Co-presented with the St. Paul’s Choir School
THE MISERERE (PSALM 51) IN PRAYER AND MUSIC
Thursday, March 7
Lecture - Dr. Matthew Hall
Music - Music by the Boys' Choir of St. Paul's and the Ferris Choral Fellows of Harvard University, dir. Richard Webster
St. Paul’s Church, Cambridge MA and Livestreamed
Psalm 51 (“Have mercy on me, O Lord…”) is a profound prayer and meditation on repentance, conversion, and divine forgiveness. The poetry expresses the special spirituality of Lent and has given rise to some of the most moving music in the Catholic tradition. Dr. Matthew Hall explores the text of the psalm, its theological and spiritual vision, and its expression through music in works of Allegri, Josquin, and Byrd. This music then will be sung by the choir and soloists under the direction of Richard Webster.
Co-sponsored by the Nova Forum
Matthew J. Hall
Matthew J. Hall, Sacred Music Area Advisor for the Harvard Catholic Forum, is Managing Editor of the Journal of Musicology and Associate Director of Campus Ministry at Cornell University and Ithaca College. He has served as a lecturer in music at Ithaca College and Cornell University, as well as the Director of Music at Immaculate Conception Church (Ithaca, NY) and other large parish music programs. Prior to earning the Ph.D. in musicology from Cornell and teaching there, he received his A.B. in Music and Linguistics summa cum laude from Harvard, was organ and choral scholar at Leeds Roman Catholic Cathedral (UK) on a Fulbright, and completed harpsichord and organ studies at Boston University.
The Saint Paul’s Boys Choir
The Saint Paul’s Boys Choir, directed by Richard Webster, is based in the St. Paul’s Choir School, founded in 1963 by Dr. Theodore Marier, the only Catholic boys’ choir school in the United States. The Boys’ Choir sings during term time at daily and Sunday Masses, and at a weekly Choral Vespers. The Choir has toured and performed throughout North America and Europe and made numerous recordings.