A Small Letter To My Big Sister  

Posted by Thom

Mi Hermana,

Your book's worse for wear,
But not worse for having worn.
Cause nothing lives
That's not a little torn.

A big sister, an inspiration
A patient love, and my aspirations.
I wouldn't be the writer I am today
Without the words you sowed in me,
Years ago and
All those yesterdays.

Still one of my favorite collections of poetry. I still love you with all my heart, all your love and council saved a very lost, very broken kid.


We're not dead....  

Posted by Agnes Regina

I promise. Just very busy with school and life and such things.

But to break a long silence, after wishing a happy new year to our readers, here is a concert review from the Tampa Bay Times of this weekend's performance of two major works by Frederick Delius, an English composer who found his musical voice in Florida! The Master Chorale mentioned.... yeah, I'm there. :) Just one lowly little Soprano II who loves being part of it.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/florida-orchestra-master-chorale-stage-recorded-performance-of-delius/1209585

Hopefully more posts will happen sometime now that I've decided to actually post something, even if they are short!

R-O-C-K M-U-S-I-C  

Posted by Thom

Hello random thoughts about the dumb rock music my friends keep posting on there status on GMail. Please feel free to expound on it any, and comment of course.

R-O-C-K M-U-S-I-C
( Retards-On-Crack-Kocaine , you, Must-Use-Suitably-Instituted-Chemicals to understand it)

these modern rock lyrics are so weird... these attempts at "beautiful, abstract, meaningful poetic lines" are kinda dumb; they're just staccato lines that are all....

" yes baby I love you/time is too short for long good byes/we gotta remember tomorrow's another day/ carefully hold the hands of the clock that guides our life/realize baby that I'll always find you no matter what happens/ even time's lanky arms can't keep us apart"

it's like...
WHAT!?! What on earth is it supposed to mean!!?! it's not deep or majestic and beautiful like everybody thinks it is. Is it "fun" or entertaining.. sure... is it cool... if that's you're cup of tea, I suppose. But it's not Beautiful, or deep. perhaps it is beautiful/deep/majestic according modern man, but modern man is pretty messed up...

Just for kicks and giggles...  

Posted by Agnes Regina

Here we have a marvelous musical joke. Even our non-musicians should enjoy:

Beethoven's Ninth
The symphony orchestra was performing Beethoven's Ninth.
In the piece, there's a long passage, about 20 minutes, during which the bass violinists have nothing to do.
Rather than sit around that whole time looking stupid, some bassists decided to sneak offstage and go to the tavern next door for a quick one.
After slamming several beers in quick succession, one of them looked at his watch and said, "Hey! We need to get back!"
"No need to panic," said a fellow bassist. "I thought we might need some extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together with string. It'll take him a few minutes to get it untangled."
A few moments later they staggered back to the concert hall and took their places in the orchestra.
About this time, a member of the audience noticed the conductor seemed a bit edgy and said as much to her companion.
"Well, of course," said her companion. "Don't you see? It's the bottom of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded."

Seven Quick Takes Friday  

Posted by Agnes Regina

Wow. It's been a looooong time. So here are seven highlights of the past couple of months.

1.
From October 15-17 Angelus Press hosted a series of conferences in Kansas City to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Society of St. Pius X. I went, and so did Edward and the Devil's Advocate. We found many familiar faces, and every time I looked at the ocean of cassocks, habits and veils I felt ready to explode with happiness. The speakers were Mr. John Vennari, Dr. Andrew Childs, His Excellency Bishop Fellay, Father Cyprian OSB, Father McMahon, Father Novak, Father Gardner, Father Rostand (District Superior), and Father Iscara. The conferences were amazing. I took copious notes and I wish I remembered every word they said, but if I did it would take me months to type it all out! The conferences were recorded, however, and Angelus Press has them for sale. Of course I couldn't let the occasion pass without writing a poem. I'll post it at the end, along with the link to the setting that a fellow-musician made of it, recorded by the St. Melchior Schola of LaSalette.

2.
The Music Department faculty chose me as this year's recipient of one of our named scholarships, the Sister Alice Eugene Tighe Scholarship. It isn't huge but it's a scholarship, and a great honor! I was surprised but delighted when the letter came to tell me about it. Deo gratias.

3.
Last Saturday I went to hear the regional round of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. It was pretty awesome. I enjoyed hearing a variety of beautiful arias, and I was right about one of the three winners. Not bad - I had a one-in-eight chance, since I didn't hear the first half!

4.
This afternoon is the Aria Competition at Webster. Four of our wonderful senior voice majors are competing - two sopranos, a mezzo and a baritone - and I don't even know which one I want to win; they are all good friends of mine and they all have glorious voices!

5.
Yesterday I went to St. Charles, to the opening of my friend's art studio. She does pastel portraits, and they looked beautiful on her walls. She was a piano major with me here at Webster, but she was always a fine painter as well and so I am not surprised that she was chosen to fill the open studio at the Foundry Arts Center.

6.
Sunday is going to be a musical day. I'm playing Dussek's Piano Quintet Op. 41 with an excellent quartet from the Community Music School at three; then at seven, Mr. Schene is playing (for the first time, as he told me last night), Chopin's Piano Concerto in F Minor. Oh the awesomeness...

7.
I have to talk to Mr. Schene next Wednesday about recital repertoire, grad school applications and auditions, and other such things. I can't believe I'm a senior already...

****

Here are the words to the song I wrote, and here is the St. Melchior Schola's performance of Billy's music. Enjoy:

A Trad Anthem
in honor of the SSPX's Fortieth Anniversary

Behold us here, true trads and bold,
All gathered at the Hilton
To show Tradition's flame-red rose
Is very far from wiltin'.

In cassock, veil and habit see
Our Fathers, Sisters, Brothers,
And our beloved Bishop too,
The head of all the others,

To celebrate the fortieth year
Of our Society,
Founded that fair November first
Of nineteen-seventy

By our Archbishop brave and bold,
Our dear Marcel Lefebvre,
The holy founder whom we all
Must love and thank forever!

We fight as one for truth and faith
And for the holy Mass,
And valiantly we face the storm -
We know this, too, shall pass.

Led by our founder's spirit,
We carry on the flame,
For God's eternal glory
And the honor of His name.

Our faith be clear, unmoving,
Set down in deathless stone,
For many souls' salvation,
For God - for Him alone!

Until the foe is conquered
We hold our flag on high,
The Holy Mass our banner,
"The Mass!" our battle-cry.

So shall we fight as soldiers
Of a Captain sacrificed
Until, the battle ended,
All is restored in Christ.

Two amazing bits of music.  

Posted by Agnes Regina

Here is one of the loveliest motets I've heard in a long time, in Italian: Leo XIII's poem Neve non tocca, to the Immaculate Conception, beautifully set by Father Lorenzo Perosi (a dear friend of St. Pius X and composer to the Vatican during his pontificate.)



And here is Edvard Grieg's marvelous Ave Maris Stella.

Top Ten Signs You Know You're In St. Marys  

Posted by The Glo-ness

10) Wearing pants makes you the talk of the town.

9) You haven't seen a pagan in weeks. (Kidding! That one's kinda harsh)

8) Social functions include multiple priests.

7) You walk into a restaurant and are greeted with the sight of a statue of St. Joseph.

6) You show up to Mass on Sunday and half the office is there.

5) You can't go ANYWHERE without running into a Trad you know(and this is both a blessing and a curse, lol).

4) You have company prayers every morning.

3) You look over and see your boss reading the biography of St. Joseph on his lunchbreak.

2) You go to view an apartment, and see that it comes pre-marked with the epiphany chalk-marks on the doorway.


And the number one sign you've hit the Trad big-time:

1) You wake up and decide you'll scoot in a bit late, because what the hey? It's Tuesday 11AM mass, but then get there and realize with dismay, that it's standing room only.