If you haven't noticed by now, I LOVE sacred music. I especially enjoy those works that are imbued with a sense of mysticism (mystery of God) and transcendence. At the pinnacle of all sacred works is Gregorio Allegri's Miserere (see music player on side bar), which was composed almost 400 years ago and is still performed in the Sistine Chapel during Holy Week at the Vatican. Unfortunately, not every composition can be a Miserere or a Palestrina production, but that doesn't mean they carry no beauty of their own. One such wonderful work is the marvelous Requiem by French composer Gabriel Urbain Fauré. Melodic, inventive, sometimes dark but always beautiful, this Requiem is one of my favorites by a composer outside the Baroque era. Below is the "In Paradisum" excerpt of the Requiem Mass. Note the rather playful mood that characterizes this segment of the work.
4 comments:
You shall be my official "sacred music advisor." I am rather a dunce when it comes to the who, what, when, and where of sacred music. I grew up listening to it and so it is particularly vexing to have to listen to the crap that passes for music in todays
Church.
Yours is the only blog playing music that doesn’t annoy me, and most mornings I work in my office with your stuff playing. I have some good Orthodox CD’s but they are a bit dark for morning office work.
I LOVE the music on your blog. In my choir and madrigal days I sang quite a bit of old sacred music including Palestrina, Miserere, Vivaldi, and of course Handel. Alot of the stuff you have became popular after that time and I was sorry not to have had the opportunity to sing these pieces. But I enjoy!
Faure's "In Paradisum" is my #1, all time favorite. The organ is hauntingly beautiful.
I love the music on your blog Tom... you have introduced me to the world of Sacred Music and I want to say a big thank you for that... I really like it so much!!
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