Guest guest Posted October 7, 2001 Report Share Posted October 7, 2001 Dear Nina, small world indeed. Do I know Schwarzspanierstrasse! The math institute where I studied is right around the corner at Waehringer Strasse. Schwarzspanierstrasse also houses several university institutes, as well as a student union building (a former church), noisy streetcars (in those days, may now be replaced by a subway), and a jazz club situated in a basement where I went occasionally with my friends and dates. There we would dance, or just listen to the music. Or we would enjoy some discussion on the purpose, if any, of human existence; and by one o'clock in the morning we had usually come up with the perfect solution to the world's problems... Your mention of the nearly horizontal winter sun - I can relate exactly to what you mean. But do you also recall the first days of spring when an indescribable exultant sweetness seems to fill the air from the Ring and Burggarten to the meadows of Prater? Or do you remember Christmas time in Vienna, the ubiquitous Maronibrater ovens where you get hot edible chestnuts, the many churches with their display of the Manger and the Nativity figurines, and, best of all, the festive, sacred joy that is almost tangibly present in Vienna during the Holy Season? And let us not forget the Viennese cafes where you can sit for hours on one cup of coffee, and read, or watch the passers-by, and be alone and yet not alone. Is this off-topic? Well, the statutes say you have to mention the word "samadhi" at least once in your post... But as Sri Harshaji is a benevolent ruler of his kingdom, I guess we will get away with it. :-) Here are a few links: http://www.frugalfun.com/beethoven.html - scroll down to find info on Schwarzspanierstrasse http://viennamobile.com/pages/pages/cafecentral_jpeg.htm - a typical Viennese Kaffeehaus and other pictures of Vienna, including the Gloriette http://www.akg.asn-wien.ac.at/Nachlese/rundgang_kl.html - my old school, opposite Konzerthaus Best, Michael > -----Ursprungliche Nachricht----- > Von: Nina [murrkis] > Gesendet: Friday, October 05, 2001 03:57 > An: > Betreff: Re: Mike .. stone not too heavy > > > Dear Mike, > > Amazingly small world. > > Which Beethoven House are you referring to? I lived next door > to "one" (one that has long since been built over) behind the > Votivskirche. Schwarzspanierstrasse 6. I lived there, in fact, with > two black-haired Spaniards (plus the man who would become my > husband). Interesting, eh? > > Your reminiscences are my own: music wafting through the air, the > peculiarities of that particular social structure, the buildings > where so-and-so did such and such (or not, as in the case of the > Akademie I attended and Hitler probably should have attended <g>)... > you did not, however, mention the nearly horizontal winter sun... the > sun that pierces in warm yellow blades to the center of one's soul. > Aaaaah... > > If I had it scanned, I would attach a photograph I took of an old > king sitting one of the two benches at the top of the hill that pours > down into the Schloss Schoenbrunn'r... an old king with his arm > raised to the sun, feeding the pigeons as they fly by. > > Is this off-topic? <g> > > warmly, > Nina > > , MikeSuesserott@t... wrote: > > Dear Nina, > > > > thanks for the "beating buncha flowers" picture. By stretching my > > imagination greatly I could discern the "flowers" there; now the > only > > question remaining is, whom are they beating? :-) > > Only themselves.. > > > It is wonderful that you are playing these musical instruments. You > know, I > > grew up in Vienna, Austria, just across the street from where > Mozart spent > > the last few years of his all-too-short life. I attended the same > High > > School Franz Schubert had attended about two centuries ago, which > in turn is > > just a few blocks from a place where Beethoven lived for a while... > As you > > probably know, Beethoven was quite a quarrelsome fellow. It is said > he liked > > to throw chamber pots at his landlords when they dared to disturb > him for as > > mundane a reason as the payment of his rent; in consequence, he had > to > > change apartments frequently. That's why there are a lot > of "Beethoven > > Houses" in Vienna. > > > > Even today, music is all-important in this city. Vienna is one of > the few > > places I know of where the conductor of an orchestra (the Vienna > > Philharmonics) and the director of the opera house (Staatsoper) > have more > > prestige and political clout than even the mayor. More than once > have I seen > > new opera productions get front page coverage in the Vienna papers, > with the > > political news a distant second. > > > > Now don't hold this against me, but I confess I wanted to become an > opera > > singer, too. I had a good baritone voice, and took training in > classical > > music and singing for a while. Finally, I had to decide between > singing and > > mathematics, which I also loved, and, to the benefit of my future > audiences, > > gave up the singing. > > > > My apologies to you and to the list for burdening everyone with > these > > totally unimportant reminiscences, but still I love classical > music, and > > when I read about your violin and the cello-to-be, I guess I got > carried > > away. > > > > All the best, > > > > Michael > > > > > /join > > > > > > All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, > sights, perceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and > exist in and subside back into the Space of Awareness. Like waves > rising are not different than the ocean, all things arising from > Awareness are of the nature of Awareness. Awareness does not come > and go but is always Present. It is Home. Home is where the Heart > Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the Finality of Eternal Being. A > true devotee relishes in the Truth of Self-Knowledge, > spontaneously arising from within into It Self. Welcome all to > a. > > > > Your use of is subject to > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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