Epiphany nowadays in the Roman Catholic Church in England - falls tomorrow. I will forbear from comment. I have turned my 18th century French antiphonal to its proper page in anticipation - I am thinking of trying to photograph bits for Facebook along with my Tudor courtiers - it might make a pleasant visual alternation. This is the phrase thats sung in Vespers: Stella quam viderant Magi in Oriente antecedebat eos donec venirent ad locum ubi puer erat videntes autem eum gavisi sunt gaudio magno The star which the Wise Men saw in the East went before them until it came to where the Child was. And when they saw it, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. It was the basis for Epiphany motets by most composers from Palestrina forward. Theres a sweet bit of plainchant I found below. Meanwhile, Mercadantes running wild all over over Spain as I am in Act II of Caritea. Its good music - flamboyant buzzed-up bel canto - to inspire my muse - as I am thesis bound and already shuffling bishop Gardiner and King Philip (II of Spain) around Mary Is household! I cannot rest as Richards cold tickles my throat and Im a bit sweaty so I thought Id best sweat it out with the politicians of Mid Tudor England. We tend to think of our modern politicians as spineless, supine, amoral, self promoting second-rate celebrity-timeservers seeking only office, applause and power in some unequal measure that never measures up to more than self interest. Theyd have fitted right in, in the claustrophobic confines of the Tudor court. I wonder if Dantes Hell for duplicitous politicians is to play an eternal series of shifty feints and gambits that always end just one step further back from the pinnacle of power they seek - ah, why bother, lets just boil em in cauldron of oil for eternity.... Oh, alike the manner of all good Milanese grandmothers after the feast of Three Kings... Ive made minestrone soup with the ham bone... https://youtube/watch?v=X2EQSbqyn7I
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 14:01:02 +0000