A Lenten Musical Journey, Day 37

Last updated on: March 26, 2015 at 4:59 pm By Joseph Susanka

Today’s piece is “Surely He has borne our griefs” by Kevin Sadowski. I don’t even know who this “Kevin Sadowski” fellow is. I stumbled across the recording by accident while researching #MyLentInMusic entries, and was transfixed. (I was searching for something else entirely, and the recording “Lamentations: Music of Tenebrae” by the ProMusica of Washington Adventist University kept coming up. I’m glad for the coincidence, though.) Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him... Read more

Maximizing Major League Baseball’s Emotional Impact

Last updated on: March 26, 2015 at 5:14 pm By Joseph Susanka

An interesting baseball story broke this past Friday. And since there’s nothing of sporting note going on right now, I thought it’d be a good way to get everyone in the mood for the regular season. (I kid, I kid, college hoops fans. Sort of. Dominic, the First Son, is probably watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament as I type. Even though it doesn’t technically/actually start until this afternoon, I’m sure he’s found a way. His love for Notre Dame is unstoppable.) But... Read more

A Lenten Musical Journey, Day 36

Last updated on: March 25, 2015 at 4:28 pm By Joseph Susanka

In honor of today’s feast, the opening chorus from Bach’s Annunciation cantata, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How beautifully the morning star shines). The cantata, which can be found in its entirety here, is based on the hymn “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” by Philipp Nicolai. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern Voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn, Die süße Wurzel Jesse! Du Sohn Davids aus Jakobs Stamm, Mein König und mein Bräutigam, Hast mir mein Herz besessen, Lieblich, Freundlich, Schön und... Read more

“I Don’t Have to Belong to the Catholic Church to Be in Love with Mary”

Last updated on: March 25, 2015 at 11:23 am By Joseph Susanka

I love composers who love Mary. So I suppose my long-standing affection for the music of Morten Lauridsen should come as no surprise. Mr. Lauridsen, who has been described by musicologist Nick Strimple as “the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic” and who often spends his summers composing in seclusion on Waldron Island in Washington, has made no secret about his attachment to the Blessed Mother. He has written at length about the importance of Mary in his... Read more

A Lenten Musical Journey, Day 35

Last updated on: March 25, 2015 at 11:20 am By Joseph Susanka

Today’s selection is the “Lacrimosa” segment from the Requiem of Francesco Durante. (The bit that really caught my attention the first time through? The violin in that opening section is almost harsh in its isolation, and contrasts with the chorus in a really effective way. It’s a subtle effect, perhaps. But one that definitely brings a “full of tears” mood to those first few bars.) Lacrimosa dies illaQua resurget ex favillaJudicandus homo reus.Huic ergo parce, Deus:Pie Jesu Domine,Dona eis requiem. Amen. Full of... Read more

Sir David Attenborough, Harmless Lunatic

Last updated on: March 24, 2015 at 4:57 pm By Joseph Susanka

View image | gettyimages.com Here in the U.S., we have “Shark Week.” In the U.K., they have “Attenborough Week.” Well, they had one, anyway. Last April. To celebrate “the 60 years of amazing Natural History created by Sir David Attenborough.” And as a long-time fan of the man and his work — always interesting, even in disagreement — the various Attenborough videos posted to the BBC Earth’s YouTube Channel have been a source of near-endless enjoyment (and often, amusement). Especially this... Read more

A Lenten Musical Journey, Day 34

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 11:47 am By Joseph Susanka

Dropping back down into the Russians for a moment. (And when I say “down,” I’ve definitely got the Basso Profondos on my mind. The legendary Vladimir Pavlovich Pasyukov, in this case.) The key change that starts around 0:45 is just spine-tingling. Here’s the aforementioned Pavel Chesnokov’s “We Praise Thee.” Attribution(s): “Vladimir Pasyoukov” by Cormag100 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; “Bells” via Shutterstock. Read more

SSF: “Head Over Heels”

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 11:12 am By Joseph Susanka

In early 2013, director Timothy Reckart’s wonderful stop-motion short, Head Over Heels, was part of a ridiculously good class of Best Animated Short nominations at the 85th Academy Awards. John Kahrs’ Paperman (the clear front-runner in the days leading up to the show and the eventual winner) remains the most widely-known of that year’s offerings, while Minkyu Lee’s Adam and Dog was the one that most stuck with me in the days after the show. Now, however, Reckert’s film is making a strong case for the... Read more

A Lenten Musical Journey, Day 33

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 11:13 am By Joseph Susanka

For today’s musical meditation, English composer Thomas Tomkin’s “I Heard a Voice.” I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, From henceforth, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: Even so, saith the Spirit: for they rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Attribution(s): “John on Patmos” by Hieronymus Bosch from the Web Gallery of Art (Image, Info) and licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons; “Bells” via Shutterstock. Read more

Seeing the Familiar in a New Light: Denise Bossert’s “Gifts of the Visitation”

Last updated on: March 23, 2015 at 12:24 am By Sarah Elizabeth

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has never come to me naturally. I knew the reasons for such devotion, the rightness of it, even the necessity for it. My parents prayed the rosary with us almost nightly, and my father’s visceral, Irish faith was never more obvious than when he spoke of “Our Mother”. But as I entered adulthood, I found that my delight in my faith centered around the intellectual – discussions of doctrine, reading and analysis of catechetical works.... Read more