Mount Virtus

Following in the spirit of this day’s post from last year, a happy 235th anniversary of the birthday of the great Ludwig van Beethoven.

This year, consider one of the master’s all-time great works, the bittersweet pinnacle of his composition career: the Ninth Symphony, and the theme of joy.

It’s a familiar tale: an aging Beethoven, ill and deaf, conducting the orchestra and chorus in the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, conducting even after they had ceased to perform, after they had reached the end of the stunning new work, after the audience had already begun to applaud, continuing to conduct until a singer turned him around so that he could see the thunderous cheers that were resounding throughout the hall. The image is deeply moving, so much so that more cynical historians would like to discount it; it is, they feel, too perfect to be true. Yet this once, however, the cynics are apparently wrong, for several eyewitnesses tell the same tale of that fateful performance in Vienna on May 7, 1824.

Sound and more text provided at the link above.

In a related vein, tonight on ABC (7 p.m. in Denver, check local listings) is the replaying of A Charlie Brown Christmas. What does this have to do with Beethoven, you say? Those who have seen the classic cartoon special may remember the following exchange:

Schroeder: This is the music I’ve set for the Christmas play.
[Schroeder plays Fur Elise]
Lucy Van Pelt: What kind of music is *that*?
Schroeder: Beethoven Christmas music.
Lucy Van Pelt: What’s so great about Beethoven? Everyone talks about how “great” Beethoven was. Beethoven wasn’t so great.
[Schroeder stops playing]
Schroeder: What do you mean Beethoven wasn’t so great?
Lucy Van Pelt: He never got his picture on a bubble gum card. Have you ever seen his picture on a bubble gum card? Hmmm? How can you say someone is great who’s never had his picture on a bubble gum card?
Schroeder: Good grief.

Good grief, indeed.

Something extra: In case you needed more reason to avoid ingesting toxic metallic substances into your body, scientists recently discovered that lead was the cause of Beethoven’s lifelong debilitating illness. And though the article’s author does not opine, dare we ask… also a contributing cause of his passionate musical genius?

Hat Tip: Coyote Gulch

President Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation (October 20, 1864):

It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with his guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad, and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their campus, and our sailors on the rivers and seas, with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by immigration, while he has opened to us new sources of wealth, and has crowned the labor of our workingmen in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, he has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war into which we have been brought by our adherence as a nation to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions.

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.

In testimony where of, I have here unto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.

There lives in those words a lot of relevance to our nation’s circumstances today. Of even more enduring relevance, the opening of the 107th Psalm, from the New American Standard Bible:

1Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3And gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;
They did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5They were hungry and thirsty;
Their soul fainted within them.
6Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.
8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
9For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

May you see afresh the LORD’s lovingkindess in your life. May the LORD bless you with a grateful heart during this Thanksgiving holiday, a grateful heart that lives on throughout the year. Peace and blessings to you and yours - and save some turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing leftovers for me!

The President’s nomination of John Roberts to fill Justice O’Connor’s vacancy on the Supreme Court - the first such change in 11 years - is such an intriguing and momentous development that I thought I’d take a moment to survey what some of the leading bloggers are saying about it. Kind of a snapshot in time.

My own opinion? The President made the best of this selection, and good conservatives can join reasonable centrists and even people on the center-left of the political spectrum to applaud it. But here’s what others are saying (in no particular order) - first, from the Right:

The gents at Powerline are ecstatic:

It’s a great day for conservatives and for America. Thanks to President Bush for nominating the best person for the job–or, certainly, one of the best people, along with McConnell, Luttig and one or two others–rather than taking the easy, politically correct way out.

Hugh raves about his personal friend:

John Roberts: A home run for the president, the SCOTUS, and for the United States.

Fellow former Harvard Law Review editor Carol Liebau is also exuberant.

Robert Alt at NR’s Bench Memos looks ahead:

Any attempt to filibuster him should be dismissed as silliness: when they finally permitted a vote on Roberts for the court of appeals, he was confirmed by unanimous consent. If the Democrats attempt to call him an “extraordinary circumstance” and use the filibuster, it will show their own disengenuity, and will guarantee not only the use of the nuclear option permanently ending the judicial filibusters, but public support for the nuclear option.

Pejman Y., one of the Red State gang, is disappointed in tonight’s announcement (but not how you might think):

My only complaint about the nomination of Judge John Roberts to the United States Supreme Court is that I would have preferred it to be for the position of Chief Justice, especially given the leadership skills which–along with a brilliant intellect–would make him one of the most consequential and great Chief Justices in history.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ideological aisle, People for the American Way is grasping at straws. It looks like they’ve drawn the short one for this confirmation battle.

Besides being stuck on the Karl Rove / Valerie Plame non-issue and questioning the timing of Bush’s announcement, Kos seems a bit confused and uncertain how to react. No serious comments to be found from TalkingPointsMemo, Matthew Yglesias, or Andrew Sullivan (the sometimes Leftie).

Others?

Michelle Malkin has a roundup of some interesting sources on Roberts… it’s worth a stop.

For the real geeks on this sort of thing, Eugene Volokh analyzes the online trading markets’ ability to forecast the President’s nominee.

Finally, in a must-read post, ConfirmThem takes the high road and links to some thoughtful responses to the Roberts nomination from the legal Left.

I could go on and on, but it’s nights like this where it’s okay for an armchair amateur like myself to sit back, be a “linker” rather than a “thinker,” and take just a glimpse into the fascinating world that is the blogosphere.

And let me say it again: John Roberts is an excellent choice to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

A log from snowed-in metro Denver…

Have Americans again lost interest in international events? Has too much time passed since 9/11 and the subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq wars so that people think we’ve achieved some sort of detente, normalcy, or new Pax Americana? Have we overcome the naivete - so typical of our nation - regarding threats from abroad and political developments a half a world away?

Many of those who spend lots of time online know that there are dozens of excellent bloggers keeping us regularly attuned to events in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, North and South Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their work is tremendously appreciated, as I must confess my own tendencies to get absorbed with national and even state and local news stories that keep me from observing the big picture.

Did you realize we just passed the momentous 2nd anniversary of the liberation of Baghdad, of the famous crumbling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Paradise Square? Two years ago! We and our allies - along with the Iraqi people - have experienced significant turbulence in the intervening time, and now only days ago the Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was sworn in as the first non-Arab president of an Arab country. Remarkable stuff, really. During another week, one where the world wasn’t mourning the loss of a well-loved and important pontiff, perhaps the story would have received better coverage domestically.

In times like these, the songs of Eric Free and his recent album Saddam Insane seem especially needful and poignant. America’s once heightened awareness of the global war against Islamofascist terrorism and its evolution into an ambitious project to import democracy en masse to the Middle East has faded a bit. Eric’s creative musical touches help to bring some of the issues back into focus, with song titles like the “Jacques Chirac Jig” and “Bad Mullah Blues.” They range from light and fun to reflective, but many of the songs convey the messages many Americans could stand to hear at this time.

Check out Eric Free’s serious and less-serious blog pages and test out some of the songs, while you’re there.

What are you doing this Wednesday evening? Have you been looking for a way to commemorate disgraced Dan Rather’s swansong as CBS Evening News anchor? The Independence Institute is hosting a farewell party for Rather, and you’re invited:

Join us for “Happy Hour” on Wednesday, March 9th at 5:00 PM at Jackson’s All American Sports Grill in LoDo as we say a tearful good bye to legendary anchorman Dan Rather. Following Rather’s final farewell, Jay Ambrose, former editor of the Rocky Mountain News, will address the liberal bias in the mainstream media.

RSVP to Rachael by calling 303-279-6536 or rachael@i2i.org

The Center for the American Experiment in Minnesota is hosting its own dinner forum to mark the occasion, with Powerline’s Hinderaker & Johnson live-blogging the event. Come out to Jackson’s on Wednesday and you’ll experience the “hip” Colorado alternative. See you there.

Update: Looks like I was already beaten to the punch by a much bigger fish in the blogosphere. Check out Michelle Malkin’s post on various events across the country.

Fellow RMA member Jared has received his wife’s blessing to pursue a commission as a Naval Reserve Intelligence Officer. Read all about it.

Memo from Mount Virtus

All the best!
Ben

No Orwellian references in the title. My big brother, living in Wisconsin, turns 30 today. Just thought I’d share that with you all and wish Brad a “Happy Birthday!”

Was it really 25 years ago today that a once ragtag band of amateur US hockey players coached by Herb Brooks turned the international sports world on its ear with an amazing 4-3 medal round victory over the invincible Soviet machine?

You can almost hear the echo of Al Michael’s voice: “Do you believe in miracles??? YES!” For a brief while in February 1980, the United States most certainly did believe in miracles. 25 years ago….

If any day in February is worthy of an official government holiday, we should be celebrating TODAY. Why? Because George Washington was born on this day 273 years ago: February 22, 1732.

This blog post is neither the time nor the place to extend a full tribute to George Washington, our nation’s first President. Yet “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen,” Washington is certainly worthy of the honor and commemoration.

No figure in American history deserves more than Washington to have his birthday celebrated by Americans in our time. (And I say this as one of the biggest Lincoln aficionados you’ll find.)

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’d taken a prolonged hiatus from posting. While I was gone, Mount Virtus passed the one-year anniversary mark. A lot has changed since the first post last February, but I hope the commitment to quality remains the same.

So why has the site been so quiet of late? I very recently spent a week at the Biblical Counseling Training Conference in Lafayette, Indiana, a positive and intense experience that has already brought me greater attention to two things:

1. The need for personal spiritual discipline and focused spiritual growth in my life;
AND
2. The need for more serious spiritual interaction in the lives of those God has placed in my path.

The conference was a tremendous experience and one I recommend to my evangelical Christian friends. It’s not just for pastors or other full-time ministry people: I can testify to that! We are equipped by God’s all-sufficient Scriptures (II Peter 1:3) to humbly minister loving truth into the lives of others on a one-on-one basis, remembering always that our first and highest goal is to please God with our thoughts and actions (II Corinthians 5:9). Facing the sin in my own life and actively seeking God’s grace to make me more like Christ has been a tremendous challenge and blessing thus far.

As a result, a major highlight of my blog in upcoming days will be summary reviews of the lessons and seminars at the conference, enough to give a taste of what was taught.

Other topics will still be discussed, especially as I get back up to speed, but I thank you now in advance for your understanding and kind attention.

On this important national day of reflection - both gazing back at history and forward into the uncharted future - we celebrate the peaceful transition of power in our Constitutionally-limited republican government. Inauguration Day comes every four years on the American calendar. Many of the most important speeches of our national public life are given on these days. To read and study them is to see not only something of the men who delivered them but also of the times in which they lived and the challenges Americans have faced - and so very often surmounted, as well.

I’m certainly not adding anything new or controversial to the conversation when I say that the best of them all remains Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, given on March 4, 1865. It is wise, prayerful, solemn, hopeful, and much more… all in a speech that could not have been spoken in more than 5 minutes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Following in the footsteps of Schroeder, perhaps my favorite Peanuts cartoon character, today (approximately… most historians believe somewhere between the 15th and 17th) we celebrate the birthday of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, one of 7 children - only 3 survived past infancy - to a court musician and his wife. His accomplishments, achievements, and his pure genius are hard to recount here without making some serious oversights. Nevertheless, anyone with serious appreciation for good music is familiar with a number of his works.

Beethoven was radical for his time and broke ground with his composition style. He ushered in the Romantic era of great music. Many of his symphonies are priceless treasures, some of which have been played and caricatured so much (especially the 5th) that they deserve a status all their own.

But let me tell you why Schroeder and I both take a few moments to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday. (Today would be his 234th, by my reckoning.) Few things in the world are as cathartic and as relieving of stress as pounding out a good Beethoven piano sonata. Angry how your boss treated you at work? Had a rough ride home in bumper-to-bumper traffic? Sit down and play through the first movement of the “Pathetique” (not perfectly, of course) and find the strain melting away.

Beethoven tapped a deep nerve in human feeling and passion. Try sitting alone in a room and listening to his 7th Symphony - no, really listening - and not be overswept with emotion. Powerful stuff. A powerful gift. The result of the gradual onset of deafness, broken relationships, and a general emotional instability.

A caveat: Beethoven’s birthday also reminds me that genius is not necessarily greatness. Gifts like his are rare, indeed; but the true “genius” of life is finding God’s purpose and God’s peace. This really has priority. Because compared with our Creator, the smartest among us comes far short of what the average garden slug is compared with our own intelligence.

A happy thought for a snowy December day!