Verdi: La Traviata (1853)

In 1848 a book entitled The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas (the son) was published. It was made into a play and this was first performed in Paris in 1852. People liked the play very much and, under the title of Camille, it has remained popular ever since.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10, 1813, in the village of Le Roncole, about 90 miles (140 km) southeast of Milan. Today this village is in Italy but, when Verdi was born, it was in France and under the control of Napoleon. When Verdi was still a child his parents moved to the nearby town of Busseto.

Ruth: Fierce Loyalty

There is a book called the Bible. It is really a collection of lots of little books. One of these little books is called Ruth.

Over 3,100 years ago, there was a man named Elimelech. He lived in the town of Bethlehem in Judah with his wife, Naomi, and his two sons Mahlon and Chilion. At that time, food was not growing well in Judah. Elimelech decided that he and his family would move to a little country nearby called Moab. Soon after the family moved to Moab, Elimelech died.

Theodora (500-548)

Theodora was born around the year 500. No one knows where. Her father worked at the racetrack in Constantinople. Her mother was an actress and prostitute. When her father died, her mother abandoned her and her sisters. To earn money, she worked as an actress and prostitute like her mother.

When she was 16 years old, she was taken to North Africa as the mistress of a Roman governor. He beat her badly. Four years went by before she finally got away from him. After wandering for two years, she made her way back to Constantinople.

Goya: Chapel of Saint Anthony (1798)

In Istanbul, there stands a brick building. It is small, looks very insignificant, and we can only find it by walking far away from anything important. It is called the Chora. But, while it seems so unimportant from the outside, inside it is too beautiful for words.

There is a similar building in Madrid, Spain. It is small, looks very insignificant, and we can only find it by walking far away from anything important. It is called the Chapel (Little Church) of Saint Anthony. But, while it seems so unimportant from the outside, inside it also is too beautiful for words.

Chora Church (1321)

In Turkey there is a city called Istanbul. From 330 to 1930, however, that city was called Constantinople.

In that city, in an unimportant area, there is a brick building that looks very unimportant. It was first called the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora. Chora means “the country.” This church building was first constructed in the early 400s. At that time it was outside the walls of the city.

Muslim Call to Prayer

Muslims worship God together at a place called a mosque. At each mosque a person is chosen to be the muezzin.

The muezzin does many things. One of them is to call Muslims to prayer five times each day. He does this by singing the “Call to Prayer” (“Adhan”).

In English, the words of the call to prayer are something like this:

     Allah is greater [than all else].
     I witness that there is no god except Allah.

     I witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

     Come to prayer.

     Come to success.

     Allah is greater [than all else].

     There is no god except Allah.

One thing that makes Muslim cities distinct is this call to prayer. Everyone can hear it. Hearing it, everyone is reminded of God five times each day.

Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.

Pantheon

In Rome stands a building called the “Pantheon” because it was dedicated to "all gods." The Roman emperor Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138, had it built. It has been used as a Roman Catholic church since 609.

Hagia Sophia

Constantine 1^st was emperor of Rome from 306 to 337. In 330 he moved the capital of the empire to a new city he had built for the purpose. He called this city New Rome but it was soon known as Constantinople. In 1931 its name was changed to Istanbul.

Justinian 1^st was emperor of Rome from 527 to 565. He was also the most powerful emperor since Constantine. Justinian thought that Rome was the most important empire in the world. He thought that Constantinople was the most important city in that empire. He thought that the leader of the church in Constantinople was the most important Christian. So Justinian ordered the construction of the most important church building in the empire. He called it Hagia Sophia which means “Holy Wisdom.”

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (1874)

Modest Mussorgsky was born on March 9, 1839, in Karevo, Russia, near the very rural town of Toropets, about 250 miles (400 km) south of St. Petersburg. His family was aristocratic, wealthy, and owned lots of land, villages, and peasants. He died on March 28, 1881, in St. Petersburg, at the age of 42.

Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain (1867)

Modest Mussorgsky was born on March 9, 1839, in Karevo, Russia, near the very rural town of Toropets, about 250 miles (400 km) south of St. Petersburg. His family was aristocratic, wealthy, and owned lots of land, villages, and peasants. He died on March 28, 1881 at the age of 42.

His mother started teaching him piano when he was six years old. He played well and developed great skill. He was sent to private school in St. Petersburg at age ten and then to military school there at age thirteen. He continued his piano lessons. His fellow students liked to hear the songs he made up as he played. He graduated in 1856 and became an officer in the Russian Imperial Guard.