GET ME TO THE CHURCH ON TIME!!
For dinner Tuesday night, in the ‘fridge we had leftover vegetable egg rolls and sweet and sour sauce that I made [from scratch, yes indeedy!]. But neither one of us actually wanted to cook or clean up before going to the cathedral for a beautiful evening planned. Instead, we dressed for the evening, casual dress, and began our evening with Bud and I going out to Fuddrucker’s. We special ordered our burgers [I had chicken] and enjoyed the 50′S AND 60′S ambiance; the decorated walls of course. Not the great looking abs in the next booth! [kidding!] Naturally, Bud always picks an area with one of his favorites –with the view of John Wayne crap memorabilia. I sat in front of the Beatles to dine. Not bad for a gal who grew up with them, right?
As the juke box played oldies but goodies, we munched away on our burgers and fries. I was anxious to go downtown by the bay, up on Upper Broadway Street [situated on a hill] overlooking the city and bay, to sit inside the Cathedral and enjoy the evening out together. It was a long awaited treat. For years I have loved to listen to this infamous group. I could hardly wait. Once we completed our meal we had about twenty minutes to get to the church on time. It wasn’t too far, and it’s an easy trip to follow all the interchanges and head to town. The concern of finding a parking place within easy access of the cathedral’s steps was on my mind tho. If we had to park a goodly distance away, we needed time for walking so not to miss too much!
Getting the car parked and walking up the cliff to the cathedral, lit up beautifully on a warm comfortable breezy evening, was a perfect setting for the night ahead. I was getting excited. I’ve watched this group ever since I was a child that I can remember. And it was going to be a true pleasure. Altho, the group was just a small part of the entire entourage, it was still going to be worth being there. This photo is of Corpus Christi’s Cathedral. The concert being held inside its doors Tuesday evening was the Silver Anniversary of the Cathedral’s Concert programs. Now, as I grew up in a Catholic environment, a Cathedral was HUGE…I always think of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. that blew me away with the pure elegance of architecture and the glass and steeples; the three towers, [not to mention one of the windows containing 'moon rock']….but here in Corpus this is a small one compared to what I grew up with, tho, a cathedral can be large OR small, and named so because this is the ‘main’ church of Catholicism and houses the Bishop. His throne is called Cathedra, the center of his diocese.
As we walked up the steps, and entered through the main doors, we were greeted by the hosts and hostesses of the evening and, of course, the sculptures…
While I stopped to photograph this grotto to my left as I entered, Bud was handed a couple of programs and the lights flickered and dimmed and the applause was deafening. The main cathedral itself can accomodate nearly 1500 plus a balcony and if need be, standing room. We weren’t late but a little late to find a good seat. That’s okay. Their voices carry well…and the acoustical walls that surround the altar are perfect! As we entered through the interior doors, we were greeted with the sounds of wonderment. One of the most beautiful sounds in this world, if you want my opinion….
THE WORLD RENOWNED VIENNA BOYS CHOIR
The choir, huge in its entirety, breaks up into smaller groups to tour the world. The group we had to sing for us this particular evening consisted of about 25 boys. Ranging in age from ten to fourteen [the eleven year old happened to be celebrating his birthday Tuesday]. Sorry, for the poor quality of the photos [enlarging them helps some], but cameras were not allowed, so I used the cellphone and of course, with the phone, picture quality is about nil. The gentleman to my left whispered that there was going to be a photo op later, at the reception when the concert was concluded.
But with that said, that didn’t stop me from making use of the phone carried with me. Here, the boys sing a rendition of “I am from Austria” composed by R. Fendrich [1955]. We also had a solo performance of one of my favorites “Amazing Grace” by John Newton. I had tears welling up through this solo, so the camera didn’t come in handy there! It was a most splendid evening venture. I enjoyed it so much.
[Above] Th Evening’s Program
Being that I don’t yet know by heart how the contraption camera and the functions work, I tried to zoom in…and failed to get much of the group…Oh well. I tried. And the photo is somewhat ‘fuzzy’ and blotchy at the same time, it’s still worth keeping. When the songs chosen for the night was in need of the Choirmaster to be seated at the grand piano, the little boy to his left was the sheet music page turner. Did I say how much I love this group of singers. It’s like a nature’s chorus to my ears!!!
I was lucky enough to get this photo of the Choirmaster. A bit of his background: He was born in Istanbul. Played a flute and piano as a child, going on to study choral conducting, voice, piano, and flute at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna. The Vienna Boys Choir began over 500 years ago, in 1498. Emperor Maximilian moved his court and musicians from Innsbruck to Vienna. Until 1918, the choir was exclusively for the imperial court. Some famous, the likes of Schubert and the Haydn brothers were at one time choir boys. Because of costs for upkeep for the boys, they began to hold concerts outside the court. Today, there are about 100 choristers between the ages of 10 and fourteen, now divided into four different groups touring; performing around 300 concerts yearly. The boys today are not exclusively Austrian…they come from all walks of life, from all over the world!
-edition #82
Then, for my thirteen, a whole completely different thought…….
Have You Ever Wondered?
1 … why strips of dried beef are called “beef jerky”?
- The name given to this meat was charqui, a Spanish word meaning dried meat. When the meat was beef, the dried strips were called “beef charqui,” which was later pronounced — and spelled — “beef jerky.”
2 … why someone happy is said to be ‘on cloud nine’?
- Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. So if someone is on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.
3 … why someone not doing their job well is said to be “not worth his salt”?
- At one time soldiers in ancient Rome were paid, in part, with a ration of salt called a salarium, from the Latin word sal meaning salt. If a soldier’s performance was not up to standard, that soldier was said to be “not worth his salt.”
4 … why popcorn pops?
- Popcorn, a variety of Indian corn called Zea mays everta, is different from ordinary corn in that it has a harder outer shell. As the corn is heated, moisture in its starchy grains is converted to steam, causing a tremendous pressure to be exerted against the shell. The tough shell stands up under the pressure for a while but eventually breaks down and the kernel explodes with such force that is throws out its while, pulpy insides, making an audible popping sound in the process.
5 … why girls’ short socks are called “bobby socks”?
- “Bobby” comes from bob, meaning to cut short, as in bobtail and bobby pins — pins used with bobbed hair. Since the socks described by the term are cut much shorter than the earlier knee-high socks girls wore, they were called “bobby socks.”
6 … why the words ‘may day’ is used for signaling you’re in trouble?
- This comes from the French m’aidez, which means “help me” and which is pronounced “mayday.”
7 … why the letter ‘x’ represents the unknown?
- The Arabic word used to represent an unknown quantity was shei. This was transcribed in Greek to Xei and later shortened to just X.
8 … why ’7 years of bad luck’ when a mirror is broken?
- Centuries ago many believed that a person’s image in a mirror was a reflection of that person’s soul. That is why the legendary vampire, who had no soul, casts no reflection in a mirror. To the people who held this belief, breaking a mirror meant preventing a part of the soul from reuniting with its body. The absence of a portion of the soul, it was believed, would certainly lead to ill fortune. But why seven years? This goes back to a Roman belief that a person’s health and fortune changed every seven years.
9 … why someone is called ‘son of a gun’?
- Today, the expression is used in a friendly, joking manner, but originally it had a quite different meaning. There was a time when women were allowed to live on board naval ships, and it is said that when secret rendez-vous took place between these women and the ship’s crew, the meeting place was usually behind a canvas screen near the midship gun. Therefore, when a male child of uncertain parentage was born aboard the ship, he was entered in the ship’s log as a “son of a gun.”
10 … why a wedding ring is worn on the left third finger?
- It was once believed that a vein of blood ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. The vein was called vena amoris, or the vein of love, and early writings on matrimonial procedure suggested that it would be appropriated for one’s wedding ring to be worn on that special finger.
11 … why we shake our heads up and down for affirmative and side to side for negative?
- The best explanation for this comes from Charles Darwin, who related these gestures to a baby’s nursing habits. The forward head motion, or nod, is supposedly a breast-seeking pattern while shaking the head from side to side is a breast-rejecting motion. That is, in the first instance, the baby is saying “yes” and in the second it is saying “no”. This is confirmed by the fact that a baby born deaf and blind will nod for “yes” and shake its head for “no”.
12 … why when completing a job, it’s referred to doing “the whole nine yards”?
- The term “the whole nine yards” came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 calibre machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, they got “the whole nine yards”.
13 … ever hear of the expression: “Where in the Sam Hill did he go?”
- The expression Sam Hill was born in early 19th century America. During that time, it was considered vulgar and improper to use profanity in civilized conversation. This included the word hell. This expression was the result of altering the word hell, using hill instead to deem it proper to use in public. The use of the name Sam is believed to have been derived from Samiel, the devil in von Weber’s opera Der Freishuetz, first performed in New York City in 1825. Upon putting those two words together, listeners were able to quickly realize that the speaker was referring to hell.
. . . to be continued
