This Present Moment – Michael John Trotta – (SATB/piano/oboe) opt. strings

Text: Fra Giovanni Giocondo

 

 

The text is set to emphasize the universal message of a letter over 500 years old,

with a message as timeless as ever. The theme of finding the sacred in the present

moment appears in all of the major mystical traditions of those who seek union with

the divine. The text speaks to the incarnation of the divine in every moment, a

message that is appropriate not just during a particular season, but every day of the year.

 

 

 

About the text:
This beloved text has been popular in the United States and beyond for the last century.

The work is attributed to an Italian Friar named Giovanni Giocondo though the British

Museum is unable to conclusively authenticate this.
 
In the Theosophical Quarterly  (July 1910) the question was raised as to provenance of the letter dated 1510. 

“Is it a genuine antique, or a modern composition cast in an antique form?” Most poignantly the author answers

the question as follows:
 
 “I, for one cannot tell you. Nor do I see that it matters. The only important question is whether the message

is true or not; and I think it is – profoundly true. “
 
Although the text is suitable for year round use, its association with the Christmas season in the United States

in the 20th century was due in large part to a small printing of three issues in 1920’s totaling only 250 copies

in all. The letter was published under the title: “A medieval letter from Italy : being an expression of Christmas

wishes from Emerson Knight.” The association with Christmas has ever since  been inseparable.