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Benedict XVI on Choral Performance

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galantarie	Benedict XVI on Choral Performance		Lead	[-]
Member Posts: 4652 07/22/07 19:54:50 Member	Tags : None Pope: Choral Singing Educates for Peace Calls It Training for Life LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy, 22 JULY 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that choral singing is an authentic education in life and peace, and an exercise in the "hearing of the heart." The Pope said this Friday following a concert in his honor performed by Alpine choirs at the Castle of Mirabello, near where he is vacationing until July 27. "Training in singing, in singing in choir, is not only an exercise of the external hearing and voice; it is also an education of interior hearing, the hearing of the heart, an exercise and a education in life and peace," the Holy Father said in his improvised remarks. "Singing together in choir and with other choirs together, demands attention to the other, attention to the composer, attention to the conductor, attention to this totality that we call music and culture. And," he added, "in this way singing in choir is a training in life, a training in peace, a walking together." Seven different choirs from Cadore participated in the concert, offered by Bishop Giuseppe Andrich of Belluno-Feltre. Before the beginning of the concert, Bishop Andrich spoke of the dramatic stage of the First World War in which the Dolomites were also a theatre. The Pope too spoke of those dramatic moments "when this mountain was a barrier, a terrible and bloody theatre of war." "Let us thank the Lord because there is peace now in our Europe and let us do everything to make peace grow in us and in the world," he urged. "I am certain that precisely this beautiful music is a commitment to peace and a help to live in peace." _____________________ POPE: POPULAR CULTURE, JOY OF EUROPEAN IDENTITY VATICAN CITY, 21 JULY 2007 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, at the end of a concert of mountain choirs offered in his honor by the diocese of Belluno-Feltre at the castle of Mirabello (Italy), the Holy Father gave a short address. "Song is an expression of love", the Holy Father said, citing St. Augustine. " I have heard this great love for the earth (...) that the Lord has given us in your songs. In this thanksgiving, in this love for the earth, there is also present and resounding our love for the Creator, the love of God who has given us this land, this life of joy (...) that we see even more clearly in light of our faith, which tells us that God loves us." "The popular culture evident in such an elevated form is a joy of our European identity that we should cultivate and promote (...) Training in song, in choral singing, is not only an exercise of external hearing and the voice; it is also an education of the inner hearing, of the heart's hearing, an exercise and training in life and peace. In order to sing together it is necessary to pay attention to the other (...) to the totality that we call music and culture and, in this way, singing in a choir is an education in life and peace. It is a walking together." The Holy Father then commented on the words of the bishop of Belluno-Feltre who had recalled that 90 years ago the area's mountain regions were a site of the First World War. "Let us give thanks to God for the peace of our Europe today," concluded Benedict XVI, "and do everything in our power to make peace grow in us and in our world." "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it." [Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"] May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
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mag6nideum	Re: Benedict XVI on Choral Performance	#1	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1549 07/23/07 08:44:57	Thank you for this post and the update as well Galantarie. Benedict XVI has a wonderful gift to express the essentials of any topic in a most elegant, even poetic manner - as he has done here with respect to choral singing and the wider culture.
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galantarie	Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music	#2	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 4652 10/14/07 06:03:24 Member	SACRED MUSIC: AN INTEGRAL PART OF LITURGY VATICAN CITY, 13 OCT. 2007 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict XVI visited the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, the headquarters of which has recently been completely refurbished, at the initiative of the Holy See and thanks to the support of various benefactors including the "Fondazione pro Musica Sacra e Arte Sacra." At his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and chancellor of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, and by Msgr. Valentin Miserachs Grau, president of the institute. The Holy Father paused a few moments before the Blessed Sacrament in the institute's church before moving on to the library, which has also been restored recently. In his brief address Benedict XVI highlighted the fact that sacred music, as Vatican Council II had made clear, *Quote:* is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy. John Paul II, observed that today, as always, three characteristics distinguish sacred music: its "sanctity", its "true art", and its "universality", in other words the fact that it can be presented to any people or assembly. Precisely for this reason, the ecclesial authorities must undertake to guide ... the development of such an important form of music, not by "freezing" its heritage but by seeking to combine the legacy of the past with the worthwhile novelties of the present, so as to achieve a synthesis worthy of the exalted mission [sacred music] has in the service of God. I am certain, that the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, in harmony with Congregation for Divine Worship, will not fail to contribute to an "aggiornamento" ... of the precious traditions of which sacred music is so rich. The pre-eminence of sacred music over other art forms, the Pontiff explained during his address, *Quote:* is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy. Precisely for this reason, the ecclesial authorities must undertake to guide ... the development of such an important form of music, not by "freezing" its heritage but by seeking to combine the legacy of the past with the worthwhile novelties of the present, so as to achieve a synthesis worthy of the exalted mission (sacred music) has in the service of God. How rich is biblical and patristic tradition in highlighting the efficacy of song and sacred music in moving hearts and lifting toward, we could say, the very intimacy of the life of God. The Holy Father encouraged the professors and students in their *Quote:* demanding yet passionate task, asking them to be *Quote:* conscious that it has a value of great relevance for the very life of the Church. SACRED MUSIC Pope Speaks of Priceless Treasure of Sacred Music: (13 Oct 07 - RV ) Pope Benedict was treated to the strains of Gregorian chant today when he visited the Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music. Lydia O Kane has this report: ... 62.77.60.84/audio/ra/00089978.RM Pope Benedict's visit to the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music on Saturday 13th October provides us with an opportunity to call in there.The Vice Dean Maestro Antonio Sardi de Letto tells more... ... 62.77.60.84/audio/ra/00089845.RM INSTRUCTION... Our popular "Latin Lover" helps us decipher an instruction on sacred music drafted by the founder of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music , Saint Pius X... ... 62.77.60.84/audio/ra/00089846.RM Osservatore Romano: H.O. At the institute, the Holy Father was welcomed by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and chancellor of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, and the institute's president, Monsignor Valentin Miserachs Grau. "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it." [Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"] May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
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mag6nideum	Re: Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music	#3	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 1549 10/15/07 11:33:57	Thank you for this interesting post, Galantarie. I have also just finished, for the second time, Ratzinger's precious book Feast of Faith. For anybody interested in and passionate about liturgy and the role of music in Catholic/Christian liturgy, this book is a must-read. It explains - inter alia - the theological rationale for good music in the liturgy in a most convincing manner.
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galantarie	Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music & 2007	#4	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 4652 10/18/07 06:03:28 Member	Earlier this year, at the Vatican, the Mass in B minor BWV 232 by Johann Sebastian Bach was presented by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir conducted by Ton Koopman. "Tu es Petrus" was the Mass celebrated in St. Peter's on October 10, with Liturgical Music composed throughout by a young German, Wolfgang Seifert. [By the way, in coincidence, this young man's last name literally means a "cleansing soap".] ....Benedict XVI's visited the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, on the morning of Saturday, October 13. Sandro Magister writes: "To the professors and students of this institute which is the liturgical-musical 'conservatory' of the Holy See, the one that trains Church musicians from all over the world the Pope cited Vatican Council II, where it says that 'as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy' (Sancrosanctum Concilium, 112). Pope Benedict XVI also confirmed that" *Quote:* three characteristics distinguish sacred liturgical music: sanctity, true art, and universality, meaning its ability to be used regardless of the nature or nationality of the assembly. Precisely in view of this, ecclesiastical authorities must devote themselves to guiding wisely the development of such a demanding genre of music, not by sealing off its repository, but by seeking to insert into the heritage of the past the legitimate additions of the present, in order to arrive at a synthesis worthy of the high mission reserved to it in the divine service. I am certain that the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, in harmonious agreement with the congregation for divine worship, will not fail to offer its contribution for an 'updating', adapted to our time, of the abundant and valuable traditions found in sacred music. [Magister continues]: "This expectation could soon be followed by the institution, in the Roman curia, of an office endowed with authority in the area of sacred music. It is already known that, as a cardinal, Ratzinger maintained that the institution of such an office was necessary. But Benedict XVI has also made clear his preferences in regard to the type of sacred music that should be promoted. In his speech to the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, the pope mentioned the name of only one living 'maestro' of great sacred music: Domenico Bartolucci, 91, who was seated in the front row and whom the Pope later greeted with great warmth. Bartolucci was removed from his position as director of the papal choir of the Sistine Chapel in 1997. ...(Bartolucci)'s style was characterized by great polyphonic music and Gregorian chant, (of which Bartolucci is an outstanding interpreter). The only group that remained to keep this style alive in the papal basilicas of Rome was the Cappella Liberiana of the basilica of Saint Mary Major, directed since 1970 by Valentino Miserachs Grau, who succeeded Bartolucci in this role. Miserachs is also the head of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, to which the Pope has entrusted the task of *Quote:* guiding wisely the development of such a demanding genre of music. Bartolucci and Miserachs: this is Benedict XVI's dual point of reference, in Rome, in the field of liturgical music." ------------------------------------------------------------- With "Summorum Pontificum," Pope Benedict XVI made it possible [Sandro Magister concludes]: "for the modern liturgies to regain the richness of the ancient rite that they are in danger of losing: a richness of theology, textual form, and music. It is no accident that maestro Bartolucci's first words to the pope, during their brief conversation on Saturday, October 13, were a 'thank you!' for the promulgation of the motu proprio. The institution in the Vatican of an office endowed with authority in the field of sacred music, and the appointment of a director of the Cappella Sistina in keeping with its great tradition, are perfectly consistent with this fundamental priority of the pontificate of Benedict XVI." ______________________________________________ P.S.: I do NOT agree with Magister: that Archbishop Piero Marini was the man at fault for ruining the Sistine Chapel Choir and the quality of the Vatican's Liturgical Music. Marini ordered the new present Organ, loves, and was well educated in, classical liturgical music and studies. For the beginning of the Ratzinger Pontificate , Marini re-established sacred old traditions long forgotten even prior to the Pontificate of Wotija. "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it." [Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"] May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
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galantarie	HELP! Re: Pontifical Institute ...	#5	[url]	[-]
Member Posts: 4652 11/08/07 18:14:36 Member	FROM "ZENIT": Monsignor Valentn Miserachs Grau, director of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, said this at a conference last Saturday, marking the 80th anniversary of the diocesan institute of Sacred Music of Trent, L'Osservatore Romano reported. The pontifical institute directed by the monsignor was originally established by the Holy See in 1911. It is an academic institution dedicated to teaching and also performing sacred music. But, Monsignor Miserachs said, "In my opinion, it would be opportune to establish an office with authority over the material of sacred music." Monsignor Miserachs contended that "in none of the areas touched on by Vatican II -- and practically all are included -- have there been greater deviations than in sacred music." "How far we are from the true spirit of sacred music, that is, of true liturgical music," he lamented. "How can we stand it that such a wave of inconsistent, arrogant and ridiculous profanities have so easily gained a stamp of approval in our celebrations?" It is a great error, Monsignor Miserachs said, to think that people "should find in the temple the same nonsense given to them outside," since "the liturgy, even in the music, should educate all people -- including youth and children." "Much music written today, or put in circulation, nevertheless ignores not only the grammar, but even the basic ABC's of musical art," he continued. "Due to general ignorance, especially in certain sectors of the clergy," certain media act as loudspeakers for "products that, devoid of the indispensable characteristics of sacred music -- sanctity, true art, universality -- can never procure the authentic good of the Church." A reform The monsignor called for a "conversion" back to the norms of the Church. "And that 'norm' has Gregorian chant as its cardinal point, either the chant itself, or as an inspiration for good liturgical music." He noted that his recommendations are not related to Benedict XVI's document on the use of the 1962 Roman Missal. "'Nova et vetera,'" he urged, "the treasure of tradition and of new things, but rooted in tradition." Monsignor Miserachs suggested that contact with tradition should "not be limited to the academic realm, or concerts or records." Instead, "it should become again the living song of the assembly that finds in it that which calms their deepest spiritual tensions, and which makes them feel that they are truly the people of God." "I have a mustard- seed; and I am not afraid to use it." [Ratzinger:"Salt of the Earth"] May Our Papa's radiant-light continuously shine forth to illuminate Christ for the world!
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