As some readers may know, but others will not, I just returned today from a Baroque musical tour of Brazil (São Paulo and Belém), which is why I haven't posted lately. While as in Amsterdam my hopes of meeting royalty were unfulfilled (a descendant of Emperor Dom Pedro II was a registered participant at the recorder festival in São Paulo but at the last minute was unable to attend), otherwise it was a wonderful trip and everything went splendidly, with sightseeing including a visit to the Independence Monument where Emperor Dom Pedro I (1798-1834) and his two wives Empress Leopoldina (1797-1826) and Empress Amélie (1812-1873) are buried. Here is a video of me performing the Sonata No. 6 in A Minor by Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) on May 29 at the Church of Our Lady of Consolation in São Paulo which I hope readers will enjoy:
Having visited Brazil, it and its history loom larger in my mind than previously. I can no longer accept a return to the 1914 status quo (in terms of monarchies vs republics) as minimally adequate. Brazil is too important, and its monarchical story too unique and remarkable, for monarchists to ignore. Only a return to the pre-1889 status quo (essentially 1914's monarchies plus those of Brazil, Hawaii, Portugal, and China) will do. That would still leave republicans with the continental USA, Spanish-speaking Latin America, France and its former colonies, Switzerland, San Marino, and Liberia. (They ought to be satisfied with that, the greedy bastards!)
Brazil is an amazing country. But this incorrigible royalist cannot resist pointing out that it could be even more amazing if it would restore the Monarchy that unlike any other Latin American nation guided its first 67 years of independence. Viva o Imperador!
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| Independence Monument |
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| A monarchist pays his respects at the tomb of Emperor Dom Pedro I |
3 comments:
Nice post! By the way, today, June 6th, is birthday of our Emperor, D. Luiz I.
Salute from Brazil!
Being Brazilian myself, I feel somewaht glad by your visit. The shameful republic harmed us quite a lot, but the monarchical legacy was kept: Even the flag keeps the Braganza and Habsburg colors, and most - If not all - the national heroes were monarchists - Even post-1888...
Cause forced draft of thousands of citizens and the fact you could send your slave to war instead of going made the 19th century such an amazing time huh?
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