St. Mathew Passion Final Chorus

Have you ever heard J.S. Bach's St. Mathew Passion? It is one of THE most "aesthetically pleasing" sacred works in all of Christendom. By "aesthetically pleasing" I mean that it's a beautiful composition on the surface level - which is to say the music and arrangement - but it lacks the profundity and mysticism of a traditional Catholic composition. Nonetheless, the piece is breathtaking and only works to solidify Bach's reputation as an indisputable baroque genius.

This is the famous final chorus of his magnificent work the St. Mathew Passion. Give it a listen. You wont regret it. By the way, the final chorus actually begins 41 seconds into the video, so you can skip to that point if you'd like.

That string section is incredible!

Apathy

In this video, a homeless man tries to save a victim of an armed robbery and winds up getting stabbed himself. Both victim and robber flee, and passerby's don't bother to call either the police or an ambulance for the man who got stabbed. Meanwhile the good Samaritan dies in a pool of his own blood on the sidewalks of New York. God rest his soul and forgive the rest of us.

Gabriel's Message

I was trying to locate this arrangement of Gabriel's Message this past Christmas, but unfortunately I had no success. Well, folks, here it is. This is THE BEST arrangement of Gabriel's Message anywhere (IMHO). Turn your volume up since it doesn't play very loud, and the sound quality isn't the best either. On the track that you find on the CD, there is a beautiful echoey sound to this choir that escapes this video significantly.



By the way, I listen to Christmas music year round. Do you?

Miscellaneous Stuff

I'm working on a pastel drawing again. I'm hesitant to say anything about it, since I'm not sure about the time of completion. As soon as it's finished, however, I'll post a picture of it and gladly invite any criticisms any interested onlookers may have to offer. Believe me folks, you can be perfectly honest with me. None of you will choose the words I will have already chosen at the moment of self-evaluation.

Speaking of pastels, this weekend I purchased a 72 count set of Unison Handmade Pastels. Since these - as the name implies - are handmade and (thankfully) are not extruded, they were pretty expensive. Exactly $227.00 for the "professional" set. I really have to watch my spending going forward, since the cost of summer classes came in at just under $2000.00, and this is not including books. Next week I have to register for fall semester and I just can't wait for the atrocious bill from the financially strapped university to hit me.



And finally, on a musical note...

I bought this song on i-Tunes. I had been resisting the temptation for the longest time, and finally gave in to the enticement on Saturday night.

This one is BAD to the BONE

This pic was taken at a friend's house (Grrrrr!)

Doing time for misbehavin'

On Easter week, he ate something he had no business eating, and suffered from loose stools as well as vomiting. We took him to the vet and he spent the night there. The X-rays taken on two separate occasions revealed that he (thankfully) had no bowel obstructions, and that he was suffering from gastritis. He was prescribed two medications, and $500 later, he seems to be doing just fine. A little while ago he broke into a room in my house that I thought was closed properly. When he got in there he managed to climb unto a sofa, grabbed the Kleenex box and went nuts with it.

Our vet. told me that Toby needs Prozac to correct his attitude. Yes, you read correctly. PROZAC. (Why not a stiff drink and a cigar?) Sheesh. After this last incident, I'm willing to give anything a try.

The Critter was NOTHING like Toby. He was such an angel that in retrospect, I think that what I had with him must have been something anomalous. He was so well behaved, subdued, and trustworthy. Toby, on the other hand, is a minion of the dark lord. Yes, we love him dearly, he's just so misbehaved!

By the way, next week he gets a haircut. Ha!

And the Winner is (drums please)...

...Father Michael Pfleger.

He will receive the "Office for Racial Justice Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of [his life] of service in pursuit of dismantling racism, injustice and inequalities on behalf of African Americans and all people of color."

-Two years ago he invited Jeremiah Wright, who was the spiritual adviser to then Senator Barack Obama, inside his church, to deliver a blessing during mass.

-In 2003 he invited Al Sharpton to speak in his church, to the objections of Francis Cardinal George, the same man giving him the award.

Catholic clergy, throughout history, have always stood up for the oppressed and for those who are less fortunate. They've spoken about the evils of race discrimination, violence, and have promoted equal opportunity for all human beings through peaceful means and often to the detriment of their physical well-being. But is this guy the best choice for this award?


Addendum

I certainly recognize that, while the level of racism in this country has diminished, there are still pockets of individuals who are pathetic and misanthropic enough to objectify and degrade another human being because of his or her race, gender, ethnicity, even sexual orientation. Most of us, thankfully, abhor such practices. Unfortunately, a few members of our society subsequently feel that the remaining segregationist and blinded-with-rage-morons still in existence gives them license to pump the masses with racially charged demagoguery.

Easter Sunday

"Proclaim the message,'Behold our savior is risen!' Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!"

"The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens - at a particular date in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where to a historical person under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle...this is the marriage of Heaven: Perfect Myth and Perfect Fact, claiming not only our love and obedience, but also our wonder and delight, addressed to the savage, the child, and the poet in each one of us no less than to the moralist, the scholar and the philosopher." ~ CS. Lewis

A blessed Easter Sunday to all of you and your loved ones!

Good Friday Reproaches

Good Friday