Theology in Music

A blog considering theology as illustrated by Western Art Music

  • To die of love

    An Ursuline nun of Novara,Name: Isabella Leonarda,Wrote music and song,And thought it not wrongTo devote to our mater beata. Indeed, many of Leonarda’s works carry a double dedication to our Lady and to someone whose funding or other such secular patronage she might have sought on behalf of her convent. She came from a prominent… Read more

  • In simple adoration

    In the week of Mothering Sunday, I am reminded that Volume 15 number 86 (December 1951) of Ohio’s Lorenz Music Publishing’s The Organ Portfolio, contains a short piece for organ entitled Adoration. It is by Florence Price, and has become popular, often in rearranged form – the solo violin version seems particularly prominent. Price was… Read more

  • A Hymne to Christ

    In 1619 John Donne travelled to Germany as a ‘chaplain’ on a diplomatic mission. Before setting out he penned a poem entitled A Hymn to Christ, at the Author’s last going into Germany. In 1940, when others were heading from England to Germany at considerable cost (I am not sure about the idea of war… Read more

  • Imploring for faith

    In 1970 French organist Jean Langlais wrote a composition for the organ competition at the Paris Conservatoire; a technically demanding piece he entitled Imploration pour la joie, and was probably an expression of happiness in his personal life. He added to it two further Implorations after the one for joy: one for indulgence, which could… Read more

  • Of death, desire and Resurrection

    The German Lied is an essentially secular genre, but there are enough of them that deal with sacred themes, broadly construed, that it is possible to include at least an example in this blog. And so we turn to Fanny Hensel (née Mendelssohn – her brother Felix was also a composer, and the song we… Read more

  • How wretched am I really, and what do I need to do about it?

    Another composer who is likely to have been awaited by readers of a blog with this title is the great J Sebastian Bach, mountain of the North German musical landscape and foundation stone of much teaching of music theory. Ash Wednesday gives me an excuse to return to a set work from my A Level… Read more

  • Creation: out of chaos, out of nothing?

    Cycling across town yesterday I saw my first crocuses of the year. These together with the sunshine and other signs of early spring had me reflecting on the doctrine of Creation, and have led me a little predictably to this blog’s first repeat composer: I want to reflect a range of music, but Haydn’s oratorio… Read more

  • Is the truth shy?

    Élizabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre had been recognised in the court of the Sun King himself as a talented musician before her marriage, to organist Marin de la Guerre, had taken her away from Versailles and back to Paris. There she had maintained a musical career alongside her husband’s, and even had an opera performed… Read more

  • Hope and humility

    Thomas Tallis’s Spem in alium may be considered among the most famous motets of its period, if only because people know that it is written in forty independent parts. Strictly, it is written for eight choirs of five voices each. Its origin is, in fact, somewhat contested: it is often dated to c.1570, though the… Read more

  • Piety in the face of death

    In January of 1918 a young woman, who had suffered chronic illnesses and was to die only a couple of months afterwards, dictated to her sister a setting of the text Pie Jesu for singer, strings, harp and organ. Her name was Marie-Juliette Olga Boulanger, known as ‘Lili’ and this was her last piece. Her… Read more