"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Wednesday, January 09, 2019

Culture Break: Ludwig van Beethoven: Heiliger Dankgesang

The formal title is Quartet in A minor Op. 132; it's the third movement, noted as "adagio-andante". The story as I remember hearing it is that Beethoven had been seriously ill; he deemed his recovery miraculous, and composed this as a hymn of thanksgiving.


I first heard this one at a concert by the Fine Arts Quartet. My boyfriend the Beethoven nut and I had season tickets -- the Quartet was doing the complete Beethoven Quartets. We had seats near the back of the auditorium (the old Goodman Theater, with perfect acoustics). He looked over at me during this movement and I was sitting there, totally focused on the stage, with tears streaming down my face.

Music does that to me sometimes.

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