Tea at Trianon: The Chieftains

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

The Chieftains

Last night some friends took me to a Chieftains concert. We live in a university town and so famous artists do sometimes perform here. It was an uplifting musical evening and somehow did not seem out of keeping with Lent. There is an austerity and spirituality innate in Irish music; it seems to be interwoven with the landscape of Ireland. Through the harp, pipes, bodhran and tin whistle one can glimpse the sparkling waters, the mist, the fields, the seven shades of green. They had some dancers and it was hard to watch and keep still. The music was almost out of place in the vast auditorium and I found myself wishing for the quaint intimacy of a pub. The Chieftains are on a world tour and so I would recommend seeing them if they come your way. Here is a YouTube sample of their music as well as a history of Irish music in general. Share

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Lucky You! I have never seen them, but would like a good CD of Irish
music, maybe one of theirs would fill the bill.; March 1, 2007 at 7:24:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks, Georgette! That is wonderful!

Yes, Alice, you would love a CD of the Chieftains! We dance to ours all the time!; March 1, 2007 at 9:24:00 AM EST