Several years ago, I was walking around a neighborhood of Menlo Park in one afternoon. It was a nice day around five o'clock when the sun hang in the western sky. Suddenly I heard some singing coming out from some distance away. I found that it was a chapel with some people inside performing a mass. The solo singing was beautiful & I couldn't name the song. However, I was deeply moved at that moment. The music with the chapel, sunset & colorful cloud in the background created a spiritual world. I stood there & listened until the song was over. I later found that the song is Vesperae Solennes-Laudate Dominum by Mozart. Vespers is the evening prayer service used in the mass of Catholic church. It is also in limited use in some Protestant denominations to describe evening services or evening prayers. The psalms and hymns of the Vespers service have attracted the interest of many composers, including Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, Anton Bruckner & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The one by Mozart is the most well known. Mozart was an Austrian & his Vesperae Solennis was for Catholic mass. If Mozart belongs to the world, his Vesperae Solennes belongs to all faiths. Indeed, this work is very ethereal & has effect of sublimation & transcendence to another world. With disaster one after the other in recent years, the nature selects no particular target. The world is a village indeed, all people should help & treat each other decently transcending nation, religion & race. Let's dedicate this music (the following link) to our village with the substitution, (Cosmos for Lord, Sun for Father, Earth for Son, Mother Nature for Holy Spirit):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ug0PYot-mE&feature=related
Lyrics in Latin:
Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
Laudate eum, omnes populi
Quoniam confirmata est
Super nos misericordia eius,
Et veritas Domini manet in aeternum.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper.
Et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
English Translation:
Praise the Lord, all nations;
Praise Him, all people.
For He has bestowed
His mercy upon us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and forever,
and for generations of generations.
Amen.
Note: I sent the above in email to the classmates on 3/12/2011. I think it is proper to save it in our blog here.
