The historic Oude Kerk in Heemstede was the perfect setting for Sunday’s moving performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. For the third year running, this masterpiece has been performed during Passiontide. This year featured a fresh twist: an arrangement for accordion, cello, soprano, and mezzo-soprano. Award-winning accordionist Vincent van Amsterdam and cellist Diederik van Dijk accompanied …
Latest addition: Clémence de Granval
Clémence de Grandval’s Stabat Mater represents a fascinating piece of rediscovered 19th-century French sacred music. This recording marks its modern world premiere, performed by the Vittoria Regional Choir of Île-de-France under Michel Piquemal’s direction, featuring a distinguished ensemble of soloists with piano and harmonium accompaniment. Grandval (1828-1907) broke barriers in the male-dominated music world of …
New English Liturgical Translation of the Stabat Mater
We recently received an interesting message from Fr. Fritz Schlueter from the United States regarding a new liturgical translation of the Stabat Mater in English. We are pleased to share this with our readers. In 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a new hymnal titled “The Divine Office Hymnal.” This book …
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The Ultimate Stabat Mater Website Needs Your Support
The Ultimate Stabat Mater Website began as a personal passion of Hans van der Velden in 1997. Now, almost 30 years later, you can listen to seven centuries of Stabat Mater music, find the text of the Latin poem in more than thirty languages, and read news updates about composers and artists inspired by the …
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Koen DeJonghe’s Stabat Mater: A Musical Journey Through Time
Imagine: you’re standing before an impressive painting from 1672 in the Saint Nicholas Church in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium). The royal blue and wine-red canvas depicts the Descent from the Cross, painted by Pieter Thys. For composer Koen DeJonghe, this artwork became the inspiration for a remarkable piece of music: his own version of the Stabat Mater. …
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Stabat Mater Speciosa: Poem about Maternal Joy
There is no better moment to write about the Stabat Mater Speciosa than around Christmas: about a joyful Mary, elated at the birth of her child. Where the Stabat Mater Dolorosa focuses on Mary’s grief at the crucifixion, the Speciosa version celebrates the joy and wonder of the Nativity. It explores in simple wording Mary’s …
Together in Music – United in Peace
Dear friends and visitors of the Ultimate Stabat Mater Website, May the harmonious language of music and our shared wish for peace fill your hearts this Christmas, as we join together in hope for 2025.
Stabat Mater Dolorosa: Have You Read It Yet?
Dive deeper into the remarkable story behind the Stabat Mater – a medieval poem that has inspired musicians, artists, and storytellers for centuries. This book (published April 2024) traces a fascinating path from the picturesque town of Todi in Umbria to concert halls worldwide, exploring how a thirteenth-century text of maternal grief became a universal …
A New Croatian Translation of the Stabat Mater
We are excited to announce a new addition to our website – a Croatian translation of the original Latin Stabat Mater text! Mr. Leopold, a young classical music enthusiast from Croatia, alerted us to this translation. Thank you very much! The Croation translation is number 33 in the list of languages! We extend our heartfelt …
Holland Baroque Brings Monastic Manuscripts to Life
Some concerts are so exceptional that a single glimpse is enough to convey their brilliance to the world. Just listen and watch the video and photo below. It features the Stabat Mater set to a Gregorian melody from around 1653 by Benedictus à Sancto Josepho. We, boardmembers of the Ultimate Stabat Mater Website Foundation, had …
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