An Evening with the Habsburgs (on Video)

At dinner with my brother last evening, we were trying to remember what the band played for the recessional at our high school graduations. I suggested Mendelssohn's "War March of the Priests" from Athalia. He didn't think that was it, so after dinner I found a version on YouTube and played it. He still didn't think it was played when he graduated.

One link led to another. Eventually, however, I arrived at the recent funeral of Archduke Otto von Habsburg, who was born in 1912 and was crown prince when his father, Blessed Emperor Karl, abdicated in 1918 and the empire was abolished. Fascinated, I watched videos from Archduke Otto's funeral — the funeral Mass, the funeral procession, and the arrival at the burial crypt's locked doors. To get there, I had watched videos about Otto's mother, Empress Zita (who lived from 1892 to 1989), about her wedding to Karl, about Otto's son George at a Hungarian festival in Toronto (with footage of him speaking in English and also in Hungarian), and of Otto himself speaking in English about religion, politics, and language study (among other things, he found that Bismarck referred fairly frequently to God in his speeches, whereas current Christian Democratic politicians almost never do). If you go to any of the videos I'll link, you can eventually find all of these and much more.

If you have any understanding of German, I recommend taking a look at the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slcJRqox1gI&feature=related
the first reading of the Mass, read by Otto's oldest son, Archduke Karl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGymFYWJ1BE&feature=BFa&list=ULaPnmYOUHh8w&lf=mfu_in_order
the second reading, read by Karl's 14-year-old son, Archduke Ferdinand Zvonomir,
both of which give some of the context for

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTE2dQ-vibQ&feature=BFa&list=ULaPnmYOUHh8w&lf=mfu_in_order
the homily by Cardinal Christoph von Schönborn, which I earnestly invite all German speakers to listen to, even if you skip all the rest, since I think, as far as I understand it, it presents an excellent summary of Otto's significance; then followed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGymFYWJ1BE&feature=BFa&list=ULZtBDVdZgs20&lf=mfu_in_order
intercessions by Otto's children.

After the Mass there was the funeral procession to the Capuchin Crypt. I leave it to you to follow links to videos of the procession if you're interested, but here's the scene at the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slcJRqox1gI&feature=related
When Otto is announced by his inherited titles, entry is refused; when he is announced by a listing of his life's works, entry is refused; when he is announced as a sinner, entry is granted.


If you don't know any German, these musical selections will give some idea of the scene in the cathedral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A21D7zp1Vk&feature=related
the beginning procession, with the appropriate music from Michael Haydn's Requiem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXVt5ScQSqA&feature=related
a fairly common hymn of praise to God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5V98E3e9eA&feature=related
the imperial hymn, (and I consider it a sign of maturity on the part of the Austrian Republic that this does not seem to have been especially controversial) and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm_d5F7QLxM&feature=related
a hymn invoking the intercession of Mary, traditionally sung at the end of the final prayers of the day, as well as at funerals — it asks, among other things that when our life is over she would show us her son Jesus.

There are many other links for Bl. Emperor Karl, Empress Zita, Archduke Otto and their ancestors and descendants.

I found it a fascinating couple of hours, and I've enjoyed reverently revisiting it as I prepared this post. Happy exploring.