Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Thursday 28 March |
Aleteia logo
Art & Culture
separateurCreated with Sketch.

A breathtaking Ave Maria from a contemporary composer

J-P Mauro - published on 08/04/22

The Benedict XVI institute is committed to performing and producing the highest quality of sacred music.

Traditional Catholic sacred music has been composed and rearranged by artists for hundreds of years, but the hymns still remain fresh when they’re penned by faithful hands. Today we are listening to a relatively new “Ave Maria” from contemporary composer Frank La Rocca. 

The piece is a much more somber rendition of the Hail Mary prayer than Schubert’s popular arrangement. La Rocca exhibits masterful use of dynamics to build the piece and separate musical thoughts. The tactic brings more emotion to the piece and gives the singers more opportunity for expressive, flowing lines. 

La Rocca is a New Jersey native who studied music at Yale and Berkeley. He has been composing sacred music since 1998 and his large songbook has been performed by choirs all over the world. In an article he wrote for the University of Notre Dame, he described himself as “an apologist for a distinctively Christian faith – not through direct persuasion, but through the beauty of music.”

This recording was released in the beginning of July. The choir comes from the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, an organization whose mission follows La Rocca’s own goals of celebrating the faith through performance of the most beautiful sacred songs. They contend that even with Catholicism’s vast catalog of hymns and art songs, “The greatest art, the greatest liturgy the Catholic Church has ever produced is yet to come.”

Tags:
Sacred Music
Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.