Monteverdi's Beatus Vir & Weekly Roundup

I love this performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s magnificent Beatus Vir.  The piece is a musical setting to Psalm 112, which begins

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments! (Psalm 112: 1)

It goes on to detail all the various ways in which a man is blessed if he fears the Lord, whereas

The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked man comes to nought. (Psalm 112: 10)

As it happens, a number of my posts from the past week (see links below) deal with the fact that human flourishing depends on our acknowledging the Lordship of God, and following his commandments; the same eternal truth is captured in Monteverdi’s ageless music.

Weekly Roundup

It’s starting to feel like summer here at Principium et Finis World Headquarters.  This last week saw some old stuff (but Worth Revisiting, as they say), and some new.  The theme for the week seems to have been the corruption of this world but, also, the saving Grace of God.  After all, our Hope is in The Lord, not in our human institutions . . . thanks be to God.

“Living in the Age of Esau”  [HERE] Bowl of pottage, anyone? 

“Compline: For Tonight and Forever” [HERE] Night Prayer prepares us for our evening rest, and for our eternal rest 

"Does It Need To Be ‘As Bad As Iran' To Be Bad Enough?” [HERE] We ought to resist the growing trend toward marginalizing Christians and Christianity, even if it’s not as bad here in the West as it could be . . . yet

“Who Dares To Tell The Emperor He’s Naked?” [HERE] L’affaire Jenner leads to a discussion of where we are heading as a society . . . and it’s not good 

“St. Peregrinus, a bishop who gave his life in the cause of peace” [HERE] St. Peregrinus is but one example of what Jesus meant when he said his followers would be persecuted for his sake  

Corpus Christi: Mozart's 'Ave Verum Corpus'

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;  he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56)

Weekly Roundup

Most of the week was taken up with administering and grading final exams, but I did find the time to bring back a few old favorites:

“On Being A Christian In Public Life” Some helpful guidance from the former Cardinal Ratzinger [here] 

“It is a fearful thing when man sets his will against the will of God” Funny how the same old evils keep coming back [here]  

“Vespers: 2^nd ‘Hinge’ of the Liturgy of the Hours (LOH 5)”  Praying the Liturgy of the Hours can give lay men and women a direct connection to the sweep of Salvation History [here] 

Monteverdi: "Laetatus Sum", Copenhagen Soloists

     Another delightful piece from Monteverdi’s Vespro Della Beata Vergine, “Laetatus Sum”.  It is a musical setting for Psalm 122 (English translation below from the RSV).  The Psalm itself celebrates the joy and peace to be found in “The House of the Lord”.       

     The ancient psalmist was no doubt referring principally to the actual Jerusalem of his day, and the Temple of stone and wood built upon its heights. We, looking back through the lens of God’s Revelation in Jesus Christ, can see a deeper meaning: “the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God”, our Heavenly Destination (God willing) that is spoken of in the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:2).  The New Testament, as St. Augustine pointed out, is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. And, here, beautifully put to music.

Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, built as a city
which is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
"May they prosper who love you!
Peace be within your walls, and 

security within your towers!"

For my brethren and companions' sake
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.

Claudio Monteverdi's Nisi Dominus

Monteverdi was probably the most important composer in the transition from Renaissance Polyphony to Baroque.  This beautiful piece from his his Vespro della Beata Vergine is a musical setting for Psalm 127, one of my favorites, which celebrates our reliance on God's Providence (you can read my post on Psalm 127 here).

Claudio Monteverdi by Bernardo Strozzi