This a revamped post from Easter past with music and words reflecting my three published novels: A House Near Luccoli and its sequel To A Strange Somewhere Fled, and my latest, just released at the end of last year, Without the Veil Between, Anne Brontë: A Fine and Subtle Spirit.
“My music began. A mixture of harmonious voices, poetry & fine instrumentalists.”
Alessandro Stradella ~ A House Near Luccoli
Alessandro Stradella’s sacred cantata for solo alto and instruments Crocifissione e morte di nostro signore Gesu Cristo – the Crucifixion and death of our savior Jesus Christ. Performed by Baroque and Renaissance Choral
Purcell performed the music with his eyes & a delicate finger in the air.
~ To A Strange Somewhere Fled
Henry Purcell’s Hear My Prayer · Sheffield Cathedral Choir · Neil Taylor · Peter Heginbotham
Crux Fidelis – Music for Passiontide and Easter
And in the context of my newest novel Without the Veil Between, Anne Brontë: A Fine and Subtle Spirit …
… here is Anne’s poem/hymn Believe Not Those Who Say, which was put to the tune Festal Song by William Henry Walter (unfortunately I couldn’t find a recording of Anne’s words put to the music. I did find an organ instrumental of Festal Song and it’s easy to “hear” how her words fit in.)
Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth,
Lest thou should stumble in the way,
And faint before the truth.
To labor and to love,
To pardon and endure,
To lift thy heart to God above,
And keep thy conscience pure.
Be this thy constant aim,
Thy hope, thy chief delight,
What matter who should whisper blame
Or who should scorn or slight.
Read the full poem here (it includes one of Anne’s most quoted lines:
But he, that dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.
Anne wanted to make the music she loved compactly portable, even without access to a pianoforte, available for performances in her head, preferably so, for then her fingers were agile and her voice wasn’t weak.
~ Without the Veil Between, Anne Brontë: A Fine and Subtle Spirit
Blessings for Easter and Passover
Copyright 2018 by DM Denton
Copyright 2012 by DM Denton
And as Easter falls on April 1st this year and a little snow is forecasted for Western New York …
Copyright 2013 by DM Denton
Artwork and writing, unless otherwise indicated, are the property of Diane M Denton. Please request permission to reproduce or post elsewhere with a link back to bardessdmdenton. Thank you.
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Loved all this, Diane – I read it and admired the artwork while listening to the music (lovely combination!). I can very much relate to your Easter/April fool poem as we are having the same mercurial weather here. (The Purcell ‘Hear My Prayer’ video is not available to me – might be because I’m in the UK.)
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So glad you enjoyed it, Deborah. Sorry you couldn’t watch and listen to the Purcell. Hope your Easter was lovely! It’s still snowing here. Not the kind of April showers needed right now. 🙂 XO
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