• Aboriginals in North America
  • Beast Literature
  • Canadiana.1
  • Dances & Music
  • Europe: Ukraine & Russia
  • Fables and Fairy Tales
  • Fables by Jean de La Fontaine
  • Feasts & Liturgy
  • Great Books Online
  • La Princesse de Clèves
  • Middle East
  • Molière
  • Nominations
  • Posts on Love Celebrated
  • Posts on the United States
  • The Art and Music of Russia
  • The French Revolution & Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Voyageurs Posts
  • Canadiana.2

Micheline's Blog

~ Art, music, books, history & current events

Micheline's Blog

Tag Archives: Tiffany

Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Feasts, Sharing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Balthazar, Epiphany's cake, Feast, Gaspar, Kings of Orient, Magi, Melchior, Theophany, Tiffany, Twelfth Night

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men" (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: "Mary and Child, surrounded by angels", mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called "Master of Sant'Apollinare". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate Italian-Byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, today is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 7th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian  calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).    

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural  phenomenom. If it involves the manifestation, before mere mortals, of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in “pagan” Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning 13 May 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.   

So, at the core of the word E/epiphany is the idea of a vision as well as the idea of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word simply means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An “epiphany” may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

Bethlehem Logo

However, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was  the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. The kings were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star to see, i.e. a manifestation, the child Jesus.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical (as in “Magi”), and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

Epiphany was also the twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany). Epiphany therefore ended the festivities linked with the birth of Jesus. On that day, we took the decorations off the tree and wrapped them carefully so they could be used again and again.

However there was a dark side to the event that was carefully separated from the arrival of the Kings. The Kings of Orient were told by an angel that they should travel home a different way. Similarly, Joseph was told in a dream to depart immediately and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants just born in Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), ←
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iii] “Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries.”
Gregorian Calendar, Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12),
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. ←
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

 
We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,

arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

 
The Magi

© Micheline Walker
6 January 2013 (2nd posting, revised)
WordPress

 
 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Breakfast at Tiffany’s “Moon River” & the News

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Songs

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Anthem of Europe, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Hector Berlioz, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Moon River, Tiffany, Truman Capote

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Photobucket)
  

Scott Fitzgerald

 

“Moon River is a song composed by Johnny Mercer (lyrics) and Henry Mancini (music) in 1961, for whom it won that year’s Academy Award for Best Original Song.  It was originally sung in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Audrey Hepburn, although it has been covered by many other artists. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.” (Wikipedia) Breakfast at Tiffany’s was based  on a story, a novella, written by Truman Capote, born Truman Streckfus Persons (30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984), and entitled Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958).

(Photo credit: The Saturday Evening Post)

Johnny Mercer

As mentioned above, Johnny Mercer (18 November 1909 – 25 June 1976) wrote the lyrics to Moon River.  His hometown, near Savannah, Georgia was named Moon River in honor of him and this song.  But Mercer moved to New York in 1928.  He wrote the lyrics for approximately fifteen hundred songs.

Setting Words to Music in History

Students of musicology know that setting lyrics to a melody is an extremely difficult task.  Think of all the Masses, the numerous versions of the Kyrie, Agnus Dei, Ave Maria, etc.  In fact, liturgical music is art.  Moreover, think of Operas.  Mozart set to music the words of Lorenzo da Ponte, his librettist.  They worked marvels together. The same kind of relationship may have existed between Henry Mancini or Enrico Nicola “Henry” Mancini (16 April 1924 – 14 June 1994) and Johnny Mercer. In short, we have librettists (Operas), and lyricists (songs), etc.

Programmatic Music

I have read somewhere that so-called “programmatic music” had died.  Has it?  What about film music?  To my knowledge, the term “programmatic” was coined by Franz Liszt who distributed to the audience the program or story of Hector Berlioz‘s Symphonie fantastique (1830), the day it premièred.  Programmatic music is referential music as opposed to “absolute music,” which is non referential music.  A mere title, such as Lullaby, suffices to make a piece of music reverential.  As a result, Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony (1823) is programmatic music.  Its Choral movement, the fourth, is a setting of Friedrich Schiller‘s “Ode to Joy,” An die Freude, written in 1785 and revised in 1803.  An die Freude is now the Anthem of Europe.

Remembering “Moon River”

The version of Moon River I am featuring is performed by Andy Williams.  Moon River is an American song that crossed many borders and has been interpreted by many singers.  It is etched in the mind and the heart of millions of people.  My WordPress colleague CollTales brought it back to my memory.

P. S.  I may not be able to send links to the News anymore.  I see the word “remove” next to the sites I am using.  I must investigate.

English 
The Montreal Gazette: http://www.montrealgazette.com/index.html
The National Post: http://www.nationalpost.com/index.html
The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
Le Monde diplomatique: http://mondediplo.com/ EN
 
CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/
CTV News: http://www.ctvnews.ca/
 
French
Le Monde: http://www.lemonde.fr/
Le Monde diplomatique: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/
Le Devoir: http://www.ledevoir.com/
La Presse: http://www.lapresse.ca/
 
German
Die Welt: http://www.welt.de/
 
© Micheline Walker
25 July 2012
WordPress
 
45.408358 -71.934658

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Feasts, Sharing

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Balthazar, Epiphany's cake, Feast, Gaspar, Kings of Orient, Magi, Melchior, Theophany, Tiffany, Twelfth Night

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, the 6th of January is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 6th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Cesar in 45 BCE and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).    

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural phenomenon. If an epiphany involves the manifestation before mere mortals of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek word Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation, is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning May 13th, 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.   

So, the word epiphany encompasses the idea of a vision and that of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word usually means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An epiphany may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

owever, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. They were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical, and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

Epiphany was also the twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany). Epiphany therefore ended the festivities linked with the birth of Jesus. On that day, we took the decorations off the tree and wrapped them carefully so they could be used again and again.

However there was a dark side to the event that was carefully separated from the arrival of the Kings. The Kings of Orient were told by an angel that they should travel home a different way. Similarly, Joseph was told in a dream to depart immediately and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants just born in Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iii] “Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries.”
Gregorian Calendar, Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>
We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,
arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

The Magi

© Micheline Walker
6 January 2012
WordPress

 
 
0.000000 0.000000

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Europa

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,506 other subscribers

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Epiphany 2023
  • Pavarotti sings Schubert’s « Ave Maria »
  • Yves Montand chante “À Bicyclette”
  • Almost ready
  • Bicycles for Migrant Farm Workers
  • Tout Molière.net : parti …
  • Remembering Belaud
  • Monet’s Magpie
  • To Lori Weber: Language Laws in Quebec, 2
  • To Lori Weber: Language Laws

Archives

Calendar

January 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Dec    

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • WordPress.org

micheline.walker@videotron.ca

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker

Social

Social

  • View belaud44’s profile on Facebook
  • View Follow @mouchette_02’s profile on Twitter
  • View Micheline Walker’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View belaud44’s profile on YouTube
  • View Miicheline Walker’s profile on Google+
  • View michelinewalker’s profile on WordPress.org

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker
Follow Micheline's Blog on WordPress.com

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

  • Follow Following
    • Micheline's Blog
    • Join 2,474 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Micheline's Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: