Canticle of Hope

The first military use of an atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima 64 years ago today (August 6). The same people who have put together photo albums of recent important events (like Obama's inauguration) have assembled 34 images of the city, the bomb, and the devastation. It's not pretty, but it is important.

These photos remind me of my visit to Nagasaki 41 years after a second bomb was dropped on it. I was part of a handbell tour of Japan and this was our last stop. The performance the night before was several groups, American and Japanese, playing individually and together. One piece we all played was "Canticle of Hope." The next day we toured the memorial and read the plea that there be no more Nagasakis. We should all be thankful that so far that has been true.

A suggested soundtrack for viewing these images is "Doctor Atomic Symphony" by John Adams, extracted from the opera by the same name that tells the story of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer and the first test of the bomb in the New Mexico desert. I know you don't have a copy yet because the CD was released only 10 days ago. I'll be ordering my copy soon. I saw the opera through a Metropolitan Opera broadcast on TV.