What did Benedict say about Church music on June 24, 2006?"Renewal can only happen in the wake of the great tradition of the past" After acknowledging the presence of dignitaries, the Pope continued with these words: "Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, at the end of this concert, evocative because of the place we are in--the Sistine Chapel--and because of the spiritual intensity of the compositions performed, we spontaneously feel in our hearts the need to praise, to bless and to thank. This sentiment is addressed first of all to the Lord, supreme beauty and harmony, who has given men and women the ability to express themselves with the language of music and song. "'Ad Te levavi animan meam,' ('to you, Lord, I lift up my soul'), the Offertory offertory [Lat.,=offering], in the Roman Catholic Mass and in derived liturgical forms, the preparation of bread and wine on the altar and their formal offering to God. It takes place after the gospel and the creed and before the preface. of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was just said, echoing Psalm (25 [24]:1). Our souls are truly lifted up to God, and I would therefore like to express my gratitude to Maestro Domenico Bartolucci and to the foundation named after him that planned and put on this event. "Dear Maestro, you have offered to me and to all of us a precious gift, preparing the program in which you wisely situated a choice of masterpieces by the 'prince' of sacred polyphonic music Noun 1. polyphonic music - music arranged in parts for several voices or instruments concerted music, polyphony music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner and some of the works that you yourself have composed. In particular, I thank you for having wished to conduct the concert personally, and for the motet 'Oremus pro Pontifice' that you composed immediately after my election to the See of Peter. I am also grateful to you for the kind words you have just addressed to me, witnessing to your love for the art of music and your passion for the good of the Church. "Next, I warmly congratulate the choir of the foundation and I extend my 'thank you' to all who have collaborated in various ways. Lastly, I address a cordial greeting to those who have honoured our meeting with their presence. "All the passages we have heard--and especially the performance as a whole in which the 16th and 20th centuries run parallel-together confirm the conviction that sacred polyphony polyphony (pəlĭf`ənē), music whose texture is formed by the interweaving of several melodic lines. The lines are independent but sound together harmonically. , particularly that of the so-called 'Roman School,' is a legacy to preserve with care, to keep alive and to make known, not only for the benefit of experts and lovers of it but also for the entire ecclesial Ec`cle´si`al a. 1. Ecclesiastical. community, for which it constitutes a priceless spiritual, musical and cultural heritage. "The Bartolucci Foundation aims precisely to safeguard and spread the classical and contemporary tradition of this famous polyphonic The ability to play back some number of musical notes simultaneously. For example, 16-voice polyphony means a total of 16 notes, or waveforms, can be played concurrently. school that has always been distinguished by its form, focused on singing alone without an instrumental accompaniment. An authentic renewal of sacred music can only happen in the wake of the great tradition of the past, of Gregorian chant Gregorian chant: see plainsong. Gregorian chant Liturgical music of the Roman Catholic church consisting of unaccompanied melody sung in unison to Latin words. and sacred polyphony. "For this reason, in the field of music as well as in the areas of other art forms, the ecclesial community has always encouraged and supported people in search of new forms of expression without denying the past, the history of the human spirit which is also a history of its dialogue with God. "Venerable Maestro, you have also always sought to make the most of sacred music as a vehicle for evangelization e·van·gel·ize v. e·van·gel·ized, e·van·gel·iz·ing, e·van·gel·iz·es v.tr. 1. To preach the gospel to. 2. To convert to Christianity. v.intr. To preach the gospel. . Through numberless concerts performed in Italy and abroad, with the universal language of art, the Pontifical pon·tif·i·cal adj. 1. Relating to, characteristic of, or suitable for a pope or bishop. 2. Having the dignity, pomp, or authority of a pontiff or bishop. 3. Pompously dogmatic or self-important; pretentious. Musical Choir conducted by you has thus cooperated in the actual mission of the Pontiffs, which is to disseminate the Christian message in the world. And you still continue to carry out this task under the attentive direction of Maestro Giuseppe Liberto. "Dear brothers and sisters, after being pleasantly uplifted by this music, let us turn our gaze to the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary: see Mary. Virgin Mary immaculately conceived; mother of Jesus Christ. [N.T.: Matthew 1:18–25; 12:46–50; Luke 1:26–56; 11:27–28; John 2; 19:25–27] See : Purity , placed at Christ's right hand in Michelangelo's Last Judgment: let us especially entrust all lovers of sacred music to her motherly moth·er·ly adj. 1. Of, like, or appropriate to a mother: motherly love. 2. Showing the affection of a mother. adv. In a manner befitting a mother. protection, so that always enlivened en·liv·en tr.v. en·liv·ened, en·liv·en·ing, en·liv·ens To make lively or spirited; animate. en·liv  en·er n. by genuine faith and sincere love of the Church, they may make their precious contribution to liturgical prayer and effectively contribute to the proclamation of the Gospel. "To Maestro Bartolucci, to the members of the foundation and to all of you who are present here, I cordially impart the apostolic blessing." [Translation issued by the Holy See.] |
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