A Marian trilogy

September 13^th, 2019

And so we find ourselves arriving at September – and a trilogy of Marian feasts to celebrate !!

Firstly Our Lady’s birthday (8^th September); then the somewhat lesser known feast of the Holy Name of Mary (12^th September) – this feast originally instituted by Pope Innocent XI in 1684 somehow invites us to dwell a little more on the mystery of the infant Mary – an infant and yet the Immaculate Conception – we contemplate the joy of her parents Sts Joachim and Anne…and God’s promise of the longed-for Saviour coming ever closer…this brings to mind a cycle written by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) titled ‘Das Marienleben’ (The Life of Mary). This cycle opens with a movement devoted to the birth of Mary: ‘Geburt Maria’: its somewhat plaintive opening features a gently lilting accompaniment…perhaps evoking an image of a rocking cradle…the text speaks of angels restraining their song despite their joy at the birth of Our Lord’s mother.

And then we move to the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (15^th September) – the only Marian feast which carries a Sequence: the ‘Stabat Mater’. Even though it is much sung during Lent with single verses interspersed amongst the Stations of the Cross, when we sing this Sequence complete, it truly draws us into a meditation on the sadness and grief experienced by Our Lady at her Son’s Passion and Death. And let’s not forget famous settings of this text: Pergolesi, Haydn…

So let’s honour the Mother of God in this month of September and mark this trilogy of feasts exploring the abundance of music written through the ages to celebrate her of who was born the ‘Emmanuel’…her, whose heart would be ‘pierced by a sword’…