When I realized, one day, that I owned several CDs with a musical setting of the Stabat Mater I decided to start a real collection. The Spectrum Muziek Lexicon by Theo Willemze named some 15 composers, so this should be not too difficult. It appeared, however, that the number was substantially larger. I now know about some 600 composers, who, fortunately, have not all been recorded on CD yet. Still, a substantial fraction has been released on CD and my collection grew rapidly. Beside this list of my collection of CDs I have made another list of composers which as far as I know have not yet been recorded on CD (more than 400).

A collection invites to comparing, and that is what I do. I analyze the text and note the differences, as it appears that several variations of the Stabat Mater poem exist. I listen to the music and I try to present the results in an easily surveyable way. This comparison is handicapped by the fact, that, in the field of musical theories, I am an analphabet and not even able to read music. Many opinions you find in this area, therefore, has been found in the accompanying CD-inserts. Beside that, I try to give an impression of what I heard. This is, in effect, a question of sense and sensibility. I give a description in words, colored of course by my own taste, and I give a graphical representation of the piece (for an explanation: see Colourbar).