Beethoven and Boston Tea Party

Bostonians were having a tea party as Beethoven celebrated his third birthday.

December 16th is recognized as Beethoven's birthday, tho historians don't truly know if the date is accurate. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany in 1770 and died in 1827. In his twenties, he moved to Vienna. He was living during the days when tea was becoming the fashion in Europe. Surely he would have had a cup or two on occasion. I wonder how he would express, musically, the experience of tea. Vancouver, BC, certainly gets the connection. The city's symphony orchestra is featuring the music of Beethoven in its March 2008 "Tea and Trumpets" concert.

December 16th, 1773 is the infamous Boston Tea Party. I won't say much about it here because you can read a great summary at the Wikipedia entry. Instead, as I read the entry, I am taking a moment to contemplate our contemporary government. To what extent have wealthy lobbyist, like those for the East India Company, taken over the conversation? What will and won't I tolerate from my own government? An interesting thought progression, all conneted to tea and its history, and convened over a pot of tea.