The Drama of Sin and Repentance (or not) From Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Music Monday)

Hell is a real possibility for all of us.  It's not a happy thought, but it's an appropriate introduction to today's Music Monday selection, our last musical offering before Ash Wednesday.  It's not really sacred music, but it is very relevant indeed to the Lenten themes of sin, repentance (or not), and damnation.  This is the finale* of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni (a.k.a. Don Juan), one of the most powerful scenes in the history of musical drama.

Music for the Easter Season: Pedro Camacho’s Te Deum

I have always appreciated the way the Te Deum does so much so succinctly. In just a few lines we are reminded of the sweep of Salvation History, the Communion of Saints, the Doctrine of the Trinity, the Mission of Jesus Christ from Bethlehem to the New Jerusalem, and all in the form of a joyful song of praise to our God.

A Hymn For Holy Week: O Sacred Head Surrounded

   J.S. Bach's magnificent St. Matthew Passion is perhaps the most prominent musical composition that we associate with Lent. The most well-known part of the St. Matthew Passion itself is the "Passion Chorale", which  often appears a hymn called  "O Sacred Head Surrounded", or "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded."        What's not as well known is that Bach is … Continue reading A Hymn For Holy Week: O Sacred Head Surrounded

Who Are Those Cheering People? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday

There’s something a little unsettling about Palm Sunday.  It appears that the same people who welcome Jesus as a victorious king at the beginning of the week are screaming for his death by its end. The liturgy reminds us of this incongruity by putting Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday together (at least in the Ordinary Form; … Continue reading Who Are Those Cheering People? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday