There are few pieces that were so instantly beloved that I remember every detail of the first time I heard them. I was probably 10 years old and went to the Carmelite monastery in Crestone with Juanita Ratner for the Good Friday service and the presiding priest told the story of a piece of music so beautiful and precious that the Vatican guarded it closely, forbidding the score from being distributed. One year, Mozart (only 14 years old at the time) visited the Vatican during Holy Week and, after hearing the infamous Miserere, went home and wrote it down from memory. His leak of the score gave the rest of the world the opportunity to hear this extraordinary piece of art. One of the nuns at the Monastery then put in a cassette recording, and for the next 13 minutes, I sat in stillness and in complete awe of the beauty of life, the complexities of suffering, of art, of love, of forgiveness, and rebirth. I wish everyone a very good Friday, regardless of your religious beliefs or affiliation, and hope that everyone has a magical weekend.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 21:32:30 +0000