HOLY SATURDAY 2007
SACRED MUSIC TO HELP US REFLECT AND CARRY US THROUGH THE DAY
WE MOURN
WE WAIT
WE HOPE
THOUGHT
I often think of Our Blessed Lady on this day and how she must have felt having seen her only beloved Son suffer and die so terribly.
How many of us have lost a loved one, a parent, spouse or a child in the prime of life? Im sure many of us have experienced suffering and tragedy in our lives for which there is no earthly explanation or consolation.
Maybe some of us are now at an age where we have the painful task of having to prepare ourselves to say farewell to our parents and loved ones. Today I thought it might be appropriate to share some sacred music with you all which may hopefully be a balm for our souls and help us heal the wounds and sadness in our hearts caused by a tragic or sudden death of a loved one.
Let us think of Mary today how she suffered at the foot of the cross and persevered over these horrific days. May we emulate her spirit in our lives and ask her intersession on our behalf.
Now lets just sink into the spirit and message of this sacred music; may it assist us to remember that Eternal Life is where we are headed in spite of the unspeakable pain for those left behind caused by the death of a loved one. May this sacred music help us to prepare for the great feast of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
MUSIC TO HELP US ON OUR WAY
STABAT MATER
The beautiful and very moving poem Stabat Mater, from the 13th century and attributed to Jacopone da Todi express the pain of Our Blessed Lady standing at the foot of the cross of her Son.
The four works by Verdi, the Quattro Pezzi Sacri or Four Sacred Pieces, are his very last compositions. When performed together, the first work heard is the unusual and harmonically enigmatic Ave Maria sung a cappella, followed by the orchestra-accompanied and emotionally compelling Stabat Mater, the Laudi alla Vergine Maria for women's voices a cappella, and as finale, the powerful and dramatic double-chorus Te Deum.
Though each of these four "movements" has moments of great musical intensity and - in the case of the orchestra-accompanied pieces - great volume of sound, each finishes quietly and, one might suggest, contemplatively. These are excerpts from a live recording of a concert from the Bavarian State Opera, which we gratefully acknowledge and was the first Academy Concert in 1998 with the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Opera Chorus under the baton of Zubin Metha.
Text
LAUDI ALLA VERGINE
Text
Click Here to Download Both Works
Download will take a few minutes so I suggest putting on the kettle for a "cuppa" as we say Down Under!
MUSIC FOR OUR PRIVATE REFLECTION ON HOLY SATURDAY
SOUL OF MY SAVIOUR
Faith of Our Fathers CD gratefully acknowledged.
