25 responses to “ALL MEN SHALL BECOME BROTHERS…”

1. 
   Pointman 24. December 2014 at 12:07 PM | Permalink

   A Happy Christmas to all.

   Pointman

2. 
   Pops 24. December 2014 at 12:18 PM | Permalink

   A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.

3. 
   nzrobin 24. December 2014 at 12:24 PM | Permalink

   And a merry Christmas to you too Pierre, and all the others who visit here. Wishing you a happy and safe time and all the best for the year ahead. Robin.

4. 
   John Shade 24. December 2014 at 1:28 PM | Permalink

   Superb performance! Merry Christmas!!

5. 
   oebele bruinsma 24. December 2014 at 2:19 PM | Permalink

   Thanks Pierre, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

6. 
   oeman50 24. December 2014 at 2:53 PM | Permalink

   Pierre,

   Your good wishes are gladly accepted and returned to you, my brother.

7. 
   Edward. 24. December 2014 at 3:14 PM | Permalink

   Reciprocated – PG!

   May all readers here – have a happy Christmas and a most serendipitous new year!

8. 
   lance 24. December 2014 at 3:48 PM | Permalink

   Merry Christmast everyone.

9. 
   Ed Caryl 24. December 2014 at 3:53 PM | Permalink

   A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

10. 
    DirkH 24. December 2014 at 4:21 PM | Permalink

    In the original, “Alle Menschen werden Brüder”, which means literally, all Humans become Brothers. Mysogynistic to say the least!

    I am not sure if the author proposes seks-change operations for wymen or den**s their humanity altogether.

    Further study of the text
    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/9._Sinfonie_%28Beethoven%29
    reveals the piece to be deistic as well, discriminating against European humanists(a.k.a. enlightened/illuminated atheists); and objectifying women (“conquering” a wife).

    Also, the piece maintains the existence of “souls”, again a deeply antimaterialist attitude falling outside the realm of the scientific method.
    Instead of recognizing the universe to be the result of random events, the text maintains the existence of a “creator” and a “plan” for celestial bodies.

    Taken together, it is unbefitting for a postmodern, genderized, secular EU to use the first notes of this piece as their hymn.

    I hope they switch to some twelve-tone, serial, random composition; favorably by a randomly chosen postmodern artist nobody knows or likes, as “liking” is a form of othering.

    May you have an interesting winter holiday.

    1. 
       Mindert Eiting 24. December 2014 at 9:29 PM | Permalink

       Materialism was already a problem in Bach’s time and even two thousand years ago, as he wrote some music to the pre-scientific text ‘Ihr aber seid nicht fleischlich, sondern geistlich, so anders Gottes Geist in euch wohnt.’ In modern English ‘But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you’. Marry Christmas to you Dirk, to Pierre, and all his visitors.

       1. 
          DirkH 24. December 2014 at 11:17 PM | Permalink

          I know.
          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Sarpi

    2. 
       Henning Nielsen 24. December 2014 at 11:29 PM | Permalink

       The text is a miracle of beauty, of fellowship and of hope. One of Germany’s greatest gifts to the world.

       1. 
          Loodt Pretorius 26. December 2014 at 2:55 PM | Permalink

          We can argue about that point, Germany’s greatest gifts to the world.

          Benz and Otto for the Diesel engine?
          Christmas trees and Christmas cards?

          I still think it is Silent Night, sung by both sides in the trenches during WWI.

          1. 
             P Gosselin 26. December 2014 at 10:43 PM | Permalink

             That indeed was a wonder.

11. 
    R2Dtoo 24. December 2014 at 4:40 PM | Permalink

    Thank you for all you do. Merry Christmas and the best in 2015, from Canada.

12. 
    BobW in NC 24. December 2014 at 5:47 PM | Permalink

    Let me add another grateful “Thank you” Pierre for all you do, and a Blessed and Merry Christmas and New Year to all!

13. 
    John F. Hultquist 24. December 2014 at 6:12 PM | Permalink

    Greetings from central Washington State.
    Sending along a link to our nearby “Bavarian Village”.
    [60 miles north of our house]

    http://leavenworthchristmaslighting.com/

    Logging, railroad, nearly disappeared – then went with tourism.
    http://cityofleavenworth.com/

    1. 
       P Gosselin 25. December 2014 at 11:22 AM | Permalink

       Wow! Quite impressive. They only need to change the name of the town to something more German sounding. Maybe Neueregensburg? or NeueHamburg?

14. 
    Ike 24. December 2014 at 8:54 PM | Permalink

    Merry Christmas and a happy new year Pierre.

15. 
    Bjorn Ramstad 24. December 2014 at 11:06 PM | Permalink

    From Norways snow-white Christmas I also wish you all a Merry Christmas and hopefully a better new year to come.
    It has been a pleasure to read this site that beeing P.G. or comments.

16. 
    Streetcred 25. December 2014 at 12:37 AM | Permalink

    Merry Christmas to all !

    1. 
       Streetcred 25. December 2014 at 12:41 AM | Permalink

       http://youtu.be/wSpsFJZ2riQ

       Summertime, and the living is easy … from Brisbane, Australia.

       Frohe Weihnachten zu meiner Familie in Wien !

17. 
    Simon of Swansea 26. December 2014 at 12:45 AM | Permalink

    Merry Christmas Everyone

18. 
    David Johnson 27. December 2014 at 6:52 PM | Permalink

    Merry Christmas and a happy new year Pierre.