DOSSIER
hardly a more frightening text in all the liturgy. In this, however, we often overlook the fact that in the long run, this text, as does the psalm, does convey the image of a merciful judge. The exact place where Pärt inserted this sequence is of decisive meaningfulness and consistent: it comes after the third verse: For I recognize my misdeeds, and my sin is ever before me. As already explained several times, the recognition of sin is the real turning point and the reason for trust in God, who thus looks after us. In order to emphasize this, Pärt brings the piece to a close with the last three lines of the sequence, in which the plea for mercy is expressed. PASSIO
Before this background we must not be astonished that alongside the Kanon pokajanen which, incidentally, is based on the same material, too, one of Pärt’s major works, Litany, a pleading litany, in which God is begged for mercy in view of one’s sins, is the setting of a passion, St John’s Passion. And the choice of this report on the passion is consistent - after all, John is the gospel-writer whose intention it is, above all, to describe God’s love and goodness towards mankind. Nowhere do we see God’s love more clearly than in the description of the suffering and death of Jesus, through which the redemption of mankind was achieved. And: here, too, Pärt underlines the end from Miserere with the plea for God’s mercy, for off his own bat he adds this text to the gospel report: Qui passus es pro nobis, (You who died for us,) miserere nobis. (have mercy on us.) Amen (Amen) This is a wholly personal addition/supplement, which is not common in musical settings intended for the liturgy. SUMMARY
Clearly, the composer proceeds with great determination in the selection of texts21. Alongside biblical texts, even when he uses freely composed poetry, old texts stand in the foreground. If the earliest texts are still quite general, as the years pass, their selection clearly paints an image of God characterized by mercy and love. This is juxtaposed by a second motif: the realization of the sinfulness of mankind towards God. If the works are primarily performed in churches, the use of addtions or the free treatment of texts
21 We will, here, not discuss individual texts which clearly are linked to works known to be commissions, as they are unlikely to have been selected by him.
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demonstrates that they were usually not written for the liturgy. Thus Pärt is most certainly not a liturgical composer writing music for functions, but somebody who selects and composes texts independent of any “usefulness” solely because of their content. This does not, however, in some cases exclude liturgical use, as our practice shows. FINAL REMARKS
As already discussed at the outset of this article, it is impossible to describe precisely the personal religiosity of a person - this is impossible because of its content and would also invade the space of another person. In the long run each of us has to walk part of his way, alone. Of course utterances in respect of religion can be collected and interpreted. Even if they are unambiguous in themselves, we still have not said anything about the internal life of that person and his relationship with God. Both remain a secret. However, as the utterances of a composer concern the contents which he projects to his surroundings, we are allowed to investigate them. In the case of Arvo Pärt we observe a convincing coherence and consistency of utterances in relation to faith, a matching selection of texts and, following from these, the musical shaping of the texts. Translated from the German by Irene Auerbach (UK/ Germany)
RICHARD MAILÄNDER studied church music, musicology and history at Cologne Music College and at the University of Cologne. He started work as a church musician at St Margareta’s in Neunkirchen, and from 1980 to 1987 he was Cantor at St Pantaleon in Cologne. On 1 October 1987 Richard Mailänder started working at diocesan level within the Archbishopric of Cologne. In 2006 he took full charge of music in the Archbishopric. After a spell doing some teaching at the Robert Schumann College in Düsseldorf, in 2000 he started teaching at the College of Music and Dance in Cologne, where he performed numerous works of Pärt, some of them first performances in Germany. Furthermore he has published numerous articles and books for the teaching of church music and is (co-)editor of many anthologies of choral music. E-mail: richard.mailaender@erzbistum-koeln.de