"The Seven Last Words of Christ" by Théodore Dubois
A Palm/Passion Sunday Concert presented by the St. Mary's Parish Choir
This year our amazing choir is performing a Palm/Passion Sunday Concert here at St. Mary's on Sunday, March 4th at 4pm. Donations are gratefully received, $20 is the suggested donation. You can attend in person or online. Click here for poster.
Kirkland Adsett ~ Conductor
Simone Ren ~ Pianist
Sarah Caulfield ~ Soprano
Eric Schwarzhoff ~ Tenor
Joshua Levesque ~ Baritone
_______________________
This concert is available in-person and online via Zoom. To join this concert, click on the link when it’s time or enter the Meeting ID and passcode.
Meeting ID: 827 3828 1554
Passcode: 2024
_______________________
More about the history of this special concert:
The tradition of singing the Passion story began in the early church. To add solemnity to Holy Week, priests would chant the Gospel account rather than read it. Over the centuries, these priestly intonations developed into large choral works with soloists and orchestral accompaniment. These oratorio Passions reached their pinnacle in the great St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion of Johann Sebastian Bach. Heinrich Schütz, considered the greatest Lutheran composer prior to Bach, composed his Seven Last Words in the early 17th century. He created a composite of all four Gospels in order to include all seven sayings which Christ spoke during the crucifixion. No other composer is known to have created a major choral setting of this unique version of the Passion story until Théodore Dubois, over two centuries later.
Théodore Dubois (1837–1924) was an important organist, composer, and teacher of music on the Paris music scene during the late 1800’s. His setting of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" is presented in eight movements. Soprano, tenor, and bass soloists together with a four-part choir recount through music one of the most compelling dramas of all time.