Posted on 11/04/2010 7:19:12 PM PDT by WesternCulture
70 years ago, Britain and America together murdered the industrial capacity of Continental Europe.
(I have dared to arrive in Dresden early morning - doing so will rip your heart out, the marks of the bombings still are extremely present, words can't describe what you'll encounter)
50 years ago, Continental Europe stood up very well against America and Britain.
21 years ago, the Berlin wall came down.
Today, Communism and Nazism are stone dead in Europe, economic growth is decent in Germany and our school children are not instructed to salute Hitler or Stalin.
We Europeans are annoying when we accuse others of being uneducated fools, yes, but we also know much about shaping the future of Humanity.
Goebbles, a well educated man, didn't know how to handle the heritage of Goethe, Bach and Heine.
He chose to replace this glorious cultural heritage by evil lies. We all know that end of that story.
The truth Schiller and Goethe saw will eternally survive evil.
Beethovens 9th symphony says just about it all and accordingly all of Humanity ought to know it by heart:
(Beethoven's incredible symphony is based on the words of Friedrich Schiller, o)
1 Joy, beautiful spark of Gods, 2 Daughter of Elysium, 3 We enter, fire-imbibed, 4 Heavenly, thy sanctuary. 5 Thy magic powers re-unite 6 What custom's sword has divided 7 Beggars become Princes' brothers 8 Where thy gentle wing abides. Chorus
9 Be embraced, millions! 10 This kiss to the entire world! 11 Brothers - above the starry canopy 12 A loving father must dwell. 13 Whoever has had the great fortune, 14 To be a friend's friend, 15 Whoever has won the love of a devoted wife, 16 Add his to our jubilation! 17 Indeed, whoever can call even one soul 18 His own on this earth! 19 And whoever was never able to must creep 20 Tearfully away from this circle. Chorus
21 Those who dwell in the great circle, 22 Pay homage to sympathy! 23 It leads to the stars, 24 Where the Unknown reigns.
25 Joy all creatures drink 26 At nature's bosoms; 27 All, Just and Unjust, 28 Follow her rose-petalled path. 29 Kisses she gave us, and Wine, 30 A friend, proven in death, 31 Pleasure was given (even) to the worm, 32 And the Cherub stands before God. Chorus
33 You bow down, millions? 34 Can you sense the Creator, world? 35 Seek him above the starry canopy. 36 Above the stars He must dwell. 37 Joy is called the strong motivation 38 In eternal nature. 39 Joy, joy moves the wheels 40 In the universal time machine. 41 Flowers it calls forth from their buds, 42 Suns from the Firmament, 43 Spheres it moves far out in Space, 44 Where our telescopes cannot reach. Chorus
45 Joyful, as His suns are flying, 46 Across the Firmament's splendid design, 47 Run, brothers, run your race, 48 Joyful, as a hero going to conquest. 49 As truth's fiery reflection 50 It smiles at the scientist. 51 To virtue's steep hill 52 It leads the sufferer on. 53 Atop faith's lofty summit 54 One sees its flags in the wind, 55 Through the cracks of burst-open coffins, 56 One sees it stand in the angels' chorus. Chorus
57 Endure courageously, millions! 58 Endure for the better world! 59 Above the starry canopy 60 A great God will reward you. 61 Gods one cannot ever repay, 62 It is beautiful, though, to be like them. 63 Sorrow and Poverty, come forth 64 And rejoice with the Joyful ones. 65 Anger and revenge be forgotten, 66 Our deadly enemy be forgiven, 67 Not one tear shall he shed anymore, 68 No feeling of remorse shall pain him. Chorus
69 The account of our misdeeds be destroyed! 70 Reconciled the entire world! 71 Brothers, above the starry canopy 72 God judges as we judged. 73 Joy is bubbling in the glasses, 74 Through the grapes' golden blood 75 Cannibals drink gentleness, 76 And despair drinks courage-- 77 Brothers, fly from your seats, 78 When the full rummer is going around, 79 Let the foam gush up to heaven*: 80 This glass to the good spirit. Chorus
81 He whom star clusters adore, 82 He whom the Seraphs' hymn praises, 83 This glass to him, the good spirit, 84 Above the starry canopy! 85 Resolve and courage for great suffering, 86 Help there, where innocence weeps, 87 Eternally may last all sworn Oaths, 88 Truth towards friend and enemy, 89 Men's pride before Kings' thrones-- 90 Brothers, even it if meant our Life and blood, 91 Give the crowns to those who earn them, 92 Defeat to the pack of liars! Chorus
93 Close the holy circle tighter, 94 Swear by this golden wine: 95 To remain true to the Oath, 96 Swear it by the Judge above the stars! 97 Delivery from tyrants' chains, 98 Generosity also towards the villain, 99 Hope on the deathbeds, 100 Mercy from the final judge! 101 Also the dead shall live! 102 Brothers, drink and chime in, 103 All sinners shall be forgiven, 104 And hell shall be no more. Chorus
105 A serene hour of farewell! 106 Sweet rest in the shroud! 107 Brothers--a mild sentence 108 From the mouth of the final judge!
I enjoyed Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Beethoven in “Immortal Beloved”
If you could find the time to listen to the most heavenly piece of music ever composed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mvutiDRvQ
As far as I’ve always been concerned, the tenor solo is the pinnacle of all music.
I enjoyed Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Beethoven in “Immortal Beloved”
- What was the point of “Immortal Beloved” according to you?
(You don’t have to answer if you don’t wish to)
Come on and Rock me, Amadeus
I’m a fan.
“No doubt, Beethoven was a musical genius.”
- This guy took a piece of great lyrics, put music to it and made the most admired symphony of all ages, while being DEAF - and you call him a “musical” genius.
I understand you don’t wish to offend, but please realize that Beethoven, Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci are like gods to us Europeans.
Leonardo wasn’t any other painter around, Einstein didn’t just fool around in Physics and Beethoven created so much more than music.
Beethoven understood what Shiller was on about and gave it all another dimension.
Greetings from Gothenburg, Sweden
Those Nazi bastards deserved every single bomb that got in Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin and DRESDEN. After visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau last week, I have no pity for Dresden or any of the fire-bombed reich cities. Too bad they allowed their country to be ruled by a psychopath.
“I’m a fan.”
- I wish to call you “brother”:)
“Those Nazi bastards deserved every single bomb that got in Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin and DRESDEN. After visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau last week, I have no pity for Dresden or any of the fire-bombed reich cities. Too bad they allowed their country to be ruled by a psychopath.”
- We should not forgive Hitler.
Wars are a part of human nature.
That was as far as I got.
I wonder if he's ever heard of Guernica?
“70 years ago, Britain and America together murdered the industrial capacity of Continental Europe.”
70 years ago the USA was at peace and Britain was fighting alone for its life against NAZI Germany. And “neutral” Sweden was doing its part helping supply the NAZI war machine. Please spare me your disgusting sympathy for all the NAZIs we managed to kill while saving Europe from its own home-grown monsters.
By the way, has Sweden freed the boy it kidnapped yet? Or is Dominic Johansson still held hostage by the totalitarian Swedish nanny state?
The problem is, you also gave us Kant and Nietzsche and Gropius.
Beethoven fugues are great. The Hammerklavier's still eludes me, but I've got Op. 109 and 110 fairly performance ready now. Learning these has been a long journey and my first teacher insisted that I start learning them in order from Op. 2 but I skipped around later, and a few don't move me at all (Op. 22).
I’m sorry, but James Horner is a far superior composer. Listen to, “An Odd Discovery, Through the Trees.”
We Europeans are annoying when we accuse others of being uneducated fools, yes,...
Yes.
We Europeans are annoying when we accuse others of being uneducated fools, yes,...
Yes.
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