What no eye has seen and no ear has heard…

September 1st, 2018

In preparation for our week of musical celebrations for Our Lady’s birthday we are preparing a special programme of music for this Sunday’s 11am Solemn Sung Mass (2nd September) to be sung by the Cathedral Choir and accompanied by strings and organ.

In amongst the programme is the ‘Sancta Maria’ from Mozart’s ‘Litanie Lauretanae’ K195 and the Church Sonata K67.

I always marvel at Mozart – he wrote this particular Church Sonata at 16 years of age and the entire Litanie K195 at the age of 18. Sometimes we forget that these works were actually written to be used in liturgies at the Cathedral in Salzburg where he was employed at the time.

When we experience these works in a church context, this music seems to have such a beautiful sense of nobility and poise, perhaps something akin to the ‘noble simplicity’ which the Sacrosanctum Concilium refers to (Art 34) – there truly is an elegant simplicity about this music and it exudes a sense of beauty – something which our church documents also make ample mention of in relation to music – not one note is extra – unnecessary. This music is certainly neither bland nor plain – but neither is it ostentatious in its expression.

Take the Church Sonata K67 – it has such a quiet sense of sincere devotion in its gentle movement. And Mozart’s Sanctus movements?…it’s almost like we can see with our eyes and feel ‘the host of Angels who adore His majesty’…’and the Powers that tremble before Him’… and when we unite ourselves to this music we perhaps get a glimpse of the ‘heavenly liturgy which is enacted in the holy city of Jerusalem’ (Musicam Sacram, Art 5) – thinking about this, the words of St Paul spring to mind: ‘what no eye has seen and no ear has heard…'(1 Corinthians 2: 9)

Sunday, 2^nd September: 11am Solemn Sung Mass

Saturday, 8^th September: 8am Mass

Sunday, 9^th September: 2:15pm Ave Maria organ and vocal recital (Admission free)