The Musical Symphony of a Papal Encyclical
Darius Milhaud described himself as “a Frenchman from Provence, and by religion a Jew."
The Modern Bach
It was dedicated to the memory of the German Heroes fallen in the Great War.
The Echoes of God’s Word
Authentic and humble artists are perfectly well aware, no matter what kind of beauty characterizes their handwork, that their paintings, sculptures or creations are nothing else but the reflection of God’s Beauty.
Mary, Co-Redemptrix in the Stabat Mater
The Sorrowful Virgin shared in the work of redemption with Jesus Christ.
Montfortian Music and the Power of Hymns
The hymns he composed were, at the time of French Revolution, on the lips of the Blessed 47 Martyrs of Avrillé.
The French Catholic Poet of our Times
Above: French street sign in Maisons-Alfort. One hundred and fifty years ago today, on January 7, 1873, “a unique man of letters, and unclassifiable writer” was born in Orléans, north-central France: Charles Péguy. This is how Bernard Guyon († 1975) defines him at the conclusion of a careful study of the French poet; and he…
A Spoonful of Honey
Four hundred years ago tomorrow, on December 28, 1622 a great teacher of the spirituality, and the patron Saint of journalists and of the Catholic press, died in Lyon, east-central France: St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He was born 55 years earlier in Thorens, southeastern France, on August 21, 1567,…
The Maestro of St. Pius X
Tomorrow marks one hundred and fifty years since the birth, which took place in Tortona, a town in northwestern Italy, on December 21, 1872, “of the great, unforgettable Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi, who was music director of Our Sistine Chapel. […]”, in the words of Pope Paul VI († 1978), pronounced 50 years ago. “Maestro Perosi,”…
The Catholic Standard of Music in the Age of Revolution
Above: the tomb of César Franck in Paris. Today is the bicentenary of the birth, which took place in Liège, in eastern Belgium, on December 10, 1822, of a composer and organist who, having lived almost always in Paris, was one of the most significant personalities of the French nineteenth century: César Franck. We remember…
The “Magna Carta” of The Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music Celebrates 100 Years
One hundred years ago, on November 22, 1922, the new Pope Pius XI († 1939) issued the motu proprio Ad musicæ sacræ restitutionem, with which he set up what is now the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Although monumental, this was not the first papal action in this regard. “The liturgical-musical ‘conservatory’ of…
Before Bach, There Was Schütz
350 years ago, on November 6, 1672, the most important German composer (before Johann Sebastian Bach) died in Dresden, eastern Germany: Heinrich Schütz. Through the example of his compositions and through his teaching he played a major part in establishing the traditions of high craftsmanship and intellectual depth that marked the best of his nation’s musical…