Suffering With Joy

Popule Meus – Reproaches of Good Friday

March 21, 2010

Crucifixion, c. 1450 Panel, Andrea del Castagno (b. 1423, Castagno, d. 1457, Firenze) National Gallery, London

Between now and Good Friday I’ll be posting about the Reproaches.  While Gregorian chant is the major musical form in the Latin liturgy, many compositions of the Popule Meus from the Reproaches have been written by great composers the world over.  Today I want to introduce readers to an exceptionally beautiful composition by Jose Angel Lamas.

Knowledge of composers from Latin  and South America is uncommon in North America, but thanks to YouTube, their music is now available.  Jose Angel Lamas is one such composer.  He only lived to be 39 and the composition here is his most important and well known.

Lamas was born in Caracas, Venezuela on August 2, 1775 and died there December 10, 1814.  He was buried in St. Paul’s Church but when it was torn down to build the Teatro Municipal de Caracas his bones were never found.  The composer lived during the colonial-provincial period and dedicated his life to religious music, being a member of the Cathedral orchestra.  This piece, Popule Meus, was composed in 1801 and premiered at the Caracas Cathedral.

I could not find a recording of this at Amazon so unfortunately, I can’t put this in my store.  The sadness of the Popule Meus exudes not only from the melodic line, but from the silences that punctuate the composition and the choral vs. solo voices. Enjoy.

Tags: art, music, Reproaches