# Music for a Lenten Retreat



## Ingélou

Lent can be a time for taking stock: _reculer pour mieux sauter_. Can you recommend music that makes you think - about life, death, time & eternity, silence & truth, mind & the senses, good & evil, love & duty?

If you can post a link, so much the better. Or share an insight that a piece of music has inspired...

Thanks in advance for any replies. :tiphat:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My link - perversely, I'm choosing music that is really for Christmas, Tomas Luis de Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium, sung by The Sixteen:

Latin text
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Christum.
Alleluia.

English translation
O great mystery,
and wonderful sacrament,
that animals should see the new-born Lord,
lying in a manger!
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb
was worthy to bear
Christ the Lord.
Alleluia! 






But the quality of the sound is so beautiful and conducive to meditation, as is the title, O Magnum Mysterium.

Each life - each pool of consciousness - let alone the vast and lovely universe - is indeed A Great Mystery.


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## Taggart

Gregorian chant is my go to music for making me think. When it comes to the four last things (death, judgement, heaven and hell) there is no better music than the sequence from the requiem mass, the Dies Irae:


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## hreichgott

I feel like this is obvious, but the Brahms and Fauré requiems.
The "Libera me" from the Fauré was That Piece for me, in introspective times or times when I was contemplating a change. 




Are you getting ready for a retreat Ingelou?


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## Pugg

​
If this doesn't work, then I don't know what will :tiphat:


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## Ingélou

hreichgott said:


> ...
> Are you getting ready for a retreat Ingelou?


Thanks for the Fauré, Heather - I have just enjoyed listening to it. Lovely to hear from you, and best wishes. xx
I am hoping to have a home retreat - nothing official. Just a daily space for meditation & listening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josquin des Prez, De Profundis:


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## Headphone Hermit

Haydn's _Die seben letzten Worte Jesu Christi_ (the _Seven Last Words_) would fit the bill very nicely, I imagine - and it comes in a variety of versions too - full orchestra, string quartet (I love this version), choral and pianoforte - so you can choose according to your preferences.

go for the String Quartet version :tiphat:


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## Barbebleu

Headphone Hermit said:


> Haydn's _Die seben letzten Worte Jesu Christi_ (the _Seven Last Words_) would fit the bill very nicely, I imagine - and it comes in a variety of versions too - full orchestra, string quartet (I love this version), choral and pianoforte - so you can choose according to your preferences.
> 
> go for the String Quartet version :tiphat:


I would recommend the Aeolian Quartet version with Peter Pears as the narrator.


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## Headphone Hermit

Barbebleu said:


> I would recommend the Aeolian Quartet version with Peter Pears as the narrator.


Each to their own - this is a version which includes poems by seven English poets interspersed between the movements of Haydn's work. I prefer the music without the extraneous poems - albeit I can see the potential for many to enjoy a music/spoken word alternation and I understand it has been performed in this manner a number of times.


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## JosefinaHW

My latest recording of the Missa Solemnis.

Beethoven's "Agnus Dei" is the most honest and "accurate" expression of how we ask God to grant us mercy and peace at different moments "... for the first several minutes it expresses our very humble, beaten-down-by-the-world, quiet need for mercy and then after the "grant us peace" we are more optimistic and strong in our faith, then there is that profound moment in the music that expresses when we are furious with the world and God and we shout out and demand peace, of course there are many other expressions and I think I am going to explore them in depth this Lent. You might want to listen several times and see what is says to you. All the Best!


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## hreichgott

Ingélou said:


> Thanks for the Fauré, Heather - I have just enjoyed listening to it. Lovely to hear from you, and best wishes. xx
> I am hoping to have a home retreat - nothing official. Just a daily space for meditation & listening.


you too Ingélou  and a peaceful and contemplative Lent to you.


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## Lukecash12

Terra tremuit, an Easter offertory:






Terra tremuit et quievit, Dum resurgeret in judicio Deus, alleluia! 
Notus in Judea Deus in Israel magnum nomen eius, alleluia! 
Dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia! 
Et factus est in pace locus eius et habitatio eius in Sion, alleluia! 
Dum resurgeret in iudicio Deus, alleluia! 
Ibi confregit cornua arcum, scutum, gladium et bellum, iluminans tu mirabiliter a montibus aeternis, alleluia! 
Terra tremuit et quievit, Dum resurgeret in judicio Deus, alleluia!﻿

The earth trembled and was still, when God arose in judgment, alleluia!
His name is great in Israel, God is known as the Lord in Judea, alleluia!
When God arose in judgment, alleluia!
And his place is in peace; and his abode in Sion; alleluia!
When God arose in judgment, alleluia!
There hath he broken the horns of the bow, the shield, the sword, 
Thou art more glorious than the eternal mountains, alleluia!
The earth trembled and was still, when God arose in judgment, alleluia!









Psalm 75

_From the heavens you uttered judgement;__
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgement,__
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah_

Matthew 28:

_Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."_


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## Ilarion

The following performance gives me strength in these times of trouble:


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## Ilarion

Ingélou said:


> Lent can be a time for taking stock: _reculer pour mieux sauter_. Can you recommend music that makes you think - about life, death, time & eternity, silence & truth, mind & the senses, good & evil, love & duty?
> 
> If you can post a link, so much the better. Or share an insight that a piece of music has inspired...
> 
> Thanks in advance for any replies. :tiphat:
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> My link - perversely, I'm choosing music that is really for Christmas, Tomas Luis de Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium, sung by The Sixteen:
> 
> Latin text
> O magnum mysterium,
> et admirabile sacramentum,
> ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
> jacentem in praesepio!
> Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
> meruerunt portare
> Dominum Christum.
> Alleluia.
> 
> English translation
> O great mystery,
> and wonderful sacrament,
> that animals should see the new-born Lord,
> lying in a manger!
> Blessed is the Virgin whose womb
> was worthy to bear
> Christ the Lord.
> Alleluia!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But the quality of the sound is so beautiful and conducive to meditation, as is the title, O Magnum Mysterium.
> 
> Each life - each pool of consciousness - let alone the vast and lovely universe - is indeed A Great Mystery.


Blessed Ingelou,

Thank you gentleperson for such a timely thread:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


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## TxllxT

With Lent I like to listen to Charpentier: heartfelt consolation.


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## Lukecash12

St. John Chrysostom's homily on Isaiah 6:1-3.

Ἄνω στρατιαὶ δοξολογοῦσιν ἀγγέλων· κᾶτω ἐν ἐκκλησίαις χοροστατοῦντες ἄνθρωποι τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις ἐκμιμοῦνται δοξολογίαν. Ἄνω τὰ Σεραφὶμ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον ἀναβοᾷ· κάτω τὸν αὑτὸν ἠ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναπέμπει πληθύς· κοινὴ τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων συγκροτεῖται πανήγυρις· μία εὐχαριστία, ἕν ἀγγαλλίασμα, μία εὐφρόσυνος χοροστασία.

_While the legions of angels praise above, down the human congregations sing the very same hymn. Above the seraphim jubilate the thrice-holy hymn, from deep down the human crowd raise with the same hymn into a solemn communion of the heavenly with the earthly spheres-a eucharist, one cheerfullness, one acclaim.

_Chrysostom's inspirational literature on the mercy seat:

Isaiah 6- _And it came to pass in the year in which king Ozias died, that I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of his glory. And seraphs stood round about him, each one had six wings, and with two they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to the other, and they said "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!"_

Revelation 4- _After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. __And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,_
_ "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,_
_ who was and is and is to come!"_
_9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,_
_11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,_
_ to receive glory and honor and power,_
_ for you created all things,_
_ and by your will they existed and were created."_


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