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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

[Book] Benedict XVI And Beauty In Sacred Music

Jeff Ostrowski · November 3, 2012

ASED ON THE NAMES of the contributors, this looks like a truly fantastic book. All the contributors are distinguished experts, and I have had the privilege of meeting several of them: His Eminence, Cardinal Burke; Dr. William Mahrt; Fr. Michael Uwe Lang, Cong. Orat.; and Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB.

Some I only met briefly, so I have no idea whether they would remember me. Apropos of this, there was a pianist named Sviatoslav Richter, who, while probably one of the greatest “modern” pianists, was also pretty much insane (as so many great pianists were). For years, Richter carried around a red stuffed lobster, without which he could not function. Anyway, they say Richter could not sleep at night if he forgot the name of any person he had ever met. As you can imagine, he met thousands of people during his long career. Only after he remembered the missing name could he relax. By the way, his memory was unbelievable: they say he had forty (40) full-length concert programs memorized, in addition to all his concerti and chamber music. In case you are wondering, other great pianists who were “disfunctional” as human beings were Cortot, Rachmaninov, Horowitz, Gould, Lhevinne, and even Josef Hofmann (perhaps the most outstanding pianist of all time).

      Benedict XVI and beauty in sacred music [URL] — Janet E. Rutherford, editor

Contributors: Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke (Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura), D. Vincent Twomey SVD (St Patrick’s College, Maynooth), Andreas Andreopoulos (U Winchester), Sven Conrad FSSP (Priestly Fraternity of St Peter), Alberto Donini (Diocese of Brescia), Thomas Lacôte (Conservatoire d’Aubervilliers-La Courneuve/Conservatoire d’Orléans), Uwe Michael Lang CO (Consultor to the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff), William Mahrt (Stanford U), Kerry McCarthy (Duke U), Ite O’Donovan (DIT Conservatory of Music), Stéphane Quessard (St Stephen’s Cathedral, Bourges), Alcuin Reid, Samuel Weber OSB (Institute for Sacred Music, Archdiocese of St Louis).

The Fota International Liturgy Conferences are dedicated to the elucidation and promotion of Benedict XVI’s vision of liturgical reform, emphasizing the importance of beauty in the celebration of the Church’s rites, and the necessity to go forward into the future as part of our inherited tradition. The proceedings of the Third Fota International Liturgy Conference, contained in this volume, explore the ideas advanced in the Holy Father’s writings on liturgical music. It also provides a forum for a younger generation of liturgists and musicians, drawn from various countries, who are presently engaged in the recovery and promotion of the Church’s musical heritage for liturgical use or in composing beautiful new and uplifting works of sacred music.

Dr. Janet E. Rutherford is Honorary Secretary of The Patristic Symposium, Saint Patrick’s College Maynooth, and Irish Correspondent to L’Association Internationale d’Études Patristiques.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    [Quiz] • “Do You Know Your Hymns?”
    In case you missed it, many readers have enjoyed taking this little Quiz On Hymns. In the context of that article, I included a sensational quote about the Holy Mass by Monsignor Ronald Knox. Moreover, I talk about how Abraham Lincoln's mother died, as well as a fabulous Eucharistic hymn by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • Simple “Agnus Dei” Canon
    Time flies! Back in July, I posted a PDF setting of a perfect canon by William Byrd (d. 1623) arranged as an AGNUS DEI for three voices. Last Sunday, we sang that arrangement with our volunteer choir. To hear a ‘live’ recording of it, click here (Mp3). In my humble opinion, this would be a perfect piece for a choir just beginning to experiment with polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“And thus, when we renounce for Thee | Its restless aims and fears, | The tender mem’ries of the past, | The hopes of coming years, | Poor is our sacrifice, whose eyes | Are lighted from above; | We offer what we cannot keep, | What we have ceased to love.”

— Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

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