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Views from the Choir Loft

Arvo Pärt received the Ratzinger Prize

Andrew Leung · November 23, 2017

CTL Arvo Part Ratzinger Award 1 FEW WEEKS AGO, I had the opportunity to sing in a concert under Peter Philips’ direction. In that program was three pieces by the Estonian composer, Arvo Pärt. I sang his music (Berliner Messe) for the first time when I was a freshmen in college and it was very nice to be able to sing in his unique “Tintinnabuli“, or bell-like, style again after so many years (we did Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis and Tintinnabuli).

Arvo Pärt is one of the winners of this year’s Ratzinger Prize, which is often regarded as the Nobel Prize in the field of theology. The Ratzinger Foundation awards was created in 2011 to recognize the work of academics in theology, whether they are Catholic or not. Before this award, Pärt also received a honorary doctorate in sacred music by the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and was nominated by Benedict XVI, member of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Pärt is an Orthodox and one of the most-recognized composers in the area of sacred music. He is a very spiritual person and has great love for the liturgy, just like Pope Benedict. I shared a video of him earlier this year and it shows that Pärt is very deeply rooted in the faith. He and the other award winners were received by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI himself on November 17; and the prize was presented to him by Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace on the following day.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture and a member of the Ratzinger Foundation said this about Arvo Pärt at a press conference:

“He is the greatest living contemporary musician, with an immense and extraordinarily high production, able to combine the great legacy of the past, including Gregorian chant, with today’s new musical grammar. A beautiful choice, that of the commission, aimed at pointing out that new way for theology that is music”


Photo credit: Arvo Pärt Centre

Pärt said in his vote of thanks later that evening:

“I am personally very touched and grateful – especially to you, the members of the Joseph Ratzinger or Pope Benedict XVI Foundation – for this trust and honor. However, it is not an easy task to remain worthy of this honor as a human being. It is a great challenge. We are not dealing here with an ordinary merit that one could use to boast.

Dear brothers, we need your help, please don’t leave us alone now. This is what we plead from you.”

And here is a work by Pärt, Cecilia, Vergine Romana performed at the Concert in honor of the Holy Father in 2011.


Happy belated Feast Day!!! St. Cecilia, pray for us!

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 Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“For me, religious music ceased with the sixteenth century. The fresh, childlike souls of that time alone expressed their vehement, untainted fervor in music free from worldliness. Since then we have had pious musical improvisations more or less made for show. That wonderful man Johann Sebastian Bach only escaped because of his natural genius. He built harmonic edifices as a devout architect and not as an apostle.”

— Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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