A solemn sung Mass titled ‘Musica Sacra’ (Sacred Music) will be celebrated at St. Lucia’s Cathedral at 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 14, presided by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith with a combined choir of over 100 professional singers in attendance supported by an orchestra of 30 leading musicians. The choir will render ‘Beethovan’s Mass [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Combined choir to sing Beethovan’s Mass at St. Lucia’s Cathedral

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A solemn sung Mass titled ‘Musica Sacra’ (Sacred Music) will be celebrated at St. Lucia’s Cathedral at 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 14, presided by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith with a combined choir of over 100 professional singers in attendance supported by an orchestra of 30 leading musicians.

The choir will render ‘Beethovan’s Mass in C’ singing the Kyrie, Credo, Santus and Agnus Dei in all their splendour of harmony.

This historic Mass in Latin will have another segment of 200 voices of parish choristers and a strong gathering of top singers from the leading Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

They will sing separately from another wing of the cathedral with chants of Gregorian sections including the Pater Noster in addition to Adoramus Te Christe, Ave Verum (Mozart) and enchanting Anima Christe. The prayers and responses will be in Latin.

To accommodate the large crowd including members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Mass celebrated within the cathedral will be presented on large screens with sound to the quadrangle outside which will also have seats.

Ludwig van Beethovan (1770-1827), a German, was a creative genius in the field of classical compositions. He was a ‘Subjective Composer’ whose works expressed great intensity and although by 49 he was stone-deaf, he kept composing and some of his monumental works came during this period of hopelessness.

Out of his prodigious and vast outflow of compositions came two masses and an -oratories which exposed his inner spirituality resoundingly.

Thus, it is fitting to bring back the long buried treasured heritage of Latin sacred music in a solemn atmosphere of praise and thanksgiving to enable Christians and non-Christians alike to experience the exquisite beauty of divine worship at its highest level of the Eucharistic service.

A dedicated team of musicians and managers including the priests of the Archdiocesan Commission for Sacred Liturgy and Culture is at work, supported by the Rectors of St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s Colleges where the practices are being held.

All are welcome.

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