ALL THE REST —  August 30
  

 

Today's Quotations –  Music:

 




Sing spiritual canticles, for the Evil One by means has often desisted from his operation.

— St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

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Music strikes in me a deep fit of devotion, and a profound contemplation of the First Composer. There is something in it of divinity.

— Thomas Browne, Religio Medici

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But, oh! what art can teach,
What human voice can reach
The sacred organ's praise?
Notes inspiring holy love,
Notes that wing their heavenly ways
To mend the choice above.

—  John Dryden, "A Song fro St. Cecillia's Day"

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In exchange for mad jazz and concert music, we [Carmelite nuns] have the Gregorian chant whose only audience is God.

  —  Mother Catherine Thomas, My Beloved

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O, may I join the choir invisible
Of those immortal dead who live again
In minds made better by their presence...
Whose music is the gladness of the world.

        —  George Eliot, "O May I Join the Choir Invisible"

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It would be a sad day for us if ever the music of the church bells were to become silent in our villages and towns. For it is this music which calls us away from the world of visible things, the world of our scheming and talking, inviting us to gather ourselves together to hear the word of God which resounds from the invisible world of eternity.

— Rudolf Bultmann, This World and Beyond

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I know not what I was playing,
Or what I was dreaming then;
But I struck one chord of music,
Like the sound of a great Amen.

—  Adelaide Anne Procter, "A Lost Chord"

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Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what a water-bath is to the body.

– Oliver Wendell Holmes



 

word puzzle
  Today's Word – ACCOUTERMENT
   

 


ac·cou·ter·ment
or accoutrements noun 1. Ancillary items of equipment or dress. b. Military equipment other than uniforms and weapons. 2. accouterments or accoutrements. Outward forms of recognition; trappings 3. Archaic. The act of accoutering.

The boys dressed themselves, hid their accoutrements, and went off grieving that there were no outlaws any more, and wondering what modern civilization could claim to have done to compensate for their loss. They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain



There was I, straight as a young poplar, wi' my firelock, and my bagnet, and my spatterdashes, and my stock sawing my jaws off, and my accoutrements sheening like the seven stars! Yes, neighbours, I was a pretty sight in my soldiering days. You ought to have seen me in four!"

Return of the Native.
Thomas Hardy


Definition from American Heritage Dictionary


Today's Fact

 

 

animals


  MUSIC 
The Violin part 2


 

The violin is the soprano member of a family of stringed instruments which also includes the viola, violoncello, and double bass. It is constructed from a variety of woods which generally include: spruce, maple, ebony, and rosewood or boxwood. The unique mechanical properties of these woods combined with the quality of the varnish which preserves determines the acoustical qualities of each individual violin.

The table, or top plate, is made from spruce. The back, ribs (sides), and neck are made from maple. An ebony fingerboard, which extends almost to the center of the table, is glued to the neck, which has a scroll and pegbox at its top. The pegs are made from rosewood or boxwood, and have strings attached to them; turning the pegs allows the strings to be tuned. An ebony nut at the top of the fingerboard guides and raises the strings, which are attached at the bottom of the instrument to an ebony or boxwood tailpiece. At the center of the table the strings pass over a thin maple bridge, which transmits the vibrations of the strings to the body of the instrument; an interior soundpost and bass bar also amplify the sound and color the tone. Finally, the table is pierced by two soundholes cut in the shape of the letter f (f-holes)

The violin strings are usually made from from an animal gut or synthetic core which is wrapped in aluminum or silver. The E string, however, is pure steel. The strings of the violin are tuned in fifths, starting at the bottom with the G below "middle C," then D, A, and E. When the fingers of the left hand strike the strings, the pitch of these "open" strings is altered.

The violin is most often played with a bow. The bow is essentially a stick of wood with a length of horsehair attached to it. The hair is kept away from the stick by being attached to an incurved tip at the top of the bow. At the bottom of the bow, the hair is attached to a "frog," which is also used to control the tension of the hair. Sticky rosin applied to the hair creates the friction necessary to excite the strings when the bow is drawn across them.

Sources: Encyclopedia Britanica   
 


 
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.


Psalm 100:1-21 

 

clown
Today's SMILE

 

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

 
   

 

 

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

 

A FEW SMILES   

 

smile

LONGEVITY

"How do you account for your longevity?" asked the reporter on Harold's one-hundred-and-tenth birthday.

"You might call me a health nut," Harold replied. "I have never smoked nor have I ever touched alcohol. I was always in bed and sound asleep by ten o'clock. And I've always walked three miles a day, rain or shine."

"But I had an uncle who followed that exact routine and died when he was 62," said the reporter. "How come it didn't work for him?"

"All I can say," replied Harold, "Is that he didn't keep it up long enough."

From: David A. Rinke II: Funny Pages Mailing List


How About This

Hurrying into a shop, a woman picked up a can of fly-spray, handed it to the assistant and asked, "Is this good for wasps?"

After looking at it for a moment, he said, "No madam. It will kill them."

From: David A. Rinke II: Funny Pages Mailing List



Good Ideasmile

A young salesman had asked his girlfriend to marry him. She said she would love to, but he would have to ask for her father's permission. "He's old-fashioned," she said, "and he might not say yes to the first man who asks for his daughter's hand. I sure hope that you can convince him."

The young salesman thought about the upcoming interview for a very long time. When it finally came time to speak to his girlfriend's father, he began by saying, "Sir, I have an idea that will save you lots of money…"


Work Horse

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch in a desolated area. A local farmer came to help with his big strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Buddy didn't move. Then the farmer hollered, "Pull, Buster, pull!" Buddy didn't respond. Once more the farmer commanded, "Pull, Coco, pull!" Nothing. Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "Pull, Buddy, pull!" And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The farmer said, "Oh, Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try!"

Time To Smile ZONDERVAN PUBLISHING HOUSE E-MAIL ALERT SERVICE


Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture" a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

"As we prepare for takeoff, please make sure your tray tables and seat backs are fully upright in their most uncomfortable position."

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane..."

"Your seat cushions can be used for floatation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."

"We do feature a smoking section on this flight; if you must smoke, contact a member of the flight crew and we will escort you to the wing of the airplane.

Smoking in the lavatories is prohibited. Any person caught smoking in the lavatories will be asked to leave the plane immediately.

Good morning. As we leave Dallas, it's warm, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing. We are going to Charlotte, where it's dark, windy and raining. Why in the world y'all wanna go there I really don't know."

Pilot - "Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern."

And, after landing: "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

As we waited just off the runway for another airliner to cross in front of us, some of the passengers were beginning to retrieve luggage from the overhead bins. The head steward announced on the intercom, "This aircraft is equipped with a video surveillance system that monitors the cabin during taxiing. Any passengers not remaining in their seats until the aircraft comes to a full and complete stop at the gate will be strip-searched as they leave the aircraft.

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice comes over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella...WHOA..!

"Here are a few heard from Northwest: "Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the bag over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or adults acting like children.

As you exit the plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.

"And from the pilot during his welcome message: "We are pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry... Unfortunately none of them are on this flight. "


 

After almost twenty years teaching kindergarten, Miss Grover had composed a note which she had each child carry home at the end of the first week of school. It read,

"Dear Parents -- if you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything he or she says happens at home."




TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

Going the speed of light is bad for your age.

 


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Phillip Bower

 

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Copyright Information: Phillip Bower is not the author of the humor, and does not claim to own any copyright privileges to the jokes. Sources of jokes are listed when known. Birthday's and Happenings for the date, and quotations are public knowledge and collected from numerous sources. Quotations are public knowledge and sources are listed when known. Weekendspirations are written by Tim Knappenberger who has copyright privileges. Cathy Vinson authors Whispers from the Wilderness and owns copyright privileges. Weekendspirations and Whispers from the Wilderness are used with permission by the respective authors. Other devotions are written by Phillip Bower unless otherwise stated. In all cases credit is given when known. The Daily Miscellany is nonprofit. Submissions by readers is welcome.