An interesting fact so early in the morning...

I see that the state broadcaster LRT Klassika begins the day, after six minutes devoted to the Lithuanian national anthem, news, and of course the weather, with a 20 minute news program from Radio Vaticana.

I neglected to consult the ordo earlier and so said the Office of the Advent feria through Prime, whereas it is more correctly the feast of Saint Francis Xavier (CE, Introibo, Wiki); Holy Mass at Saint-Eugène is at 1000 as is usual except when it isn't (First Fridays, First Saturdays, and then on other days when some circumstances on their side require things to be switched up; Sundays and the greater feasts of course it's at 0200 Pacific).




Dr Martina Cocci returns today in the 'digital Advent calendar' at Neumz; she is discussing the Marian anthem for the season, Alma redemptoris mater. Dr Cocci suggests that we hear 'Virgo Mater' when singing 'Alma Mater'; and while the Latin almus, a, um appears to have no direct connection to the Hebrew alma this makes perfect sense. I don't know if Hermannus Contractus (1013-1054) knew this 'Hebrew alma' but it's entirely possible, if not likely, since Saint Jerome discusses the word in his Contra Helvidium




Time for my spatiamentum and the grocery shopping.


Post Tertiam. The oven is preheated for the roasting of the turkey legs. It was coldish outside, below or near freezing. Lots of frost. 

Noticed in the email a Facebook post of Mons John Keenan, bishop of Paisley (it looks like he is a real bishop but I'm not absolutely sure [I'm told on Twitter that he is]) that Sir James MacMillan is presenting a series on BBC Radio 4 in which 'he considers the faith of four very different composers', Thomas Tallis, Richard Wagner, Edward Elgar, and Leonard Bernstein. The four Mondays from the feast of St Ambrose and Vigil of the Immaculate Conception, December 7. Paisley is a diocese in Scotland; I had been thinking Ireland, revealing yet again how little I know the British Isles.

The BBC Radio 4 page writes for each of the three Christian composers, 'MacMillan considers the composer's complex life and religious faith'. For Leonard Bernstein, the phrase is 'complex faith life and religious roots'. I wonder what's up there; have always understood that Bernstein was a non-observant Jew but have never actually read up on his 'complex faith life'. I am not inclined to think very highly of it in any event due to his blasphemous parody of the Holy Mass. But perhaps I've judged wrongly. Anyway, these broadcasts are at 0800 if I've calculated rightly, eh. 

My own Advent calendar this morning showed me the lady baker's male counterpart, perhaps: the butcher, with strings of different wursts and the breads to stuff them into. One deep-fries one's sausages, I guess, in the Teuton forest villages. 

Ante Nonam. This post of Dr Dippo's at New Liturgical Movement sent me to the moving appeal for funds at The Davey Consort, moving because it is so very sad to see the possibility of the collapse of such a wonderful, creative, and at the same time quintessentially 'traditionalist' project. This sort of thing is the only real reason I've ever wished to win the lottery. While I've seen Ryan Wigglesworth's name, it's Sophie Bevan's that I'm more familiar with because I only recently listened to her in... of course I have to go look, alas, because of my feeble memory. She sang the role of Dalinda in the Royal Opera's recent version of Handel's Ariodante-- I ought to have recalled this, since I just re-listened on Sunday, tsk. And will again after None, today being the last day it's available. 


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LDVM



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