tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post5503971493862474257..comments2023-09-26T03:53:17.142-04:00Comments on Pentimento: Thickening the CulturePentimentohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-217988098557627232015-02-06T12:44:40.911-05:002015-02-06T12:44:40.911-05:00If I weren't so grateful to have completed my ...If I weren't so grateful to have completed my doctorate while teaching and trying to figure out how to be a mom, I would have been bummed. I was a little jealous of the Ph.D.'s in audiology, who walked the stage right before the music program. Not only did I feel like I should have gotten their degree, but their hoods were white and looked really cool.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-21959980458688679022015-02-06T12:23:14.869-05:002015-02-06T12:23:14.869-05:00I know I am weeks behind here, but how do you feel...I know I am weeks behind here, but how do you feel about the pink? I was so dejected when I found out I had to wear pink. Wouldn't have been my first choice. Maybe a nice teal or something.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472686909226073213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-62151599074026198172015-01-29T22:05:43.511-05:002015-01-29T22:05:43.511-05:00Thank you for your comment, Anne-Marie. These are ...Thank you for your comment, Anne-Marie. These are all really good ideas. I didn't know about the St. Gregory's Pockets -- I haven't been reading blogs much at all for a while as I've tried to work on my book -- but I love the idea and that Leila is facilitating them. I need to think about what might work here. If only all of us lived in the same place!Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-42873132299491867912015-01-29T21:45:21.522-05:002015-01-29T21:45:21.522-05:00When the thick culture has evaporated, it's in...When the thick culture has evaporated, it's inevitable that our attempts to revive it will feel awkward--because they are to some extent contrived. They have to be; that's what it means to have lost the culture. As we get habituated to them, they come to feel more natural and they become part of the culture. So I think you and Melanie shouldn't be discouraged by that aspect. Heck, my family moved last year to a parish that has a relatively thick Catholic culture (subculture? counterculture?) and even so, some of what we do together sometimes feels artificial.<br /><br />But Melanie's right that it is crucial to do things with other people. Could you join or start a book group, either for yourself or for your boys, at the local library? Could you organize a sing-along, maybe of old-timey songs? Or maybe just volunteer at bingo regularly, so as to make friends?<br /><br />Have you seen the blog<br />likemotherlikedaughter.org? "Building the culture" is a favorite theme of hers. And because she believes strongly in the real world and not just the virtual one, she's set up a network called "St Gregory Pockets" to help people create real-life get-togethers. There's a link to it near the top of her page. Anne-Marienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-36739705396482254032015-01-28T19:27:10.553-05:002015-01-28T19:27:10.553-05:00Oh, good to see you here too, Enbrethiliel!
The s...Oh, good to see you here too, Enbrethiliel!<br /><br />The seemingly wholesale loss of Filipino culture is very sad. How did it happen so quickly? I want to see pictures of Filipino dress now.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-65371143090149224492015-01-28T07:33:03.028-05:002015-01-28T07:33:03.028-05:00+JMJ+
PS -- Nice photo! ;-) I hadn't know th...+JMJ+ <br /><br />PS -- Nice photo! ;-) I hadn't know that about pink. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-50534208749786214852015-01-28T07:32:26.206-05:002015-01-28T07:32:26.206-05:00+JMJ+
I wasn't really able to join Melanie&#...+JMJ+ <br /><br />I wasn't really able to join Melanie's discussion, but it definitely gives a voice to something that I've been thinking about for a while--at least since I realised that I've experienced a discontinuity not just of religious culture, but also of national culture. <br /><br />A few months ago, a Filipino celebrity who is also known for his political activism tweeted in a discussion of apathetic university students: "Nobody reads history anymore. Their minds have been shaped by paid media." And while I couldn't disagree with him, one assumption in that tweet rubbed me the wrong way. For if you have <i>to read</i> about your history, then you've <i>already</i> forgotten it, haven't you? And if you've forgotten it, that's probably because a previous generation didn't pass it on. The current crop of uni students didn't come out of nowhere: they grew out of a culture prepared by the generations that came before. <br /><br />Now, I'm not a fan of passing the buck . . . but in the case of the Philippines, it really is true that the generations which were in control when I was born failed to prepare for my generation a proper inheritance. They sold everything from our natural resources to our cultural identity, for a little bit of money in the present. It was a very real betrayal of their children--though I'm sure it wouldn't have seemed that way at the time. Culture is <i>resilient</i>, right? =P <br /><br />So I envy our Asian neighbours for, among other things, having valued their national costumes enough to insist on bringing them into the modern world: the longyi of Burma, the ao dais of Vietnam, the sari of India . . . Perhaps the Filipino patadyong and balintawak were not as practical as these . . . but did we have to get rid of <i>everything</i>--the silhouettes, the patterns, the weaving, the textiles--wholesale? We still see men wearing the barong Tagalog during weddings and other formal occasions--but the women often wear western-style gowns. I first saw the extent of my cultural impoverishment and illiteracy when I was studying in New Zealand and my hostel had its annual "International Students Night". All the other Asian girls brought out the formal, tailored national costumes that they had carried with them over an ocean . . . and I had never even been fitted for a terno. It had never occurred to me that I would want to be--and never occurred to the women who had raised me that I should have been. <br /><br />So what can be done in this case? Unlike Catholic mothers, young Filipinos can't scour the Web to find handy outlines of what traditions mean or step-by-step instructions for recreating them. Every Palm Sunday, I buy an intricately woven palm from a vendor outside my church, who very likely learned the skill at home. Although my family either never learned to weave palms or learned but never thought to pass the knowledge on (both scenarios being very likely!), this tradition is part of our thick national and religious culture. But if we want to learn how to do it, we will have to go to YouTube. And right now, YouTube has got nothing. <br /><br />Of course, even if it did, I'd still be weaving in a vacuum. A vacuum world of one. And ironically, this is one reason why I long so desperately to be able to start a family. In that case, at least I'd have companions, however few, with whom to till the fallow ground, to make the desert bloom, and to mix bad metaphors. =P I think that's what everyone wants--and those who already have a few companions naturally want a few more, for a community that feels as thick as it's supposed to be. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-83098648868471508472015-01-25T15:07:11.974-05:002015-01-25T15:07:11.974-05:00thought provoking....we have to make this thick cu...thought provoking....we have to make this thick culture- which is easier said than done for busy people- start small and who knows? priest's wife - S.T./ Anne Boyd https://www.blogger.com/profile/03792937108732259684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-71989462977013257552015-01-25T07:22:07.678-05:002015-01-25T07:22:07.678-05:00Thank you, GretchenJoanna! I'm always happy to...Thank you, GretchenJoanna! I'm always happy to see you here.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-65633711839637993382015-01-25T00:59:18.488-05:002015-01-25T00:59:18.488-05:00I just have to stop in here and say that it is nic...I just have to stop in here and say that it is nice to read a post from you, though I understand about not blogging or even reading blogs as much as before. I can't imagine the different world it would have been, in my 21 years of homeschooling, if I had had Facebook or a blog.<br /> In those years I also did not have the thick culture you long for. We have it in my Orthodox parish, which is large enough to have many opportunities every week for people to connect through the church services and activities, and I wish that were the context in which my children had grown up. For me, it's odd to experience this supremely nourishing, Christ-full culture mostly on my own. I suppose that sounds less than supremely nourishing. :-)<br /> It makes me so happy for you that you are able to homeschool, and I pray God's blessing on you and your family and much joy.<br /> And I love seeing your photo!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-19861450596801677922015-01-17T17:12:58.582-05:002015-01-17T17:12:58.582-05:00-private-
Pentimento ... I have been smiling all ...-private-<br /><br />Pentimento ... I have been smiling all day! My e-mail is plinnen@earthlink.net. <br /><br />I had a very dear friend, Art Clifton, who died in November 2008 who loved music. I met him as a new hire to a media dept. of an ad agency in Chicago right out of college. He was the agency's Creative Director. <br /><br />Nearly twenty years later our paths crossed again in a wonderful way, around music — I needed a jingle for my daughter's birthday party ... but he did do 'hippie'. (LOL) It was at this time I really got to know him, his wife and family. <br /><br />He was the founder of the Wagner Society of America and was on the Junior Governing Board of The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. If he were with us today, he would thoroughly enjoy your writings.<br /><br />For me he was a sincere spiritual mentor and helped me walk back the Catholic faith.<br /><br />Your book's topic sounds fascinating! I know that the Assoc. would be interested in it upon its completion.<br /><br />I need to run and make dinner for the crew. Looking forward to hearing more. God bless your evening. God is good!<br /><br />Paulanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-38964393855135880322015-01-17T13:52:26.051-05:002015-01-17T13:52:26.051-05:00Paula, is there any way you and I could correspond...Paula, is there any way you and I could correspond via email? If you leave a comment here with your email address, I will not publish it, but will be able to contact you directly.<br /><br />The book I'm currently writing for a scholarly publisher in England is about religious conversion in nineteenth-century Britain in the context of the changing auditory landscape. There is a chapter about Hermann, who was active in England in the 1860s. I will tell you more about it in private correspondence.<br /><br />I actually saw Justin Kolb a couple of months ago; I gave a paper about Hermann at a symposium on music iconography, and I had him play an excerpt from one of Hermann's piano works.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-71560716036016110322015-01-17T13:39:19.844-05:002015-01-17T13:39:19.844-05:00Beautiful! In reading about Cohen I came upon an ...Beautiful! In reading about Cohen I came upon an article promoting the performance of "Liszt and the Barefoot Carmelite" but could not tell if it was ever recorded. I certainly would like to encourage Justin Kolb to do so. I would be first in line to purchase! <br /><br />Thank you so much for the link to the other recording and heads-up on its quality. I definitely will contact the group. <br /><br />So too, thank you for expressing your kind delight regarding my daughter. My husband is Jewish (daughter's father) and we belong to the Association of Hebrew Catholics, so I have over the years collected books, music, movies etc. that unite our common heritage. <br /><br />Reading about St. Kalowinski I learned that he was born in the same town as my husband’s great grandparents in Vilna. From what I have read, Hermann Cohen’s influence on Princess Ampora lead her to enter Carmel in Paris, later transferring to Cracow. She in turn had impressive influence on St. Kalinowski to become a Carmelite. ... perhaps leading him to write a biography on Cohen. <br /><br />My daughter’s interview w/the Carmel Order fell on the date of this Saint's death, and two-days before his Memorial day. Upon learning this, we both thought it was best to invoke his intercession on her behalf. His great, great grand niece has a very informative website on her saintly uncle: Elonka's Family: Pics and Info about Saint Raphael Kalinowski<br /><br />In your readings about Hermann Cohen, did you learn that he had a miraculous cure at Lourdes? It is a fascinating story.<br /><br />Again, thank you for the information, particularly on Justin Kolb and the link to his website. What state does he reside?Paulanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-16500743968322212002015-01-17T11:36:06.739-05:002015-01-17T11:36:06.739-05:00Paula, thank you for your comment. How wonderful a...Paula, thank you for your comment. How wonderful about your daughter!<br /><br />I didn't know about St. Kalinowski but looked him up. I will have to see if his book on Hermann Cohen has been translated. Thank you for the reference.<br /><br />The only recording I know of Hermann's music is his Mass of St Teresa. There is a live performance recording, which unfortunately has very poor production values. You can get a copy here:<br /><br />http://www.carmelite.org.uk/acatalog/TERESA_OF_AVILA.html<br /><br />Also, there is an American pianist, Justin Kolb, who has performed Hermann's piano music in a program called "Liszt and the Barefoot Carmelite." If I recall correctly, he is trying to put together a recording. I know him and I can put you in touch if you like. <br /><br />http://www.justinkolb.com/home.shtmlPentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-40463265822717457332015-01-17T11:19:24.194-05:002015-01-17T11:19:24.194-05:00Greetings! A bit off topic, but had a question t...Greetings! A bit off topic, but had a question to ask you regarding Hermann Cohen and his music. I have been following your blog postings for sometime and have enjoyed being educated in the 'music' realm and insights on Catholic conversions etc. If I recall correctly, sometime back you did a piece on Hermann Cohen. I thought perhaps you might be able to guided me to some good recordings of his music. <br /><br />Please know my request is rooted in the fact that my daughter was accepted into a Carmelite novitiate this past Advent, and while doing some reading on the Carmel St. Kalinowski, who wrote a biography on Hermann Cohen, I learned of Cohen.<br /><br />If you are able to assist, it would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for the interruption ... and thank you for your fine postings! Paulanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-1813373715882669562015-01-17T07:10:24.340-05:002015-01-17T07:10:24.340-05:00It does seems as if we're each doing it in our...It does seems as if we're each doing it in our own homes in a sort of vacuum enabled by pretty pictures. I'm happy to learn about some traditions, but the exercise of them in your own home without the larger context of church and community doesn't seem to make them stick.<br /><br />One of the things I've found since moving here is that my friends are not the friends I ever expected to have; we don't have that much in common. But perhaps that's a good thing.Pentimentohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17161146891505294679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554498168264477884.post-91951777642721631982015-01-16T23:10:38.067-05:002015-01-16T23:10:38.067-05:00Your post, and Melanie's thoughts, resonate wi...Your post, and Melanie's thoughts, resonate with my own. When I activated a FB account, I blogged less and less, yet I posted more and more nonsense each day. I had my "Friends" and yet how well do we really input into each others' lives. I left FB to go back to blogging and to be more present to my family. I feel more connected to those who matter. <br /><br />I long for a "thick" culture. When I attended my aunt's funeral in NJ in August, there was a huge wedding celebration weekend happening with a large Orthodox Jewish community (Hassidic maybe based upon the hair styles of the men, dress and most married women wearing wigs?). I saw their community, sensed the closeness, the tradition, the togetherness and I longed for it. Your post reminded me of stories I have read of the rhythm of a Catholic community focused on the liturgical calendar and not the secular calendar. Though as much as I try to adopt and impose some traditions via nifty blog posts or Pinterest, I just fail. We can't do it on our own. We need a community to come along side of us. Kimberliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00682309129537807752noreply@blogger.com