Poor Mendelssohn was rich. Had he only suffered more, he might have been a profound composer. As it was, cosseted by the luxuries of the haute-bourgeois world of the wealthy Mendelssohn banking family, he was relegated to the politeness and pieties of the Victorian world. He was even afflicted with the name Felix, which means … Read more
Nine hundred years ago, in 1098, “four leagues distant” (as the old Catholic Encyclopedia measures it), from the French city of Dijon, St. Robert of Molesme founded the Abbey of Citeaux, the chief abbey of the Cistercian Order. I have, alas, never been there. One should not construct his life on what he has not … Read more
The 20th century is unique in its promulgation of noise. I do not mean industrial racket, the sounds of traffic, or the incessant hum of frost-free refrigerators. I mean the presentation of random noise as art. Never before has an artist asked an audience to come to a pre-arranged place at an appointed time to … Read more
Msgr. Klaus Gamber, the German liturgical historian, remarked that the danger of the priest’s “facing-the-people” innovation in the Mass was that the priest would begin to think that he was an actor or master of ceremonies, not the mediator facing, with all the people in supplication, the same Lord and God. The priest would think … Read more
Wailing cries of impending financial doom resound within the classical music business. Yet never before has such a cornucopia of recorded music been available, while each month more releases of music pour forth that, until few years ago, one had no hope of hearing. The labels suffering the most are those still endlessly replicating the … Read more
Contrary to initial impressions, this column is not about a virus or bug in the Windows setup of my computer. Rather, it is about an actual bug on the screen of my window facing Dalghren Chapel and the early morning sun. Looking out one day, I noticed a rather large—indeed, ugly—bug slowly crawling around on … Read more
The stiad English sense of manners and propriety has always been counterpoised by a compensating craziness. The English do not tolerate eccentricity; they take pride in it. Once during a visit to a London club, I was quite accidentally thrown together for an evening with a marquis from one of Fair Albion’s most famous families. … Read more
Terse statements of principle are a feature of the American Founding and its continuing explication. The Declaration of Independence is the most well-known. Too, we know some non-Americans perceptively describe our character—de Tocqueville, Lord Bryce, or Jacques Maritain. On receiving Letters of Credence from the new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See on December 16, … Read more
Italian music is so synonymous with opera that most music lovers would be hard put to think of any Italian orchestral or chamber music from the last two centuries. The only exception may be the music of Ottorino Respighi, especially his highly colorful tone poems, Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. A group of … Read more
There was a time when one could find challenging and touching work off-Broadway. I am sorry to report that time is passing. After seeing two celebrated off-Broadway plays, I am convinced that theater is morphing into propaganda, a tiresome Johnny One Note. Where universal human experience was once explored, the new off-Broadway prefers to reflect … Read more
At a ceremony in a small naval chapel in Washington at which a nephew of mine was installed as master chief of the Naval Security Group Command, I gave the invocation. I had mentioned this occasion to my friend, Brother George Reilly, S.J., who, when World War II ended, had been a corpsman on a … Read more
A year ago this column was dedicated to a survey of the great Stabat Maters composed over a period of 400 years. For my own Lenten edification, I most often return to two 20th century Stabat Maters, very different in character but equally affecting—those by Francis Poulenc and Arvo Part. Here I offer a number … Read more
Easter is this: Christ, true man, crucified under Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor in Palestine, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Several identifiable, credible witnesses saw him, ate with him. He was the same Jesus from Nazareth who died, not some other man. This man, Jesus, in fact, was executed in … Read more
The reputation of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) has waxed and waned over the course of this century. In the early part, he was thought by many to be the second most powerful symphonist next to Beethoven, and was certainly the most often performed contemporary composer of that time. In his famous book of 1934, … Read more
Most families and ‘circles of friends’ today have, somewhere, members who were once baptized, confessed, first communioned, confirmed, married, or even ordained in the Church but who have explicitly or implicitly denied their faith. By their own testimony, they no longer believe it or practice it. Some are belligerent, others merely passive, even nostalgic. Some … Read more
While walking through the woods with Beethoven one day in 1817, English composer Cipriani Potter popped the big question: Who did Beethoven, apart from himself, consider the greatest living composer? At first Beethoven seemed startled by the question, then answered, “Cherubini.” This was not the first time Beethoven had expressed himself about Cherubini’s stature. A … Read more
On January 20, 1928, I had the good fortune to be born on a farm just north of Pocahontas, Iowa. I have an ornate baptismal certificate affirming that I was baptized in Sacred Heart Church in that town. My godparents were Art and Bernice McCarten, friends of my parents, Lawrence and Grace Schall. On my … Read more
The following are short reviews of new CDs featuring the music of composers covered in this column in the recent past. This is not meant as a best of the year list, but as a way for readers to follow up on composers whose music they have particularly enjoyed and wish to explore further. I … Read more
At Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s in 1995, the Holy Father, our best teacher, repeated the majestic “time” themes of the incarnation – today, the hour. Hodie natus est: Today is born our Saviour, Christ the Lord. “The hour when the Son of God is born in the stable of Bethlehem is the hour in … Read more
At the height of Hollywood’s infatuation with things Catholic, no screenwriter would have dared propose such a storyline: Months after his country regains its independence, a son is born to Polish parents in the small provincial town of Wadowice. His mother dies before he makes his First Communion. Raised by his father, a gentleman of … Read more