Beer and the Monks of Norcia

Today arrived Benedicta, an uncompromising disc from the Monks of Norcia. That is it pictured above!

It is a kind of cool picture. And the music is, too. The Monks of Norcia sing track after track of Gregorian chant. It puts you into a kind of coma. I mean that in the best sense. More like trance. It puts you into a trance. Not the best thing for a Wednesday afternoon in the office but beautiful all the same.

I love when a previously obscure monastery comes out of nowhere and releases a CD.

Here are the very cool Monks of Norcia explaining what they do.



Those are some tremendous beards, folks.

And some tremendous chant.

And as if things were not perfect enough, they also make beer. Fifteen thousand bottles a month!



"Many people might not go to Mass, but by buying beer, they have a connection with us, which is safe for them, in a setting, over a product they feel comfortable with us, so there's a spiritual gain for them, even though they're not looking for it."

And:

"I said, we make beer, immediately the person was interested and wanted to talk, and before we knew it we were talking about Christ and truth..."

And:

"As many people have negative experiences with the Church, if they can have a very simple but positive exchange with a monk over something like beer, it does wonders to open them up. It's not like automatically they're becoming monks and nuns and priests, but it starts them on a path which we hope will lead them back to the Church..."

Marvelous monks of Norcia.

We drink to them!

The music of Lady Day

It is the Feast of the Annunciation, once known as Lady Day.

One chant traditional on this day is the beautiful "Rorate Caeli." It always makes me think of Advent because that is when I have heard it. In the comments section on YouTube you can see people wishing each other a Merry Christmas.



It is kind of thrilling for me to hear it now. Sort of the way it was fun a few weeks ago to go and have lunch in East Aurora where they put their Christmas decorations back up because a movie is being shot there. I have not been hearing these chants my whole life, but I have been for the last few years, and it is funny but after a while they become part of your life and you forget you did not grow up with them.

If I had my way the whole year would be Advent and Christmas. It is my favorite time of year even though I do love summer because I like running around in summer clothes.

The music of Lady Day.

Beautiful!

Ode to joy

After hearing Beethoven's Ninth the other day I have been thinking about the "Ode to Joy."

I read how scholars think he was inspired by Mozart's K. 222, his "Misericordias Domini." Listen for it, you will hear it! And what is weird to me is, it sounds like Beethoven's orchestration. I have not sat down or studied the scores or anything. It just does.



 And you know what, I wonder if in turn Mozart were inspired by the ancient "Asperges" chant. The first notes are the same as the "Ode to Joy" which is how I was able to learn the melody.



Whatever the situation, as our Italian priest at St. Anthony's used to say, there is nothing new under the sun.

But there are great themes, handed down one master to another.

Joy!

Pope Francis' favorite German conductor

From Vatican Insider: 

When the moment came to exchange gifts after their conversation in the Vatican Library, German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented Francis with three books of poems by German poet Friedrich Hölderlin, all of them original editions from 1905. Francis had recently quoted the poet – who is one of his favourites - in one of his speeches. “You know him,” Mrs. Merkel said to the Pope in German, as she handed him the gift, o which the Pope answered “yes”.

 Mrs. Merkel also gave the Pope a box set of 107 CDs with classical pieces conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler. “I don’t know if you will find the time to listen to these,” the German Chancellor said to the Pope. On the flight to Italy, she told journalists that Bergoglio is very fond of Furtwangler, whom he once described as: “Germany’s most brilliant conductor and the greatest Wagner and Beethoven expert.”

His Holiness has good taste. I am a Furtwangler fan, too. And may I add that we have had several popes now who are music connoisseurs.

One of these days we will have to find out which conductors Pope Benedict loves. Well, I imagine he esteems Furtwangler too.

Here is an excellent video, in color, of the back of the maestro's head.

I Bought Me A Cat

What with our new cat Jeoffry, pictured above, I keep thinking of that great Aaron Copland treatment of the old American song "I Bought Me A Cat." Today it is time to listen to it!

I love the creativity on YouTube and someone put together this sweet video of the song performed by the great baritone William Warfield. That opening picture of the cat is priceless.

When I was a kid, William Warfield was a soloist in my Mozart Requiem recording and of course he was wonderful. Here he gets to kick back.

Take it, Mr. Warfield.

Wolf's Three Kings

Bragging about my baking and the Three Kings bread I made that was such a hit at St. Anthony's, I got a song running through my head. And it was Hugo Wolf's "Epiphinias."

It is a sort of children's song by Goethe about the Three Kings. There is one line I especially love. It is in the second verse when the song goes, "There are three Kings. There are not four. If a fourth king were to be added there would be one Three King more."

Wow, listen to me, my off-the-cuff translation almost rhymes.

Wolf's setting of the song sounds to me kind of like Mahler. It is this spiky little march. So much fun. I chose this video for its images of the Three Kings, a theme I have always loved.



The singer is baritone Antonis Kontogeorgiou. I like him! The pianist is Diana Vranussi. Continuing with the credits, the painting at the top of the post is by a commercial artist with a wonderful name. It is Miki de Goodaboom!

First this sweet and ingenious song by Hugo Wolf and now this artist with this marvelous silly name.

How am I going to get any work done today?

An old song well sung

I have heard the title of the Christmas carol "Of the Father's Love Begotten" but I never gave it much thought until yesterday when we had to sing the melody in church.

We sang it as "Corde Natus Ex Parentis."

I love when Christmas carols go way back. "O Come O Come Emmanuel," I know, is extremely old. So is the tune to "The Friendly Beasts."

But this song, "Corde Natus Ex Parentis," it dates to the fifth century.  I love the lyricist's name. It is Aurelius Prudentius!

Above is a pretty treatment of the song in English. Here is a performance in Latin.



I would imagine this is the oldest Christmas carol around.

Whether or not that's true, it sure is beautiful.