the gallery in 1969.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The choir was set up as the presbytery, and the cathedra relocated in the apse. The remaining stucco was preserved and renovated, while the flat nave ceiling received modern painting by Fritz Nagel. A bulk of the responsibility and decision making for this courageous and pioneering design came from Bishop Julius Döpfner and builder Hans Schädel. And, finally…the main altar was relocated to the crossing!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>As mentioned above, one bell survived WWII— the <i style="">Lobdeburg</i> bell of 1257. The others melted. In 1965 eleven new bells were cast by Schilling of Heidelberg. The largest bell at nine tons is aptly inscribed: “JESV CHRISTE - SALVATOR MVNDI VENI CVM PACE - ANNO DOMINI MCMLXV” (Jesus Christ - Savior of the world, come in peace - In the year of our Lord 1965). Since 2000 the bells have been controlled by a computerized system.<o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The last cou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QgREsk30KLaFZqSZrvpU4INcqlsgls5FGV_MjPghnMACbsTaSZ5gNk5RRyOuu22qrDP-nSdHHD4C0paamTC8gZG5MDwaVxgGIBY316ocVshu6dJCcOkPUNhzDa_X2XO-3hhJbsw7FwEO/s1600-h/WuerzburgDomalter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QgREsk30KLaFZqSZrvpU4INcqlsgls5FGV_MjPghnMACbsTaSZ5gNk5RRyOuu22qrDP-nSdHHD4C0paamTC8gZG5MDwaVxgGIBY316ocVshu6dJCcOkPUNhzDa_X2XO-3hhJbsw7FwEO/s320/WuerzburgDomalter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283161991810948450" border="0" /></a>ple decades have seen some additional work: in 1987 Hubert Elsässer added paintings depicting the history of the Faith in <st1:place>Franconia</st1:place> and in 2006 a new bright exterior painting brought the exterior closer to its original color. The cathedral is today a unique mix of Romanesque, Baroque, and Modern elements.<o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>2008 saw the 160<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the German Bishop’s Conference which first met in Würzburg in 1848 and quite appropriately reconvened there this year. On Monday 12 February more than 70 cardinals, archbishops, and bishops came together for Mass with Karl Cardinal Lehmann in the <i style="">Kiliansdom.</i> The outgoing Cardinal Chairman offered high praise for the diocese: "<st1:city><st1:place>Wurzburg</st1:place></st1:city> is a good place and a home for the Church in our country."</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p><br />Also this spring eight new bells from the Rudolf Perner foundry of <st1:city><st1:place>Passau</st1:place></st1:city> were added, brining the total to 20. The <i style="">K</i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CAUQAQos-x02FO61AwCTUkLQZ0SzTDZDIdYlbM5_tQ0xMQm4ZYV1AeuVNaWQ6I_AD8Rc2J5Ic3Mf52e9-5YlmPaQ4Y7_jBNLz4JFn44c4gM8YGkxMLV5wpLXB2CSRCwfjJIgpLx3hqYo/s1600-h/Wurzburg_Facade.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CAUQAQos-x02FO61AwCTUkLQZ0SzTDZDIdYlbM5_tQ0xMQm4ZYV1AeuVNaWQ6I_AD8Rc2J5Ic3Mf52e9-5YlmPaQ4Y7_jBNLz4JFn44c4gM8YGkxMLV5wpLXB2CSRCwfjJIgpLx3hqYo/s320/Wurzburg_Facade.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283162695445251058" border="0" /></a><i style="">iliansdom</i> presently has the largest peal in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>. It was dedicated on 22 May, this year. Check out this video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eveLP_-_KIA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eveLP_-_KIA</a> <o:p></o:p></p>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-39446769262339770502008-12-22T14:08:00.000-08:002009-07-24T00:26:59.566-07:00Würzburg, Part III— The Cathedral 743 - 1945<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsvrTy1d_5LcfGWnOTRNdcmAeKVZEsdl0W9VQ3OhuHTieTkXzUWCRcpVT5mjzyvfqOjN-acTEK4aisTf_K_aUa2aMVktyBaGRqL8EMq5_4GXqC0DfJU-pLOmSuUfiHl8sthL3iK70N1A_/s1600-h/Wurzburg_DomFull.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsvrTy1d_5LcfGWnOTRNdcmAeKVZEsdl0W9VQ3OhuHTieTkXzUWCRcpVT5mjzyvfqOjN-acTEK4aisTf_K_aUa2aMVktyBaGRqL8EMq5_4GXqC0DfJU-pLOmSuUfiHl8sthL3iK70N1A_/s320/Wurzburg_DomFull.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282741237058053218" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br />Würzburg’s <i style="">Kiliansdom</i> stands as a lesson in stone— just leave buildings alone, even if you don’t like them. Architectural styles come and go and one often becomes the whipping-boy of the next. In the end, however, a building is a representation of its era. There is no timeless style. Architecture is temporal; it exists in time because it is physical. Having an intact structure as a humanistic record (if not a theological one as well) is far better than well-intended ‘wreck-o-vations’ or just plain out smoldering wrecks. This seems hard for some people to grasp in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region>— we have had the luxury of stability and the good fortune of a relatively small span of Western heritage to preserve (a few hundred years on the coasts/southwest and much less for the rest of us). Our complicit lethargy engenders foolish quibbling. A brief turn about Dresden, London, Coventry, etc. anytime in the last 60 years will get one’s priorities in order! <a href="http://www.dom-wuerzburg.de/">http://www.dom-wuerzburg.de/</a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Bishop Burkhard established the first provisional Cathedral of Würzburg at the preexisting <st1:place><st1:placename><i style="">Marienburg</i></st1:placename><i style=""> </i><st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> in 743. The first purpose-built cathedral followed four decades later. Bishop Berowelf (episcop. 769 - 800) dedicated the new Cathedral of <i style="">Christus Salvator </i>in the presence of Charlemagne in 788. The bones of the three city patrons, martyred 100 years before and venerated since papal approval in 752 (when they were found buried in a stable), were moved to the new church.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>This Frankish structure wa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7VrHvNSXafM6hh4BZRoe0RDcpoPEovsP45aY1gDx2rUSWLbFgdK_mgMkakZXcc9SYvg4Amx4ShrMZflROCXeV8God6tQNlz3S22xA13BhqvoSYQdmiiW88HbEbQzq2Fze7nnK4oGhxfL/s1600-h/Wurzburg_RomKapitell.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7VrHvNSXafM6hh4BZRoe0RDcpoPEovsP45aY1gDx2rUSWLbFgdK_mgMkakZXcc9SYvg4Amx4ShrMZflROCXeV8God6tQNlz3S22xA13BhqvoSYQdmiiW88HbEbQzq2Fze7nnK4oGhxfL/s320/Wurzburg_RomKapitell.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282742461217184066" border="0" /></a>s renowned for its size, much like Köln later. Sadly, on <st1:date month="6" day="5" year="855">5 June 855</st1:date> a lightning strike burned down most of the building and a storm three days later caused the remaining walls to collapse. Bishop Arn (855 - 892) built a third cathedral which burned again in 918. This time the fire destroyed numerous liturgical artifacts and documents. Between 855 and 1045 this Carolingian church was redesigned several times<o:p>.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Under Bishop Bruno (1034 - 1045) the cathedral was redone in 1040 using older parts. Inspired by the work at the Speyer Cathedral the expansion plans included a pair of towers flanking the choir, a reconstruction of the transept, and the building of a larger nave with square twin-towers in the west front as well as a triangular pediment between. Bruno died as a result of an accident at a dinner party during the time of the construction on the choir. He was later canonized.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>The crypt was conse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hRzAy8jUPru78N48M2lWRUvERwCh0LKIHRYrKWGSbrevwiATqA5YbKBoIL-4P-oTD3sfAcUD7rqJF3bQTrQJYrcwGJ9CZG_H7IC4y2rQydU0YGd2EBketxl14Y6OSt897NpVLPuelWA4/s1600-h/Wurzburg_Bruno.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hRzAy8jUPru78N48M2lWRUvERwCh0LKIHRYrKWGSbrevwiATqA5YbKBoIL-4P-oTD3sfAcUD7rqJF3bQTrQJYrcwGJ9CZG_H7IC4y2rQydU0YGd2EBketxl14Y6OSt897NpVLPuelWA4/s320/Wurzburg_Bruno.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282741962661530674" border="0" /></a>crated simultaneous with Bruno’s burial by Bardo, Archbishop of Mainz on <st1:date month="6" day="16" year="1045">16 June 1045</st1:date>. Bruno's successor Adalbero continued construction until completion 1075. Due to its external dimensions and superb architectural quality the new Cathedral of St. Kilian was one of the most impressive monuments of the time. This Bruno-Adalbero cathedral retained mere fragments of the older church— two of the capitals from the portals were removed to the crypt.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Bishop Embricho (1127 - 1146) charged master builder Enzelin in 1133 to "restore and beautify" the cathedral— especially the roof which was "almost in ruins" (always a problem in big buildings)! Besides the restoratio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkicnOeQ9hdMwXGyvratGH4rCx6NlCNFbtyvLN5-Nl8Ogn_p9xpk7vH8HyS5lNapjugxaEE1BnTtGBhr25mcB-_VWhOf68VH_Ws1WCMg8dWgxdBcwWVEDk2lSG53xXIxDtqqvQTfQ0TE/s1600-h/Wurzburg_choirtowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wkicnOeQ9hdMwXGyvratGH4rCx6NlCNFbtyvLN5-Nl8Ogn_p9xpk7vH8HyS5lNapjugxaEE1BnTtGBhr25mcB-_VWhOf68VH_Ws1WCMg8dWgxdBcwWVEDk2lSG53xXIxDtqqvQTfQ0TE/s320/Wurzburg_choirtowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282742826152929938" border="0" /></a>n work he extended the west towers and transformed the choir adding vaulted spans which were still preserved under the 18th Century stucco.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Bishop Gottfried von Spitzenberg (1186 - 1190) had three altars built in 1188. Each served a different purpose and effected liturgical segregation. During the high Mass with choir they used main altar; during parish level celebrations they used their own altar. This practice persisted for centuries!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>In 1225 Bishop Hermann von Lobdeburg (1225 - 1254) remodeled the eastern section— notably completing a central dome. By 1250 Würzburg’s Cathedral took its final shape.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At 105 meters this building was the fourth largest Romanesque structure in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>; a masterpiece of Salian architecture.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>If the <i style="">Kiliansdom</i> represented the Romanesque well then it was high time for Gothic! In 1500 the aisles were transformed with rib vaulting with elaborate caps. The middle pediment between the towers of the western front was heightened and crowned in 1507 with a dainty clock.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Durin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk9UoiKb1zcS3bgw2WB2RgzlztLwM014r6-A6QCGcE1GXBn0UtfEmnqpNxEJ_woKcGHQ3HCXRmUKfNwo5hm2VMCKPETtq3bI9xgVty1gf8xfmXYMmnCSr8mkb_nr_zqCh-J6ZODgKiwEt/s1600-h/1731JLHildebrandprop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk9UoiKb1zcS3bgw2WB2RgzlztLwM014r6-A6QCGcE1GXBn0UtfEmnqpNxEJ_woKcGHQ3HCXRmUKfNwo5hm2VMCKPETtq3bI9xgVty1gf8xfmXYMmnCSr8mkb_nr_zqCh-J6ZODgKiwEt/s320/1731JLHildebrandprop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282743516567717682" border="0" /></a>g the Counter-Reformation in 1610 the city council commissioned Michael Kern to build an elaborate pulpit on southern side of the nave. Under Prince-Bishop Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen (1617 – 1623) the rood screen was removed in 1619.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Then came the Baroque craze in 1701! Previous renovations were nothing compared to this. Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp von Greiffenclau (1699 – 1718) approved several proposals from the Milan-born plasterer and architect Pietro Magno. Michael Rieß and Johann Balthasar engaged numerous renowned artists and craftsmen to the task. They moved the choir from the crossing to the east end and crowned the altar with a wide and rich golden baldachin. The picture is a 1731 proposal by J.L. von Hildebrand. Good Lord!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Between 1879 and 1883 Friedrich Friedreich oversaw a Neo-Romanesque overhaul of the façade, focusing on the gable, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9Slixf89pd3PMNef15GfPcTmCEVw3XeKjuWsMu7GRmkEMrzEuSbhfu0lWFEjJp3qzDRuqrTOikEcyrsRrhY0L7YGDt_q-WL2j4Q8rmi6n7MFYF4ue10g2NbCYWeqDoUd3V3PAijdbGeY/s1600-h/Wuerzburg_Dom_1904.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9Slixf89pd3PMNef15GfPcTmCEVw3XeKjuWsMu7GRmkEMrzEuSbhfu0lWFEjJp3qzDRuqrTOikEcyrsRrhY0L7YGDt_q-WL2j4Q8rmi6n7MFYF4ue10g2NbCYWeqDoUd3V3PAijdbGeY/s320/Wuerzburg_Dom_1904.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282743896647692434" border="0" /></a>pediment, and portals. The photo here comes from a postcard of 1904.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-4285295956823658882008-12-22T12:46:00.000-08:002009-07-24T00:30:07.145-07:00Würzburg, Part II— Some Notable Figures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nvoNiOE-NPdwguRRoJubbnjTunMtk4FinwGqIax3TWQwIzXo_n4buCdZfM8YKgzPPv898SMrbQygvzATX_ApQKYbPBwJPy11Qg2PKwCIB6s8s7Nzz2UBexheJRjgzqpszePxLXXMC6Bw/s1600-h/Wurzburg_Fortress.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nvoNiOE-NPdwguRRoJubbnjTunMtk4FinwGqIax3TWQwIzXo_n4buCdZfM8YKgzPPv898SMrbQygvzATX_ApQKYbPBwJPy11Qg2PKwCIB6s8s7Nzz2UBexheJRjgzqpszePxLXXMC6Bw/s320/Wurzburg_Fortress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282719486106414146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Shortly after St. Burchard/Burkard arrived in 741, Karlmann, the Frankish mayor of the palace, bequeathed a large amount of land to the diocese. The bishops dutifully continued to push for Christianizing Saxony. The nobles, in turn, showered them with real estate and free residence at the <i style="">Marienburg</i> fortress over the city<o:p>.</o:p><br /><o:p><br /></o:p>By the early 750’s Würzburg’s bishops were well on their way to wielding great secular power in their ow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgPyYBpmtyh6FZlDYICWoUxK1F4GZzsmGubHRQunTJfPoRHXWzUNzERakStD-DSb3mQDfRcWLQAAC1KWbg0_QGHTK1YLodz5q3vd8_KVDVNKduEse05jlYjLbLrxY6R3kxSfouMza6MRf/s1600-h/Grunewald_Self_Portrait.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgPyYBpmtyh6FZlDYICWoUxK1F4GZzsmGubHRQunTJfPoRHXWzUNzERakStD-DSb3mQDfRcWLQAAC1KWbg0_QGHTK1YLodz5q3vd8_KVDVNKduEse05jlYjLbLrxY6R3kxSfouMza6MRf/s320/Grunewald_Self_Portrait.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282729116883308786" border="0" /></a>n right! Indeed they would be <i style="">Fürst-bischof </i>or “Prince-bishop” over a growing swatch of land until the secularization of 1803. Through the Middle Ages and Renaissance numerous bishops saw great players in the arts and humanities in their town— Albertus Magnus, O.P., the philosopher; Mathias Grünenwald, the painter; etc. For centuries the Würzburg bishopric was a state of the <st1:street><st1:address>Franconian Circle</st1:address></st1:street>, an <st1:street><st1:address>Imperial Circle</st1:address></st1:street> of the <st1:place>Holy Roman Empire</st1:place>. The University was founded in 1402— one of the oldest in German speaking lands. Unfortunately it initially floundered because of financial and cultural instability. (Those humanists!) Johannes Trithemius, abbot of a local monastery, wrote in 1506 that the failure was due to "bathing, love, brawling, gambling, inebriation, squabbling and general pandemonium [which was] ...'greatly impeding the academic achievement in Würzburg.'" And who said collegiate rowdiness came with the sexual revolution of the 1960's? Apparently good hygiene is the real culprit. Oh, and in 1423 a student's assistant fatally stabbed the first Chancellor Johann Zantfurt. <o:p><br /></o:p><br /><br />Perhaps Würzburg’s most famous residents/prelates were the Schönborn family (as in Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, present Archbishop of Vienna). In the 17<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> centuries Würzburg <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVJZ0Z7n6ya9eESnICe_eK8ZPgWb4pQi1KDjebE6-PKULFJx3mFjeA1wAAcV3UKyxOGutki9mc65Qb0TiE6BSMyTRMMJNYnVIia7a5ZDU1ipB4XRKnav-63194mATv8K8YYyI-myKq1u5/s1600-h/Wurzburg_Residenz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVJZ0Z7n6ya9eESnICe_eK8ZPgWb4pQi1KDjebE6-PKULFJx3mFjeA1wAAcV3UKyxOGutki9mc65Qb0TiE6BSMyTRMMJNYnVIia7a5ZDU1ipB4XRKnav-63194mATv8K8YYyI-myKq1u5/s320/Wurzburg_Residenz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282724705503610738" border="0" /></a>had three Schönborn bishops. Most notably two brothers/bishops, Johann Philipp Franz and Friedrich Karl von Schönborn, oversaw the construction of the indulgent <i style="">Würzburg Residenz </i>between 1720 and 1744. Architects Johann Lukas von Hildebr<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpHB5DxUpXN6tEUcpuxAMPfCkl7hQwjho-FsfkJtHa8wIs3CJ_ex_AudTWkD2Qq7iHGeR2rJRIjYaYzEEWcYHJPEopknvUCU9Jhj-0LmQexHzlnXYr7xsR1PrPDh4IYtbC-Pht9s0Q3KC/s1600-h/Wurzburg_Hofkirche.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpHB5DxUpXN6tEUcpuxAMPfCkl7hQwjho-FsfkJtHa8wIs3CJ_ex_AudTWkD2Qq7iHGeR2rJRIjYaYzEEWcYHJPEopknvUCU9Jhj-0LmQexHzlnXYr7xsR1PrPDh4IYtbC-Pht9s0Q3KC/s320/Wurzburg_Hofkirche.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282725695492717506" border="0" /></a>andt and Maximilian von Welsch designed this new palace for the bishops. Balthasar Neumann created the famous Baroque staircase. Its <i style="">Hofkirche </i>and stairwell frescoes (the largest in the world) by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo shine as some of the most opulent (nearly grotesque!) examples of rococo one can find! Quite appropriately this structure sits on the UNESCO World Heritage Site roster. <a href="http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/englisch/residenz/index.htm">http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/englisch/residenz/index.htm</a><o:p><a href="http://www.residenz-wuerzburg.de/englisch/residenz/index.htm"><br /></a><br /></o:p>18<sup>th</sup> Century bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim (episcop. 1755-1779) oversaw major redesign of t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC9r-zcvapEGO2o3OOfYnDGU6c1mRLoA8p83HPAqqMT8iE8yVYPmFPxiZA8W66fMfQeirYvobUrsC_3uyz_6NZejjrjGMWs3IK-6Y1zgY-f0jH0t2o68hJ78qrNefqVL7p1oGeEpfLutk/s1600-h/AF_vonSeinsheim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC9r-zcvapEGO2o3OOfYnDGU6c1mRLoA8p83HPAqqMT8iE8yVYPmFPxiZA8W66fMfQeirYvobUrsC_3uyz_6NZejjrjGMWs3IK-6Y1zgY-f0jH0t2o68hJ78qrNefqVL7p1oGeEpfLutk/s320/AF_vonSeinsheim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282726388191362914" border="0" /></a>he <i style="">Residenz</i> palace gardens— as well as work on landscaping at his suffragan see and subsidiary residence at Bamberg to the east. Von Seinsheim was from an old noble family that, as the name suggests, traced its roots to nearby market town of Seinsheim (my family’s home) with one Erkinger who died in 917. Of course, as these things go, Adam Friedrich’s mother was a Schönborn. This made the Schönborn bishops his uncles.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>The Von Seinsheim family itself has died out in 1917 but it persists in one branch— the House of Schwarzenberg. The Schwarzenberg’s had significant fiefdoms in <st1:state><st1:place>Bohemia</st1:place></st1:state> and owned a number of palaces, notably the <i style="">Palais Schwarzenberg</i> in <st1:city><st1:place>Vienna</st1:place></st1:city>. Construction on this marvelous baroque structure began in 1697 and it is now a hotel— owned by the family, of course!<span style=""><br /><br /></span>More recently, and more secularly, Wilhelm Röntgen, discovered X-rays at the <st1:place><st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Würzburg</st1:placename></st1:place> in 1895. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-75330819622712626662008-12-18T17:17:00.000-08:002009-07-24T00:31:42.557-07:00Würzburg, Part I— The Church in Unterfranken<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRncgFvUVSmE_LA1a2pWO3O6bc0XVINJULyLk9x0Bs0IocMKTErPTHtc0wPJpOrg-EU271MKxY2Yc5GacLiXaA3EqujZfYWEGoAaIkptxWou71UZkmUPh8oE9f7IWp2KmMALjubFt91W9K/s1600-h/Wuerzburg2004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRncgFvUVSmE_LA1a2pWO3O6bc0XVINJULyLk9x0Bs0IocMKTErPTHtc0wPJpOrg-EU271MKxY2Yc5GacLiXaA3EqujZfYWEGoAaIkptxWou71UZkmUPh8oE9f7IWp2KmMALjubFt91W9K/s320/Wuerzburg2004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281305420385930802" border="0" /></a>Everyone knows <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>. Everyone knows <st1:place>Frankfurt</st1:place>. Everyone knows Köln. What about Würzburg? I certainly had a vested interested in acquainting myself with this locale as my family was only a few kilometers away laying bricks for God-knows-how-many centuries! Despite my personal interest (or anyone’s) it always seems that in the small world of European political and cultural cross-pollination everything is connected, every place has played a part.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>This spot in the world came under the Roman influence when Winfrid of Crediton (St. Boniface) was still a wee lad over in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Wessex</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Details are scarce, but apparently St. Kilian, the patron of the diocese to this day, was born around 640 in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region><st1:place>Sc</st1:place></st1:country-region><st1:country-region><st1:place>otland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Like many monks of the <st1:place>British Isles</st1:place> during the early middle ages he (and 11 companions) soon left to convert, ‘civilize,’ teach etc. on the continent. Thus in the 680’s he crossed over to Gaul, passed over the Rhine, and made his way up the Main valley ending up at the castle of Thuringian (Frankish) Duke Gozbert— pagan, of course.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>After hanging around Gozbert for a while he decided to head to <st1:city><st1:place>Rome</st1:place></st1:city> in the summer of 686 to get some paperwork from the Pope to make his missionary status ‘official.’ When he returned after obtaining his faculties (he was a “regional bishop,” something like a vicar apostolic on the American frontier) his posse had thinned out and he was left with two companions: a priest Coloman, and a deacon Totnan.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>Kilian converted Gozbert and soon spread Christianity with missionary zeal over <st1:place>Franconia</st1:place> (modern <st1:place>Northern Bavaria</st1:place>) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ5ECjrODf6UTA8CFWPNoxhMVBfdrA_GiWx0TPZWTm1C2xtvdd2ogcbTSp1-SzoC_MxrKixh8A_cEi0HF93m0AP82MUfv6KM_gvZgflORgfLyMaSZKEZjhpiBS0Zf-DIvEqizu9PdE4-A/s1600-h/Wurzburg_StKilian.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZ5ECjrODf6UTA8CFWPNoxhMVBfdrA_GiWx0TPZWTm1C2xtvdd2ogcbTSp1-SzoC_MxrKixh8A_cEi0HF93m0AP82MUfv6KM_gvZgflORgfLyMaSZKEZjhpiBS0Zf-DIvEqizu9PdE4-A/s320/Wurzburg_StKilian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281305590554454514" border="0" /></a>and <st1:place>Thuringia</st1:place> just to the north. There was one problem, however— Gozbert’s wife Geilana was his brother’s widow. Kilian convinced the Duke that he ought to separate but the Duchess was not a fan. Again, the facts are nebulous, but on or around 8 July 689, when Gozbert was away, Geilana had the three missionaries murdered. (The earliest full scholarly exploration of St. Kilian is <i style=""><u>Der heilige Kilian, Regionarbischof u. Martyrer.</u></i> Franz Emmerich. Würzburg, 1896).<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>But alas, they had already become a Christian family! Gozbert’s son Hetan built a church dedicated to Mary at the castle and thus the fortress was thereafter called <i style="">Marienburg</i>. In 704 we see for the first time the Latin designation <i style="">Castellum Virtebuch</i> for the city on the River Main below the fortress— the earliest presence of the name which has become Würzburg.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>Now enters Winfrid, our more famous apostle to the Germans. Needless to say, he was caught in the midst of a political dynamic quite unlike his predecessor! Winfrid went to <st1:city><st1:place>Rome</st1:place></st1:city> in 718 where Pope Gregory II gave him the new name <i style="">Bonifacius</i> and sent him back north the following year, 719. Boniface noticed the residual influence of Kilian in <st1:place>Thuringia</st1:place> as he worked there as well as in Frisia and Hesse in the years following 719. In November 722 he moved up the ranks again as Pope Gregory II appointed him Bishop of the German lands.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>Beginning in 723, Boniface came under the protection of Charles Martel and the Carolingians. This Frankish dynasty wanted to defeat their rival, pagan Saxons. When Boniface was made Archbishop of all German lands in 732 his clout and immense experience throughout the area over nearly 20 years became an asset for the Frankish nobles— though he personally had little to gain from this alliance. Nevertheless, his contemporary Daniel of Winchester pointed out that Boniface could “neither administer his church, defend his clergy, nor prevent idolatry” without his political protectors.<o:p><br /><br /></o:p>Not surprisingly, Charles Martel set to work establishing dioceses throughout <st1:state><st1:place>Bavaria</st1:place></st1:state> in the late 730s— <st1:city><st1:place>Regensburg</st1:place></st1:city>, Freising, <st1:city><st1:place>Passau</st1:place></st1:city>. They would surround and subdue the Saxons with political structure and Roman ecclesiastical order (perhaps inseparable then)!<span style=""> </span><br /><br />Boniface himself received the Metropolitan see of <st1:city><st1:place>Mainz</st1:place></st1:city> in 745. As the Franks divided the land further into bishoprics moving north they allowed Boniface relative freedom in recommending/selecting his own bishops— so long as they would continue to push Christianity and be Frank-friendly <i style="">vis à vis </i>anti-Pagan Saxon. And so it was, no later than the summer of 741, that Boniface consecrated his friend and fellow-Englishman, Burchard as first Bishop of Würzburg. The red-tape was cleared and Pope Zachary confirmed the appointment and foundation of the diocese in a letter of <st1:date year="743" day="1" month="4">1 April 743</st1:date>.<o:p></o:p><br /><br />87 bishops have followed down to the present day. <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-35719334045185679422008-11-21T00:59:00.000-08:002009-07-24T00:32:44.585-07:0021 November- A Story for Today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2CR5WOA7WR1E24lR-kWPii5GJjVCzaJ4r8RqdRwYiX4lRhxBtdfFq-p8MEERC_Wdxv7veqIvrv5VriZ_Bo2LM66OBj71JS36t-nRbG3uf8La55fO1w6jSeSlovABA_0eW3NvEOonU0va/s1600-h/Joseph_Emmerich_Louise_Breit_Marr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2CR5WOA7WR1E24lR-kWPii5GJjVCzaJ4r8RqdRwYiX4lRhxBtdfFq-p8MEERC_Wdxv7veqIvrv5VriZ_Bo2LM66OBj71JS36t-nRbG3uf8La55fO1w6jSeSlovABA_0eW3NvEOonU0va/s320/Joseph_Emmerich_Louise_Breit_Marr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359286213212480226" border="0" /></a>Driving home from <st1:city><st1:place>Lawrence</st1:place></st1:city> I passed through the rolling hills of northeastern <st1:state><st1:place>Kansas</st1:place></st1:state>. Contrary to images conjured up by “Wizard of Oz” beautiful broken hills constitute much of the state. Moving towards the <st1:place>Missouri River</st1:place>, patches of timber and outcroppings of limestone peak through the soil. Ages of water racing to the sea carved out craggy bluffs which hover over the wide river. On a fine fall day it makes for a picturesque drive.<o:p><br /></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">The human geography in that neck if the woods is no less interesting. The entire <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> valley was long frequented by French Fur Trappers, and their ‘Half-Breed’ families. Many of the oldest towns in the area came out of this business— <st1:place><st1:city>St. Joseph</st1:city>, <st1:state>MO</st1:state></st1:place> was founded by Joseph Robidoux in 1843. The WASP settlers came in the 1850s. Bordering a slave state, plenty of conflict inevitably erupted. <st1:city><st1:place>Atchison</st1:place></st1:city> briefly had a pro-slavery newspaper. Bordering <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> counties were hotbeds for Confederate sympathy before and after the war (including Jesse James’ family). German Benedictine Monks established an abbey in <st1:city><st1:place>Atchison</st1:place></st1:city> in 1857 and ministered to Irish immigrants. Then Germans came too.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By the time my family showed up <st1:place><st1:placename>Atchison</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>County</st1:placetype></st1:place> was long settled. I thought about these folks today as this is the 126<sup>th</sup> anniversary of their marriage. Both came from relatively unusual circumstances…at least considering our contemporary stereotypes of period values. We pine for the ‘good old days’. We do it a lot— especially concerning religion, family values, welfare, patriotism, immigration, etc. Today seems an appropriate time to reflect.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Emmerich was born in a small but historically significant Bavarian village in August 1855. Though Seinsheim sits in a fertile wine growing region he and his forebears were traditionally stonemasons and bricklayers. According to tradition they participated in the renovation of the large medieval cathedral of Würzburg nearby. (Seinsheim had excellent records extending back to the early 1500’s but, sadly, everything was destroyed when the USAF firebombed the area at the end of WWII).<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When Joseph was 17 his family got wind of a forthcoming military appointment. So, naturally, he booked it for <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 1872. Tradition has it that our draft-dodger was a stowaway. Sure enough he shows up on no ships’ lists. Interestingly, one “Josef Emerich” does appear but that one appears to be Jewish— hardly helping the ‘mainstream’ argument. (I do, nevertheless, suspect Semitic roots in this branch, however, from other sources… but I digress).<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joseph drops off the map until 1880 when he surfaces in rural <st1:place><st1:city>Atchison County</st1:city>, <st1:state>KS</st1:state></st1:place> near Effingham. His father and siblings came over and joined him. They worked as stonemasons around small commercial quarry operations. One source hints that Joseph lived in <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> prior to settling in <st1:state><st1:place>Kansas</st1:place></st1:state>. It was there that I suspect he met his wife…which brings me to Louise.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Louise Breitenwischer was born in March 1862 in <st1:place><st1:city>Carondelet</st1:city>, <st1:state>MO</st1:state></st1:place>, a bustling river town immediately to the south of <st1:city><st1:place>St Louis</st1:place></st1:city>. When she was born there were slaveholders in the neighborhood. By the time she died 90 years later we had atomic weapons and neon lights. She reportedly didn’t talk much about her family during her long life. I can understand why. Louise was illegitimate— her father a German Lutheran and a severe alcoholic, her mother French Catholic.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To be fair her grandmother was also born to a single mom. The village moral authority of 1815 could not have looked kindly upon “inconnu” or “unknown” scribbled in under “father’s name”! The great-grandmother in turn was born in exile— their family dislodged from their Rhenish border-town by Austrian troops coming to the aid of Monarchists during the Reign of Terror in the 1790s. It was not easy for them.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Within a five year range of 1882 things looked pretty bad for Louise. Both her parents, her remaining grandparents, and most of her aunts and uncles all died from alcoholism, alcohol related accidents or tuberculosis. The City of <st1:city><st1:place>St Louis</st1:place></st1:city> had annexed Carondelet and the family home was now wedged between the <st1:state><st1:place>Mississippi</st1:place></st1:state>, a shipyard, RR, and a sewage ditch which drained most of the city.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But there’s no hand up like a “hand-out.” Louise’s brother Frederick had saved $500— a handsome sum for 1882. He gave her the money so she would have a chance to get out, get married, and have a good life. (As an aside, Fred and his family came out alright— this particular anecdote was passed to me by a descendant, a daughter of one Busch Stadium organist and her husband a certain Cardinals player/Hall of Fame broadcaster).<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And so i<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HMNE_YFq3h6zpTo9dzaenUJzCveEIrOEhylx19EMmBAwMVaOn9F55xeb72kyqfpsAdrHqegOcVZxTYpO_lppN8JJXLk1LhCkb1QOHhifBTxSOKku8IiVx9SlioKT4AhRMVEwrsiW3eWm/s1600-h/Atchison+Riverview+north.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HMNE_YFq3h6zpTo9dzaenUJzCveEIrOEhylx19EMmBAwMVaOn9F55xeb72kyqfpsAdrHqegOcVZxTYpO_lppN8JJXLk1LhCkb1QOHhifBTxSOKku8IiVx9SlioKT4AhRMVEwrsiW3eWm/s320/Atchison+Riverview+north.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271034651340832258" border="0" /></a>t was that Louise got on a boat in the fall of 1882. It wound its way over 300 miles up the <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state> to <st1:place><st1:city>Atchison</st1:city>, </st1:place><st1:place><st1:state>KS</st1:state></st1:place>. Shortly thereafter Joseph Emmerich and Louise Breitenwischer were married <st1:date year="1882" day="21" month="11">21 November 1882</st1:date> at <st1:city><st1:place>St. Ann</st1:place></st1:city>’s in Effingham.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">They had two kids, one of whom was my great-grandfather. Joseph held numerous jobs from mason, to restaurant proprietor, to shoe repairman, to farmer. He did well enough to sit on the building committee for the new Catholic Church in Effingham in 1896. Sadly, that building was destroyed fire (suspected arson) in April 2008.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I didn’t go through Effingham on my way home from <st1:city><st1:place>Lawrence</st1:place></st1:city>. However, as I passed though the <st1:place><st1:placename>Missouri</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place> I thought a great deal about all the life and stories those hills have witnessed. God Bless them all. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-70546455747590444012008-11-18T19:34:00.000-08:002009-07-24T00:35:30.791-07:00Chant and Doing Things the 'Right Way'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssFa6NLl_maoINKuPqY5rfR2cs3dDqJIU9CvZLZcMMEuvcuzE8QhCl3196t_vcwDm9ev31N4WL7ZZbBawgZbc4I8KZHf4e03ZFmiCOIJCvqLB-lZxTmf2fpb80axGbeX37h_1yw_Icasu/s1600-h/ave_maria.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssFa6NLl_maoINKuPqY5rfR2cs3dDqJIU9CvZLZcMMEuvcuzE8QhCl3196t_vcwDm9ev31N4WL7ZZbBawgZbc4I8KZHf4e03ZFmiCOIJCvqLB-lZxTmf2fpb80axGbeX37h_1yw_Icasu/s320/ave_maria.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270207467933462338" border="0" /></a>Last week I attended “Windows on Chant” at <st1:place><st1:placename>Kansas</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The Division of Organ and Church Music at KU <a href="http://www2.ku.edu/%7Eorgan/">http://www2.ku.edu/~organ/</a> hosts an annual thematic conference in the fall. This year’s gathering centered around the theory, history, and practice of Chant.<o:p><br /></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Drs. Michael Bauer and James Higdon put together a splendid program (as solid as the department over which they preside!) Two ‘heavy-hitter’ presenters took us through our time together. Fr. Anthony Ruff OSB lectured on the history of Chant, its revival and semiology and Susan Ferré addressed the practical component from a keyboard (organ) perspective.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It would have been difficult to find a more qualified American scholar of Chant than Fr. Ruff. He brings a bounty of experience and scholarship to the table— ranging from his life as a Benedictine to his Doctoral studies in the heart of the German semiological school at <st1:city><st1:place>Graz</st1:place></st1:city>. By all accounts his book <u>Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform</u> is a sober, formidable, and long-awaited balanced breath of fresh air (for the Catholic world).<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The conference was well attended and Fr. Ruff pointed out that these days most Chant seminars are. Chalk it up to orthodoxy/conservativism/whatever you want to call it— it is unmistakably a trend. Among tradition-oriented crowds the motivation is particularly clear— this is getting back to our roots. And make no mistake that’s important. Vatican II was indeed quite clear about preserving the corpus of Sacred Music. However, nothing happens without a little irony.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As Fr. Ruff gave his talk on the history of Chant revival at Solesmes the funny business became clear. Call it a tale of two monks: after years of sparring with the Germans and bucking unfounded Papal endorsements of the Cecilians the French <st1:place><st1:placetype>school</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Chant</st1:placename></st1:place> interpretation took the lead (ca. 1903). But all was not well. The Solesmes monks all wanted to do the right/authentic thing…but they disagreed about what precisely that was. Infighting ensued.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Pothier suggested that rhythm should be driven by the text (oratorical). André Mocquereau supported a smooth equal rhythm. Mocquereau won that battle (as any person who sings Solesmes Chant knows). As it turns out, according to the current scholarly consensus (built upon a convergence of the best available sources), the wrong guy won. There were other disputes to be sure but this ironic incident represents a microcosm of historical performance practice debates and even historical research at large.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The principle? The first fruits of retrospective scholarship tend to miss the mark— and moreover, they often stick.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The axiomatic goal of historical research is to bring forth knowledge which can elevate and refine our present practices (most certainly for those which claim a historical flavor!) But what happens when misunderstandings, hasty conclusions or even flagrant disregard for sources leave us more Greek than the Greeks or “more Medieval than the Medievals?” (to borrow a line from Fr. Ruff). In other words, is there value to our imitation of historical styles if they are not, in fact, historical? The short answer (which I suspected and Fr. Ruff confirmed) is yes…but only through what I daresay is a modern concept of art criticism: judge it on its own terms— the “<i style="">ars gratis artia.</i>” This is nothing new in most circles but it may be tough medicine in some Catholic subgroups which see this pluralism as nothing more than applied moral relativism.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fr. Ruff put it this way, “I grew up with the Solesmes Chant. The smooth, equalist flow has its own beauty and appeal [albeit a-historical]. I can appreciate that.” In fact, he went on to add that some of the most rigorous historically informed German renditions of chant are indeed a bit laborious! So where does this leave us? I don’t think there is a clear answer. We will always experience tension between historic authenticity and art for its own sake. Is St. Patrick’s in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state> good Gothic architecture? No, it’s a wonderful neo-Gothic church. Do nineteenth-century tales of chivalry give us useful insights into medieval culture? No, they’re good Romantic literature.<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We can’t ever recreate the past and even if we could it would never affect us the same way. Mozart will not sound the same to ears which have heard Bruckner and the Beatles. The power of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony escapes us thanks to a million TV commercials and an overused hymn. Nikolaus Harnoncourt put this well, “a deceptive cadence that one already knows no longer deceives, [it] no longer <i style="">is</i> a deceptive cadence.”<o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Therefore, Chanters beware! If you think that sixth of the hexachord in <i style="">Ave Maria</i> is a veritable transport to a 10<sup>th</sup> century monastery, think again. Hartker, Notker, and John of <st1:place>St.</st1:place> Gall just might hear you with perplexed and furrowed brows. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span><span style=""></span><span style=""></span></p>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-50234349661670050412008-11-04T20:44:00.000-08:002009-07-24T22:39:33.041-07:00The end of an era<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKgoBcIIGv9g0MLSS4HxwXsgnADF0hsDOMXQqxjR4rlg3Wwi1JZL4g4qxE6_Jm07K-fawaxwq702MD7q4u_Fh7uknfNB2RTZ7yhpBoOnHAFnoxFJzsMNWVpMwtA8RRhP5jlfEi4Kl6tNn/s1600-h/P1030172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKgoBcIIGv9g0MLSS4HxwXsgnADF0hsDOMXQqxjR4rlg3Wwi1JZL4g4qxE6_Jm07K-fawaxwq702MD7q4u_Fh7uknfNB2RTZ7yhpBoOnHAFnoxFJzsMNWVpMwtA8RRhP5jlfEi4Kl6tNn/s320/P1030172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265030664434529346" border="0" /></a>Last night a friend asked me to place a bet on when the Presidential Election would be called. I don't particularly relish gambling (although I did win my money back at the boats this weekend) but I said what I thought.<br /><br />I figured that everything would come together without much ado by 11 CST. A little last-minute statistical tip from a Gallup employee always helps!<br /><br />It seems I made a reasonable guess.<br /><br />I rather enjoy politics. I love the constant dialog, discussion and debate. I believe that a nation manifests its health in robust dispute. At the end of the day mutual respect prevails and we learn and grow.<br /><br />I must admit, however, that these last few weeks have worn on me. It is time for 5 November. I am glad for tomorrow but nevertheless thankful for today.<br /><br />Regardless of how I or anyone feels about the outcome this evening I believe that it points to at least one undeniable trend: our national identity is shifting.<br /><br />I have traveled on something of a wild terrestrial and ideological journey over the last few months. Last Saturday morning I found myself planted at the kitchen table squarely across from my aunt.<br /><br />Aunt D- came to town to review some paperwork for my grandmother's estate plan. She grimaced and griped, "Aren't <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> glad that you don't have to deal with this mess?" Lacking any context whatsoever I was perplexed. "What do you mean?" I queried. "You know, owning oil rights and real estate...all this paperwork, those taxes...I wouldn't wish it on anyone."<br /><br />A real mess, indeed! I don't get too upset with Aunt D., however. Our minute conversation speaks volumes about her and all the people like her- and there are plenty. A born Texan, a bit ahead being a baby-boomer, and a life-long Midwesterner she has lived in a charmed world. Nothing has compelled her to engage the world all around her. She goes to the grocery store and then drives 20 miles to JC Penny's to pick up a pair of slacks. She watches the 'soaps' and Wheel of Fortune. She dusts all the furniture everyday and mows the lawn weekly. And, once a month, like clockwork, gets a pension check and a little oil royalty. That's the world. That was largely her parents' world. I understand.<br /><br />But it's not mine.<br /><br />America used to "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Then it yelled and smacked people with said weapon. Then, it was back to big sticks- giant nuclear ones and smooth, hard talk. Now everyone has big atomic sticks. What Dr. Strangelove predicted (with necessary sexy consequences) is disturbingly possible and hardly sexy in the least.<br /><br />We have nukes, lots of other people with nukes, Russia, Iran, North Korea, a war, a faltering economy, dwindling oil, evaporating national resources and a world of countries who think as much of our policy as they do our current Commander in Chief. London gentlemen utter his name like a different kind of 4-letter word. I didn't believe it until I heard it myself.<br /><br />I could roll my eyes. I could think of how we didn't used to need anyone and probably still don't. (We saved the French and Europe on D-day afterall!) I can rest rest on my laurels. I could just throw the newspaper in the trash and go to Penny's and pick up a pair of slacks... But the world has become to small and our capacity for evil has become too great.<br /><br />I would hate to overstate the point, however. I'm not sure if it's ever possible to have a "global community." I believe 'community' has limits. It is concentrated. I merely believe we are more connected than ever. This is hardly a 'either...or' scenario. I see it as 'both...and.' Community can and indeed must remain intact in a global or post-national age. We need the sanity of balance. People seem to recognize this more and more.<br /><br />The photo I added above has a grove of trees in the background. When my grandmother grew up in the years following World War I everyone came to that grove on hot summer days for picnics with watermelon in the shade. They were all Germans and mostly related. In the 20's exploration companies found oil all around. Many people got a little piece of the piece. They farmed, raised stock, and got a royalty check. It was a good life. For generations most of them lived in died within a few miles of where they started. And it worked.<br /><br />I'm not jealous of that world. It worked and worked well for many. I'm grateful for mine and glad that we are beginning to see the difference.<br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br /></span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-61843244785861607472008-07-17T12:49:00.000-07:002009-07-24T22:40:29.402-07:00The Correct Translation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKs6aNrGFolEy0NAHZZxdo2AWZPo3TiYMvn1UATnpAxGN8uUtM08_TxNAeVkurQWlfXx0McqatMrqLP7XqAzuPHADpbr7XtBMC5Segl9Y_s9Czhmi9vTlWnZJmitj_p9zyCONG9WACsLFm/s1600-h/teigitur.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKs6aNrGFolEy0NAHZZxdo2AWZPo3TiYMvn1UATnpAxGN8uUtM08_TxNAeVkurQWlfXx0McqatMrqLP7XqAzuPHADpbr7XtBMC5Segl9Y_s9Czhmi9vTlWnZJmitj_p9zyCONG9WACsLFm/s320/teigitur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224072877547779122" border="0" /></a>I have a confession: rather than practicing those indespensible scales I have been perusing the Catholic blogosphere- both time consuming and occasionally frustrating! After two hours of digging I feel like every synapse in my brain is firing. There are just too many worthy issues to discuss and not nearly enough time... and given that this is an big election year everything is spinning in overdrive.<br /><br />A series of posts on the Commonweal blog caught my eye. The USCCB's rejection of the newly proposed Roman Missal translations (reported 8 July) has generated a firestorm of response.<br /><br />And here is where I descend into the generalizations: On one hand many US Bishops disliked the archaic language of the 2008 ICEL proposal. There is a great need for sensitive and resonant texts. Afterall, if people can't comprehend language what use has it?<br /><br />On the other side champions of the newly proposed texts see this as a refreshing return to the authentic spirit of of the Latin texts- or at least a <span style="font-style: italic;">bona fide</span> step in that direction. The 1997 ICEL translation was a 'watered-down' politically correct sham.<br /><br />Looking at side-by-side excepts from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Missale Romanum</span>, the Cramner/Duffy Reformation-era English, and the 1997 and 2008 ICEL renditions we can make some interesting observations. The differences are clear but the the motivations, ideology, and Ecclesiology behind them is at best debatable and at worst open to pure and shameless speculation.<br /><br />For example: the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time: from 1997 we get "O God, the strength of all who hope in you..." From 2008 we have "O God, the strength of those who hope in you..." What's the difference? "All." Oh, we can read so much into this!! It's just like that worn over "<span style="font-style: italic;">pro multis</span>" debate: 'God didn't come with that hippy inclusive language. He came with law and hard teachings. The Church is a special club and only certain people can make it.' Well, maybe. To echo the Academy Award-winning film <span style="font-style: italic;">There Will be Blood,</span> "The doctrine of universal salvation is a lie, a lie!..."<br /><br />Indulge me with another highlight, this time from the 12th Sun in OT. The 1997 version says "Lord God, teach us to hold your holy name both in awe and in lasting affection..." 2008 goes like this: "Grant us, O Lord, fear and love of your holy name always and in equal measure..." Key words that pop out , for me, are "teach" vs. "grant," "fear" vs. "awe," and "affection" vs. "equal measure."<br /><br />My guesses on each... "Teach" is an everyday word that any English speaker comprehends quite quickly. "Grant" sounds legalistic or even archaic, to put it negatively...maybe 'formal' is a less derogatory description. I am trying to imagine, "Mom, prithee grant unto me thy blessings such that I may take the car for the evening." Who talks like that? Should the language of the Liturgy be the language of everyday (vis-a-vis meaningful and comprehensible)? Perhaps the broader question is, what kind of God do we have and how ought we approach him? "Does God wait to smite us with his divinely jeweled orb and sceptre?" or is he our "friend"? Maybe both, perhaps? If so, how do we strike a balance?<br /><br />"Fear vs. awe:" Like "Fear of the Lord" disappearing from some Cathechetical texts, this is another one that draws the battle lines. Screams the Trad: "People these days need to be reminded that everything we have comes from God! We would cease to breathe if he forgot us for an instant! We can die at any second! Did I mention how terrible Hell is and that real people you and I know will probably go there?" Anyone ready for 1950's style sexual repression, depression, closet alcoholism, and abuse? An authoritarian culture of fear? Well, purely correlated, purely correlated. Then Sr. Starbeam butts in: "You stupid people and your fixation on fear. God loves all and forgives all- I'm okay, you're okay, God too. We care way too much about these old fashioned legalistic concepts of God and the Church. God is a woman and a beautiful one. We should be in awe of her feminine mystique. Fear? The only thing you should fear is me and my improvised liturgy!"<br /><br />As for "affection" vs. "equal measure"...Huh? How do they even come up with <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> stuff?! Don't tempt me to start stereotypes about clergy, loony Latinists, and intimacy hangups. Ever read Song of Songs? God loves the Church in a visceral way, to put it mildly. These were earthy Mediterraneans writing- they knew how to be blunt and have fun. I guess I gave away my preference on this one.<br /><br />Okay, I digress, massively! One of my Latin professors, a weathered classicist with more books in dead languages than the Library of Congress, once relayed this relevant story to our class: "As we were translating passages one day I had three students with three rather distinct renditions of one line. We heard them all and then one girl, sitting in the very back row, right in there" (he pointed to the very same seat), "asked, 'But, Dr. W-, what is <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">correct </span>translation?' And then I just laughed." Why? **Disclaimer: This answer may cause some folks' skin to crawl**: there isn't one! Yes, I know, this seems to reek of "moral" relativism. But think, if you've ever studied a language you know this is absolutely true. And what about Babel? Don't we believe as a matter of Faith that language and communication hurdles are just one of many consequences of sin?<br /><br />So, the point to all my ramblings: chasing the perfect/correct translation is chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We'll never get it. To me this seems almost common sense but I am always surprised by what I find out there! To be clear, I acknowledge that a translation may be correct insofar as it is 'officially' endorsed or prescribed by the Vatican. I cannot, however, believe or even take seriously someone who thinks any given translation is unquestionable. There are too many factors to consider and none can accommodate them all: formality, accessibility, intelligibility, rhythm, ...even length, to name a few (how dryly pragmatic)!<br /><br />Rather than the 'correct' translation we ought to seek the 'best' translation- and even that presupposes expectations built on a consensus. I hope and pray that the USCCB can agree on some concrete parameters which will guides its suggested revisions. Otherwise we're back with the same problem... And whatever they eventually agree upon I'm okay- even if I can't reconcile it with my ideology and preference. That's hard to swallow. When we say something is "correct" I suspect we often mean that it is merely congruent with our strongly held convictions or preferences- which is nice if it happens, incidentally. Either way, I trust the Bishops of this Country to make a choice that anyone can respect. If I don't <span style="font-style: italic;">like</span> it I'm not going to go off and switch Rites or found the SSPX.<br /><br />And then, some day, getting the ICEL and Vatican to validate it all? That mountain is safely in the distance, for now.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-84880730564121481742008-07-15T23:10:00.000-07:002009-07-24T22:41:27.521-07:00POEA- Emphasis on the 'A'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR4TmYk-QxTmjTSULuv_Ztvgj9aMtzl83iuclLA_dHR2FglUiK6N3i6C2X0RVxsDW1zTuxMyXqj4Wfom18rXn0iYHKfNExQXzNltt3nRWULd0WkUc-J_vHwi34FVRBrpyX37GvvoV6CX-/s1600-h/First_Pres_Reuter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR4TmYk-QxTmjTSULuv_Ztvgj9aMtzl83iuclLA_dHR2FglUiK6N3i6C2X0RVxsDW1zTuxMyXqj4Wfom18rXn0iYHKfNExQXzNltt3nRWULd0WkUc-J_vHwi34FVRBrpyX37GvvoV6CX-/s320/First_Pres_Reuter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223490621661573762" border="0" /></a>Pipe Organ Encounter<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Advanced<span style="font-style: italic;">.</span> This was only the most recent inspiring event of my musical summer.<br /><br />Some years ago the American Guild of Organists began camps for kids interested in the organ. Aptly named "Pipe Organ Encounters," (POE) they were wildly successful. However, problems developed. Many of the same students attended multiple times and, to put it mildly, were not exactly beginners anymore!<br /><br />Thus, the AGO created the accelerated version. The Lincoln, Nebraska Chapter won the bid to host this first ever POEA and it was off to the races on 6 July.<br /><br />Disarmingly talented high school students sent in audition recordings and ultimately 18 were selected to attend the week-long intensive. An all-star faculty was on hand to give private lessons and master classes... James David Christie, George Ritchie, Pamela Ruiter-Feensta, and Todd Wilson to name a few. The faculty recitals were quite a treat!<br /><br />Volunteering bits of time in my scattered schedule to supervise, drive, etc., I tagged along on visits to some exciting instruments and events. Known for his outstanding craftsmanship and fidelity to significant historical trends in organ building, Gene Bedient gave tours of his shop and a lecture on tuning systems/temperaments. <a href="http://www.bedientorgan.com/">http://www.bedientorgan.com/</a><br /><br />We spent one afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska visiting the Pasi organ of St. Cecilia's Cathedral. This instrument and space deserves an entire post of its own! After basking in its luxurious sounds and the outstanding scholarship and wisdom of Dr. George Ritchie in his masterclass, we spent the evening with a residential Kimball Theatre Organ that will blow your socks off.<br /><br />Joel Martinson, a Dallas-based composer of organ and choral literature, gave a useful talk about trends in the musical profession regarding employment, composition, etc. The lesson here: self-publish if you can make it! The big houses are struggling to keep up and will drag you into their vortex if you sign your soul (or your rights) over in the end. It's bad news all around: Production costs are increasing; The internet makes things <span style="font-style: italic;">instantly </span>available; They're taxed on their inventories (which are massive!); etc. And Mr. Martinson knows...he's in with Oxford University Press, Concordia, Morningstar, and Selah to name a few. <a href="http://www.joelmartinson.com/">http://www.joelmartinson.com/</a> <br /><br />Only two things went wrong, as far as I can tell: Paul Jacobs of Julliard had to drop out at the last second and the water didn't work in the dorms the first morning. The local paper, the Lincoln Journal Star, had a nice, if not rather hidden (back of the Saturday Religion section), article on the camp: <a href="http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/07/12/living/religion/doc4877d93cba41f294169917.txt">http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/07/12/living/religion/doc4877d93cba41f294169917.txt</a><br /><br />The absolute apexes of the week, however, were the student recitals at its conclusion. On Friday the 18 participants showcased pieces they had polished throughout the week in two recitals- the first on a new Reuter at First Presbyterian in Lincoln (see picture above) and the second on a fine Bedient at St. Paul United Methodist. As I was listening I often thought, "I can handle some of this stuff..." But then I kept remembering that these performers are 5 or 6 years younger than I! And regardless of age or training much of the music is just downright tricky...for anyone- Duruflé, Calvin Hampton, Reger, Langlais, major Bach preludes and fugues, one <span style="font-style: italic;">memorized</span> JSB Trio Sonata movement, and much more!<br /><br />As the students departed for home and other organ camps around the US, it dawned on me that they will be at the absolute forefront of our profession in forthcoming years. Their zeal, talent, and dedication stands to rocket them into the spotlight!<br /><br />So...they gear up for more high school, and then, soon enough Julliard, Curtis, Oberlin, or Indiana. Me? Practice, practice, practice!Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-22550273995726875362008-07-11T23:29:00.001-07:002009-07-24T22:42:12.627-07:00Shameless Propaganda<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoJjWp-m4sXB-rdcepbnHlY16S5zsp428xTT_u80C-r23_TxIpqfCWlGTondRePu61lfA3M47qn91TkIXG2cO3otPJjqJyMLdDwpz_WKzbUaSCWlJfVaWVYC9wBIQfGIw2ajruHwNY-W8/s1600-h/Organ_Spectacular.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoJjWp-m4sXB-rdcepbnHlY16S5zsp428xTT_u80C-r23_TxIpqfCWlGTondRePu61lfA3M47qn91TkIXG2cO3otPJjqJyMLdDwpz_WKzbUaSCWlJfVaWVYC9wBIQfGIw2ajruHwNY-W8/s320/Organ_Spectacular.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222011124925860034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Well...after this gaping silence my two month hiatus must end. Now comes the time to resume writing! School is hiding somewhere in August and this summer has positively been an "Organ Spectacular."<br /><br />A couple important facts:<br /><br />1. The American Guild of Organists (AGO) has designated this next year as the "International Year of the Organ." The commemoration officially began at the National Convention which took place 22-26 June in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota. The celebration will last until next summer. Countless people have arranged and engaged great scads of publicity, energy, and money to ensure that this instrument has high visibility in forthcoming months.<br /><br />2. The organ is the greatest instrument- (besides the human voice)! Regardless of personal taste, it is simply impossible to disavow the magnitude of its greatness. Even those who don't like the thing can acknowledge its remarkable and unique status... as Stravinsky griped: "the monster never breathes!" Indeed, it is a breathless wind instrument.<br /><br />As a keyboard instrument it covers more dynamic range than any other. With regard to timbre it is only matched by the orchestra- which is in itself many instruments. As far as power is concerned it can even swallow the orchestra if it wants. How about the greatest marriage of science and art ever? One can only marvel at the centuries of painstaking developments- a trio of fine artisan craftsmanship, the exquisite laws of physics, and the ceaseless driving quest for beauty. Given its complexity and considering when it arrived on the scene (as we know it) a few centuries ago we might even say that this is one of the greatest technological achievements ever. (If no one believes this then he/she ought to spend a little time inside an organ case)!<br /><br />And repertoire? It has more music written for it than any other single instrument... spanning nearly 700 years of Western culture, reflecting its history accordingly in a rich diversity of styles. And, in the last century this icon of the West began to incorporate influences from around the world. If economic globalization was a recent phenomenon stemming from our instant communication mechanisms then musical "globalization," we might say, began in the progressive musical minds of people like Debussy, Charles Ives, Messiaen, and Duruflé- years ago. Bewitched by wonderful sounds from new places and ancient times composers such as these concocted compelling and delectable musical sounds that changed our world- and much for of it for the organ.<br /><br />I must confess that only a few short months ago I was feeling rather phlegmatic about all this. However, a few things have ignited the fire. Namely: a fantastic European organ tour, the AGO National Convention last month, and the first ever Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced this last week. It was at this POEA that, as a part time volunteer, I had the unique privilege of meeting and interacting with some of the most prodigious young organists in the US. If I worried before I certainly now have no doubt that the organ has splendid future in store.<br /><br />I am transfixed by the exceptional talent and zeal of all these other young organists. Hope abounds when I know that the organ captivates people with its depth and breadth- its timelessness. Whether inspired to play saccharine devotional music that would make the most pious person weep- or flashy Demessieux Etudes- or Calvin Hampton dances- or the golden Bach standards, there is room for almost everything and everyone at the organ bench. Considering all this I feel quite comfortable suggesting that many people would heartily echo Mozart's famous words spoken in October, 1777: "In my eyes and ears the organ is the king of instruments."<br /><br />(Highlights and reflections on my travels and encounters are forthcoming).<br /></span></span>Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-5763052052856466202008-04-24T14:04:00.000-07:002009-07-24T22:43:14.336-07:00Ecclesiastical Phishing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo2n-y9Dhq1gUprlwrvqMKAAtlw4r15VxhtnXKeQTMIHkUiPuMOj0wVzc1EajUqcX8uNJ3jGwCD6ijkuKR6qLiK_Vs1d5-akNd29gpyiLb_9Q5k_Kac38gNPgr1k6G9m_Q_puZ502t7Xu/s1600-h/aloys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo2n-y9Dhq1gUprlwrvqMKAAtlw4r15VxhtnXKeQTMIHkUiPuMOj0wVzc1EajUqcX8uNJ3jGwCD6ijkuKR6qLiK_Vs1d5-akNd29gpyiLb_9Q5k_Kac38gNPgr1k6G9m_Q_puZ502t7Xu/s320/aloys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192921001518496562" border="0" /></a>School controls most of my life at the moment. However, they can't keep me down forever- it's time to write.<br /><br />Last week an official from the University Credit Union came to give a talk to my Fraternity about financial scamming. We learned we shouldn't write our pin-number on the back of the credit card. He also informed us that it is dangerous to approve large withdrawals from our accounts when initiated by people in Singapore whom we have never heard of. Overall, I enjoyed that good old-fashioned thread of common sense which ran through most of the talk. It lent a nice sense of continuity.<br /><br />More than anything, however, I loved the talk about phishing. When I was 10 some paternal relatives and I hiked for an afternoon up into the Absaroka Range. At some little glacial lake near the convergence of Wyoming, Montana, and the sky we caught foot-long brook trout on every cast. It was marvelous...as is robbing people through cleverness. Indeed, the unethical and immoral homonym of my summer vacation activities captured my curiosity as we discussed last Monday evening.<br /><br />We know that natural selection is hard at work when we encounter something like this- oh, the brilliance of it! I like Wikipedia's key phrase: "masquerading as a trustworthy entity." I can imagine the email now: "Hello John Doe, My name is Dave. I am with your bank. We want to send you a quarterly statement but for some reason we lost your name, Social Security Number, and account number. Please give us that crap so we can get our work done. Love, Dave." And people will supply!<br /><br />But then a thought entered my head: "What if this trick was taken to a whole new level? What is people outside of cyberspace started exploiting the ignorance of the sincerely curious? What if it happened...in the Church?" And then I realized it does- all the time!<br /><br />Intelligent people, no matter where they lie on the ideological spectrum, know that the one who controls the education and flow of information has immense power- perhaps more than anyone. There will always be a noble, even enthusiastic, few who are willing to step up to bat and be that underpaid teacher. But outside the classroom, where no degree is required (and likewise no accountability) and the wages altogether non-existent (but immense social renumeration waiting in the grab bag) it is very much the opposite of that Gospel parable- the harvest is small and laborers many. Yes, idiots and ideologues abound and everyone swears they've got the "real" story.<br /><br />The little angel pictured above is named "Kitschy." He puts all human concepts of reproduction to shame for he has approximately 18,687 identical twins in parishes across the USA. No insane amount of fertility drugs could ever reproduce this reproduction. No, this takes the good old fashioned zeal of ethnic piety. (My gr-gr grandmother Anna Petrzelkova Egrova funded one of the twins). Anyway, Kitschy has a message for you: "I am <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> model for Catholic Art." Of course, there are many people sincerely asking that question. "What art is appropriate for Church?" "What music can go in the liturgy?" etc. And Kitschy and his confrères seem altogether too happy to play the prof and supply the definitive answers.<br /><br />Take this to the next level. Take a bunch of truth, mix in a little crap, and...voila- heresy! It is terribly effective because people who ask questions are generally open to answers (to varying degrees depending on the pla<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSw7vfNGLHkDB_jk1Fgq58rrpK7naBq2yqOJB5YLrmyJuIcUqHmfT-8FqiFird0G1m-I32vul_dyVgrKl1DOFdsHBUO7If3CQJvlhHS0gVx4mWGxLZyvGAuPiwF1GcT_6K29FOj6gyM2G/s1600-h/fiddleback.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSw7vfNGLHkDB_jk1Fgq58rrpK7naBq2yqOJB5YLrmyJuIcUqHmfT-8FqiFird0G1m-I32vul_dyVgrKl1DOFdsHBUO7If3CQJvlhHS0gVx4mWGxLZyvGAuPiwF1GcT_6K29FOj6gyM2G/s320/fiddleback.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192933495578360642" border="0" /></a>ce and time). When most Catholics can't name the 10 Commandments, much less the 7 Sacraments we know it can only be disastrous when folks pose questions like: "What language should the Mass be?" "How powerful is Mary?" "You mean my sister's ordination wasn't valid?" etc. Pick your extreme and there is, at worst, a heretic eager to answer- with devastatingly misleading poppycock. In most cases you'll probably just get some really confident, yet hopelessly unbalanced, apostle of (fill in the blank with fringe devotion of choice). I always have loved the Roman Church because there is something for everyone. It is a vast space in which to swim around (though it is still finite) and occasionally hang out in a little corner (for we all have gifts and talents, unique ways to be stewards). That's alright until I think everyone else should be clustered right where I am (read: checking Mary's message at Medjugorje like clockwork).<br /><br />It seems that we should pick our battles. There are a few core teachings and if we 'cry wolf' every day we will run out of steam and be dead in the water when the real battle comes. Yeah, Kitschy will do, but he is hardly a well thought artistic contribution to Church decoration. He's still not the model and if anyone claims this I will dig my heels in. That kind of talk takes things to a whole new level. Likewise, when the SSPX priest tells you Vatican II was a farce and John XXIII was an anti-pope, they've hopped out of the pool. When someone says you should pray your daily Rosary because such-and-such Saint said it is 'the gold coin by which we buy our way into heaven' certainly don't let any Protestants hear. When another says, "Hi, I'm with the Catholic Church and Mary is co-Redemptrix," just be wary. (When even JPII didn't approve that I get suspicious. And he was as devoted to Mary as anyone. Heck, he had his Marian crest branded on his coffin!)<br /><br />And don't give them your credit card number either.Douglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3988005566388411960.post-24450751825469608242008-02-20T21:23:00.001-08:002008-02-20T21:51:59.477-08:00More Loyola pics!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzHaXWPHl1SF17RFZ0xsf05DFlJqs1Hsi37UmxhrPPZX72gwBoQvoqINpiNu1A2JvhPB9SuU-oxqme0XokKaXHahISW1KTWlAjIQovaXgQSrnxL7I670PDbke1PNo8lqf1WHxmYYeZEcj/s1600-h/HPIM1257.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzHaXWPHl1SF17RFZ0xsf05DFlJqs1Hsi37UmxhrPPZX72gwBoQvoqINpiNu1A2JvhPB9SuU-oxqme0XokKaXHahISW1KTWlAjIQovaXgQSrnxL7I670PDbke1PNo8lqf1WHxmYYeZEcj/s320/HPIM1257.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169300498150805074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Chrysler Building anyone? Actually, it's Mundelein Hall!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbLs0JRa5T1-eaLEz_rapqqGcvUImdhYjoX6nHVdRs-tZ9Xm1x1tDkTnqXrsAwpmwbqgTbwltfZZN0eNxYv1WYZCrK2SBtZqJq0-uvdyWiYZbnP6LtLdJISNm2pet2cwL1fHgTFtADrg4/s1600-h/HPIM1258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbLs0JRa5T1-eaLEz_rapqqGcvUImdhYjoX6nHVdRs-tZ9Xm1x1tDkTnqXrsAwpmwbqgTbwltfZZN0eNxYv1WYZCrK2SBtZqJq0-uvdyWiYZbnP6LtLdJISNm2pet2cwL1fHgTFtADrg4/s320/HPIM1258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169301224000278114" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was very cold. Here is the chapel from the rear. In front sits Lake Michigan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4PTEF9edTpbZJGDUks2NCn0FBQxJsAN0DT2KZ6LFMnLHqYluTYOZ_fxlxAqspn4UfXt_R58FM5wUOKH4JVGLBHo7SgWP3tIDDwaeWuX4iM81kzPH79yt4MW9U_V0Y0x4EYqw7UDjUcnP/s1600-h/HPIM1265.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4PTEF9edTpbZJGDUks2NCn0FBQxJsAN0DT2KZ6LFMnLHqYluTYOZ_fxlxAqspn4UfXt_R58FM5wUOKH4JVGLBHo7SgWP3tIDDwaeWuX4iM81kzPH79yt4MW9U_V0Y0x4EYqw7UDjUcnP/s320/HPIM1265.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169302478130728562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Decorative railing<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SvWyhGgp404-mWjo9295PRedwYg2RzDpGVGeaXMwgNedY8ngdJ3XuiphBkGo4mOVorwmOM2T5OPOdPmvLJAa6eQSG2yhL2VheSX2NX4Blump_ztOVPXCTb8jUJgd-2JUJoNlswzOEzgw/s1600-h/HPIM1267.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SvWyhGgp404-mWjo9295PRedwYg2RzDpGVGeaXMwgNedY8ngdJ3XuiphBkGo4mOVorwmOM2T5OPOdPmvLJAa6eQSG2yhL2VheSX2NX4Blump_ztOVPXCTb8jUJgd-2JUJoNlswzOEzgw/s320/HPIM1267.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169303491743010434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Altar too<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84w3HrJTmCTauHBUgOKpAd2T1fbl2z0Eb9uWy5ETFpODkG-23G0ikUC8S1ChAufawj1mVZuQZirKTty4_qQKCLYhXlSdHu7uLUtzsiPgTBGjqQTOIuwYBHT5yLWrjyJtYIEAgx2UQNjGv/s1600-h/HPIM1281.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84w3HrJTmCTauHBUgOKpAd2T1fbl2z0Eb9uWy5ETFpODkG-23G0ikUC8S1ChAufawj1mVZuQZirKTty4_qQKCLYhXlSdHu7uLUtzsiPgTBGjqQTOIuwYBHT5yLWrjyJtYIEAgx2UQNjGv/s320/HPIM1281.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169304303491829394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Tabernacle<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3qDSPiUFjg7RvTHR8JIHJ2_nLVsU9gbqzfhTqJgAi8fvg9KDb-EE8isUEA55LzaKgwaRD_7sSRzp-xstEw-qSwlkM5i3bktX-8KfdbsqwzQ4MkujQ57CVdWpKG97ckmKP5SsHrKMFabN/s1600-h/HPIM1262.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3qDSPiUFjg7RvTHR8JIHJ2_nLVsU9gbqzfhTqJgAi8fvg9KDb-EE8isUEA55LzaKgwaRD_7sSRzp-xstEw-qSwlkM5i3bktX-8KfdbsqwzQ4MkujQ57CVdWpKG97ckmKP5SsHrKMFabN/s320/HPIM1262.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169304926262087330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A Station<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Lrc8LZjL5CJFIo0UaWNiccXn5u0re4MWsYv_Qp-ogdW_Wqq6qnYrt3ZOb8uk6gLub1mD9R977f3jEKLveo0tpAJBsHhACOQvAjiy9SEObtYnWnGQg-0UC_31M4dRfnI_kT-n0Zd6NdF/s1600-h/HPIM1279.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21Lrc8LZjL5CJFIo0UaWNiccXn5u0re4MWsYv_Qp-ogdW_Wqq6qnYrt3ZOb8uk6gLub1mD9R977f3jEKLveo0tpAJBsHhACOQvAjiy9SEObtYnWnGQg-0UC_31M4dRfnI_kT-n0Zd6NdF/s320/HPIM1279.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169306730148351698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Processional Cross<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP7vD0gnUybujB24rT_QOLI986KJjzH5bczxFhqM4YkaqhbMmBSUIj57Zw3PDPR4Jkbe_uFqoCqXF5TsR97JbqslrWa9eaT_HezacpkFmNuCp98md_pP13Ax_Jl9n_knV_fgNinAUnKtZ/s1600-h/HPIM1291.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP7vD0gnUybujB24rT_QOLI986KJjzH5bczxFhqM4YkaqhbMmBSUIj57Zw3PDPR4Jkbe_uFqoCqXF5TsR97JbqslrWa9eaT_HezacpkFmNuCp98md_pP13Ax_Jl9n_knV_fgNinAUnKtZ/s320/HPIM1291.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169305458838032050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Lots of lines<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqnzh_78ymwYKpiDNVLlSmSFNqKufyl-Y4vHjJC7DK4QxhXHJ02GFSkXXMYSSxqBqJNWa_XpXx49ad3g6Lqt59WropW8LrzSqjJbj0kwSt7m_Q_cXGaC2iMNVVR50-do96llvGGg4qkvs/s1600-h/HPIM1289.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqnzh_78ymwYKpiDNVLlSmSFNqKufyl-Y4vHjJC7DK4QxhXHJ02GFSkXXMYSSxqBqJNWa_XpXx49ad3g6Lqt59WropW8LrzSqjJbj0kwSt7m_Q_cXGaC2iMNVVR50-do96llvGGg4qkvs/s320/HPIM1289.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169306034363649730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It's a lakeDouglashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17575582755980771830noreply@blogger.com0