Saturday, July 18, 2009

England 2009

This evening I'm leaving for England, where I will spend nearly five weeks on tours with the two Anglican choirs in which I sing. I look forward to what should be a fantastic experience. Blogging will probably be less frequent than usual, though I hope to check in occasionally. Apart from the obvious attractions for a monarchist of being in the United Kingdom, I look forward to meeting a number of monarchist contacts, including some members of my forum. Here is my itinerary for readers to follow if they wish.

Tour I: Choir of the Church of the Incarnation

July 18 (Sat): Depart Dallas
July 19 (Sun): Arrive London (Heathrow); coach ride to Lichfield

July 20-26: Choir in residence at Lichfield Cathedral
(Music List)
Evensong daily except for Thursday 23 July (free day in Lichfield)
Eucharist & Evensong Sunday 26 July

July 27-August 2: Choir in residence at Westminster Abbey
(Music List)
Evensong daily except for Wednesday 29 July (free day in London)
Matins, Eucharist, & Evensong Sunday 2 August

August 3-6: I will be staying with a monarchist friend in Northern England.


Tour II: Choir of St. Mark's School of Texas


August 6-9: Rehearsals at Bruern Abbey in Chesterton; sightseeing in Oxford; men stay in Bicester

August 10-14: Choir in residence at Chichester Cathedral
Evensong Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri

August 15-18: Choir in residence at Southwark Cathedral, London

Evensong Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue
Eucharist Sunday 16 August

August 19 (Wed): Concert (noon) at Canterbury Cathedral


August 20 (Thu): Depart London (Heathrow)
August 20 (Thu): Arrive Dallas


I am grateful to those responsible for maintaining the websites of UK Cathedral Music Links and the Campaign for the Traditional Cathedral Choir for their assistance in promoting these tours.

Friday, July 17, 2009

July 17

Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918)
Empress Alexandra (1872-1918)
Grand Duchess Olga (1895-1918)
Grand Duchess Tatiana (1897-1918)
Grand Duchess Maria (1899-1918)
Grand Duchess Anastasia (1901-1918)
Tsarevich Alexei (1904-1918)


R.I.P.

I have little original or new to say about this tragic anniversary, but recommend the posts at Mad Monarchist, Sword & Sea, Tea at Trianon, and Wilson Revolution Unplugged.

Friday, July 10, 2009

1776 revisited

Anarcho-capitalist Stephan Kinsella, though not a monarchist, dissents from the prevailing view that the American Revolution was a wonderful thing. A vigorous debate ensues. [To address the argument that modern Britain, though a constitutional monarchy, is hardly a model of limited government, I would point out that it was only the emasculation of the Crown and the [hereditary] Lords in favor of the Commons (and increasingly, of even the Commons in favor of the European Union) that made this possible.]

Along the same lines, the late John Attarian's 2003 "Hurrah for King George!" is always worth re-reading.

As a monarchist, for whom monarchy is a positive good and not merely a "lesser evil," I obviously believe anarcho-capitalists to be wrong to suggest that the state could or should be dispensed with entirely. But recognition that the replacement of kings with presidents and other non-hereditary sorts of rulers increased, rather than decreased, the potential for tyranny is always welcome.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Carl XV, King and Artist

I'm currently in Vail, Colorado, where the Dallas Symphony is in residence at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. I hadn't expected to find much of a monarchical nature, though it was not far from Vail that Alfonso de Bourbon (1936-1989), father of the current "Legitimist" pretender to the French throne, was killed twenty years ago in a skiing accident in Beaver Creek. On a happier note, however, I was delighted to discover yesterday when wandering into a charming art gallery, "The Englishman," that one of their paintings, "A Mountain Landscape," had been painted in 1868 by King Carl XV of Sweden & Norway (1826-1872)! I didn't really have $58,000 to spare, but the clerk kindly printed out a copy for me. I hadn't known of Carl XV's artistic abilities, but apparently they were considerable.