Daily Signet
According to the Bible, after the annunciation to Mary by the archangel Gabriel that she will be pregnant with Jesus, Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s unborn child (the future John the Baptist) moves in her womb, and when this was noticed, she sang the “Magnificat” in response. Scholars, ancient manuscripts and English translations of the Bible, differ on whether it was Mary who sang it, or whether it was Elizabeth—both were certainly entitled….Sometimes classical composers entitle their pieces using a name that is widely used by other composers, for example: “Credo”, “Sanctus”, or “Gloria”. The title of the piece is the same; the lyrics however, can be quite different for each. Not knowing that the “Magnificat” was taken from a biblical verse, I had no idea for years that I was listening to the same lyrics because the length and style of each rendition is so different. Mozart’s piece is 4 minutes and 48 seconds long: CPE’s piece is nearly ten minutes longer at 14 minutes and 17 seconds. The same message for each; one comes across as a profound Gloria, the other as a reflection of a simpler joy.
And so it is with the voices we hear telling us what to do, or in a lesson. The words may be the same; the manner in which they are delivered is quite different. The music and voices change the very meaning of the words and, thus, change the meaning of the prayer—if one’s ears are ready.
Thank you, God, for your insistence and above all, for opening my eyes and ears.
Earl Behnke
On This Day…
Posadas Navidenas begins: reenactment by many Catholic churches of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem
Jane Austen born 12-16-1775 in Steventon, England: novelist known for her tales of family life and the perils of achieving matrimony such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma which have all been made into movies. Died 7-8-1817
Quotes: “A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”
Noel Coward born 12-16-1899 in London: playwright of many cheeky and chic plays such as Private Lives, Blithe Spirit and Design for Living and songs; Mad about The Boy, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans. Died 3-26-1973
Quotes: “It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”
“Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it around like marmalade.”
George Santayana born 12-1i6-1863 in Madrid, Spain: philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist remembered for The Life of Reason, The Last Puritan and The Sense of Beauty. Died 9-26-1952
Quotes: “A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.” “There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”