Mozart music marathon

many countries issued commemoratives in Mozart anniversary years 1956, 1991, 2006
Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus(Amadeus) Mozart *27 January 1756,†5 December 1791

“His music is by no means just entertainment; it contains the whole tragedy of human existence.” ― Joseph Ratzinger (1996)

Tom Lehrer, the musical professor of mathematics, used to have a line in his act, “when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for __ years”. Mozart was relatively a young death, he had not completed his 36th year. His Köchel number* was up to 626, which was his Requiem Mass in Dm†.

Mozart was the rare child prodigy that became an adult genius. His music had a crisp clarity. He was an interesting fellow, and from time to time he still makes news: a previously, unknown autograph of music is found in some attic or abbey, a doctor diagnoses Tourette’s syndrome, autism, rheumatic fever ... ‡

In current memory is the 1984 picture show, Amadeus, which won a slew of Oscars and many other film awards. It came from a Peter Shaffer play, which came from a Pushkin play, which also spawned a Rimsky-Korsakov opera. The fictive plot is that a musical rival, Antonio Salieri, poisoned Mozart in jealousy. Ron Hansen wrote an essay, in which, he has the two musicians as Cain and Abel. Salieri is supremely angry with God. He had travailed in His fields and produced fruit, and yet, God rains divine talent to this ridiculous child.

Mozart had his marriage and funeral in Saint Stephen’s, Vienna (Wien). To-day(26 January 2009) and to-morrow, at Saint Stephen’s, Cleveland, there will be a programme of recorded music from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m.. The viennese church is the cathedral for its archbishopric, the local church is about the grandest in its diocese.
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*Ludwig von Köchel (c.1826) composed a detailed, chronological catalogue of Mozart’s opus.
†finished by Franz Xaver Süssmayr
‡e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7845752.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7297012.stm

Right of conscience

In December of 2008, a 127-page, document of regulation, allowing a right of conscience, was implemented on a federal level, in which, federal funding would be cut, if a health care worker were to be punished, for exercising it. Excellent! All democrats should support a right of conscience. It is surprising, that, Republicans put it up. How and why, such a course? It concerns abortion and related issues [I have not read it, therefore, I am extrapolating].

Some self styled progressives do not like it, because it may reduce abortions. Conservatives [read Republicans] are for it. Some really are against abortion*, some are playing electoral politics, some get to stifle health care spending, and their are combinations.

But protecting a right of (or to) conscience is the right thing to do. Such protections for workers are right. Labor should fight for this. Medical staff should fight for it. It is consistent, it is also incongruent that Republicans are for it. They are making an exception, for it goes against management, it goes against institutional authoritarianism. Exercising a right of conscience is defined as insubordination. In employment it is grounds for, not only, ‘discipline’, but termination; in the military ― court martial.

Now, a worker usually knows his work well, and often, far better than his ‘superior’. In my trade, the phrase is that work is to be ‘done in a workmanlike manner’. Well, sometimes that leads to dismissal. The physicians oath of Hippocrates, in the 4th century b.C., has these lines:

To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.

What we see, in these and the whole, is that a code of conduct of the trade is stated. In that code, a mode of right behavior is prescribed, and a corporate unity of membership. These greek physicians were a unionised, guild of laborers. Their workmanlike manner provision, prime directive, was a principle of: First do no harm.

Now, if legal precedent be followed, an empowered workforce would form. NO ‘pro-business’ candidate would be for that. NO militarist would be for that. A military draft would not be legal, many actions would not be forced on a serviceman. A right of, or to, conscience would be a great advance for the citizen, it would maddening for a capitalist, a militarist and a dictator.

Right of conscience is the right to strike, it is a failure to comply, it is a cessation of labor, it is a willful refusal to obey command. It is the difference between free labor and coerced labor. Coerced labor is slavery. This is a progressive issue, it is a social justice issue. When seen this way, the incongruity of the partisans will be seen. Anyone against a right of conscience is wrong, anyone who does not allow for it, as a general, and fundamental, principle, in all labor is wrong.
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*abortion is a great moral wrong, it is murder.

Cardinal Mercier

Dominique Charles Fouqueray. Cardinal Mercier protects Belgium. 1916. Parisian poster.
Desiré-Joseph Mercier *21 November 1851, †23 January 1926

As Primate of Belgium, Archbishop of Malines, Cardinal Mercier was a hero in the first world war. He defended his people against an occupying power, which by definition, as he reminded all, is a power without legitimacy. Upon returning from the funeral of Pius X, Mercier saw Belgium suffering under destruction and atrocity caused by the german military. He along with King Albert and the imprisoned Burgomaster Adolphe Max of Brussels stood bravely against the injustices of the occupiers. Belgium was a small state in the path of assault to France, but they were not cowards. Caesar wrote in De Bello Gallico, “horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae (out of them [Gauls] all, the Belgii are the bravest).”

On the first of January 1915, his pastoral letter, Patriotism and Endurance, was begun to be read throughout Belgium. The next day, he was visited by german imperial officers, whom accused him of stirring excitement against the germans and authority. He responded that his letter suggested peace. One of the officers asked, “why remind the faithful in your letter of bygone events?” The germans were not pleased. Mercier did not relent. He was in state of house arrest, his clergy whom read his words were jailed. This policy was continued, by the germans, in the next war, in which, the largest concentration of catholic clergy was in Dachau.

Later, the occupying governor general, Moritz Ferdinand Freiherr von Bissing †1917, was sending all, unemployed, belgian men as slave labor to Germany. Belgians, born of german parents, were being impressed into the german military. Cardinal Mercier protested without reservation, and some of these actions were reversed. The baron and the cardinal clashed throughout. World public opinion, seconded by allied propaganda, fell to Mercier, that expression enabled a successful resistance.

Before the war, Mercier was a theologian and philosopher. Leo XIII named Mercier to a new professorship at the University of Louvain. Mercier was a friend of Dom Columba Marmion, and the astronomer, Georges Lemaître. Mercier had family in the United States, several being clerics. He wanted church reunification with the eastern church and the anglicans. The only, negative spot, in his curriculum vitae, was his poor attitude concerning the Flemish language, which could have been a francophone chauvinism.
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noto bene: Mercier is not in the canon, yet. I have not read about information on his cause.

World opinion upon the change of government in America

Saint Agnes

Ercole Ferrata. Death of St. Agnes. 1660-4. Sant'Agnese in Agone, Rome.
The most beloved of the virgin martyrs of Rome was Agnes. She was a martyr during, presumably, Diocletian’s persecution in 304. Ambrose, Augustine, Damasus and Prudentius all tell part of her story. Constantine’s daughter, Constantia, had a basilica built over her grave and catacomb. The Depositio Martyrum (roman calendar of the feasts of the martyrs), at least, by 354 has her day as 21 January. What is constant in her story is her youth, twelve or thirteen, and her remaining chastity upon attack, and unto death. She was an attractive child from an important family. She was desired by several. She was not interested in an earthy spouse, so she was denounced to the government. Threat, coaxing, cajoling did not sway her. An attempt to defile her in a brothel failed. She was executed.

In representation, she is, sometimes, seen admidst flames and a sword. The flames did not kill her, so she was victim of the blade. Since the name, Agnes, is close to ‘agnus’, lamb. Sometimes, she is seen as blonde girl holding the martyr’s palm, and accompanied by a lamb.

Now, on Saint Agnes Day, two lambs are taken from the Trappist abbey, Tre Fontane, and re blessed by the pope. The wool from these two is used for palliums. The pallium is a band of cloth, that is worn on the chest and back, in the shape of two Ys, where the arms of the Ys are joined of the shoulders. This is a liturgical garment worn by the pope, archbishops, primates and metropolitans.

Return to legitimacy

After eight long years, we have a president, de jure and de facto: one legally, and constitutionally elected and installed. Now, will the United States rejoin the comity and the community of states around the world ?

What of the early outlaw part of this century? Will this be the legacy? The die has been cast, and the pages writ.
Yesterday a group of Mainers led a peaceful protest, in front of the Executive Mansion, whereat about forty pairs of shoes were tossed. They were, symbolically, tossed at the departing occupier. Earlier, a large balloon caricature, in DuPont Circle was pummelled with footwear, satirically recalling, and combining two events from Baghdad. There is a jovial, carnival atmosphere in the District waiting for the return of Democracy.

A touch of black comedy, in the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, the character of Henry F. Potter, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore, was the wheelchaired villain. That part is being played by Darth Cheney, to-day.

The Craziest Republican?

Now, who would be the craziest Republican? How to we define crazy, in this exercise? Would senility, or an other organic illness be included or excluded? I think excluded, because, in that case being a Republican would not be a decisive factor. That may exclude Jim Bunning

Scope and scale, are we speaking of nationally elected only? No, but primarily yes, because without a national exposure, how would the nation know of their existence. That would include Palin, now even if she is not in D.C. Though how can we discern, and collate, delusional from stupid?

Now, there is evil: Cheney, most definitely: and non office holders, Norquist, Rove. There are the provocateurs: the Limbaughs, Coulter. Coulter is a special case, she calls herself, at times, a humorist. She is not funny, unless you accept vicious, lying, satanic humor as funny. On an earlier page, I made a provision, that, humor must be based on truth. Coulter is not funny, her delivery, attitude and style are reminiscent of the aggressive*, nastiness of Sandra Bernhard; her self promotion is similar to Bernhard’s one time paramour, Madonna Louise Ciccone. Her act is an hatred lampoon, an incendiary, inanity; utterly vile.

There are, also, former officeholders. Yes, they are candidates in this contest, as long as they have life within them, and hold to their craziness.

I consider myself, a conservative. Remember, capitalist economics was liberal. Social darwinism came, in part, with it, and they have seen themselves as progressives. Some of these people (Republicans) have religious sincerity, and those views are, usually, considered conservative; but on other matters they veer into lunacy, or viciousness, e.g., Bachmann, Schmidt, Musgrave, Broun; further: both Oklahoma senators voted for torture. Certainly one can be religiously conservative without having wretched (and fascistic) politics. There are raving and hateful unbelievers, but they do not seem to be elected, to-day, to Congress. Sometimes an intense, moral, belief system can co-exist with madness. Of course, some things can be suitably feigned, and craziness does not exclude success.

some candidates:

• georgebushjr
• Paul Broun
• Michele Bachmann
• Sarah Palin
• write ins

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*though she has shown herself as a physical coward, when she ran in absolute fear from a pie attack