Sometimes reading slowly is beneficial. The last chapter I read from Temperament gave the ratios (rate of vibration and inversely length of string) of different musical intervals. An octave (Somewhere Over the Rainbow) has a 2:1 ratio. A perfect fifth is 3:2, a fourth (Here Comes the Bride) is 4:3; While a major third (Kumbayah) is 5:4, a minor third, 6:5, writes Isadcoff, “is associated in romantic musical works with feelings of melancholy or passion; …Chopin’s achingly sad funeral march in his Sonata in B-flat minor is launched with the leap of a minor third.”
I couldn’t hear the funeral march in my head, so I picked up Chopin and looked through the index. There it was! I played it through, well, whittled my way through it – but it was a great diversion and gave me a connection with the text.
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I flipped through Imitation of Christ and realized that this is not a book I want to sail through. I plan to read one mediation a day, which will take me into September. I am thankful to George Grant for stimulating a desire to read this book. Griffin’s notes about translating the Latin are worthy of any Latin teacher’s time, but even more they are just plain fun to read. Here’s the opening sentences and a quote from today’s reading, which BTW, you can read with the Search Inside feature:
Walking on,
Carol
A Living Pencil 
Carol, reading what you said about Imitation of Christ sent me looking for my copy, which is a translation by Ronald Knox, pulished in 1960. I went to the Amazon site and found the description very interesting. I had not realized before that Thomas a Kempis was not the sole author of the original book. It surely is a wonderful devotional book. I have not ever read all of it, but am considering using it as part of my devotions for the next while.
On another subject: I wanted you to know that I tried “The BEST Black Bean Salad” tonight…Had to change some ingredients – I didn’t have any red bell pepper so used only green, and added a few grape tomatoes that needed to be used. Chopped up a bit of cilantro and added that. And then I did the cottage cheese and salad greens that you suggested as a main dish which was what I really wanted anyway. Oh yes, followed your dressing recipe exactly. Almost. I had white wine vinegar but no red. Anyway, it made a great one-dish dinner which I will repeat soon. Now I have half a can of black beans left which I will put in the crock put with some salsa and have a nice meal tomorrow.
Excellent post….I am a s l o w reader 🙂
I frequently read only one chapter/bit at a time. It’s just all I can digest at the time, especially with Church fathers. I havent read Imitation either, but it’s on my list. Plus the Temperament book sounds like a good birthday gift for my music major daughter.
Impressed with mampiano’s improvisation with the recipe. What’s this crockpot beans and salsa recipe?
Y’all are just too much fun.
Oh mamapiano, I just pasted the recipe from Dana (Hidden Art) – I’m sorry I didn’t clarify that earlier. Griffin’s translation is really perky. I haven’t read other ones so I can’t compare. Dana, I’m getting into the Temperament book–it’s not as much work to read anymore. It really is fascinating music history.