Sacred Music

To usher in Lent, here’s my list of favorite sacred music:

1. Giulio Caccini’s Ave Maria- a serene, solemn but quietly powerful hymn to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Korean soprano Sumi Jo interprets this baroque masterpiece. (What a beautiful voice!).

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus- another solemn piece of work. Composed during Mozart’s last year (at the same time he composed the mighty Requiem), devoid of histrionics and vocal embellishments, this brief prayer is so simple yet so tender and peaceful at the same time.

3. Here’s an excerpt from the last movement of Gustav Mahler’s magnificent Symphony No. 2 in C Minor. Claudio Abaddo conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Orfeon Donostiarra for an inspired and moving rendition of a personal favorite of mine.

The work is all about Death and Resurrection. It addresses questions like, is there life after death? It is amazing to note that a symphony aims to answer this. If you take a little trouble in understanding the music and take to heart the poetry of the vocal and choral parts, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

I always get goose bumps every time I listen to this work. The final part of the last movement is unforgettable; it sends shivers down my spine. A single French horn- located above and away from the orchestra- beckons the soul, slowly and softly, for a final ascent, while the flute and piccolo flutters in the background.

As the chorus enters softly, the soloist’s voice joins in, and then separates and floats away. I feel as if my spirit were being lifted up as well.

And then the chorus divides, gains strength and combines with the orchestra, building up to the mighty finale with powerful intensity, to proclaim the beautiful, beautiful message of this wonderful masterwork, “You die in order to live again./ Your pain and suffering have not been in vain/ because all these shall lead you to God”. Clearly, this depicts the final moment when the spirit soars and joins the Creator.

It is one amazing work.