Missa Cantata for Feast of the Presentation

For the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there will be a Missa Cantata at the Church of the Holy Innocents, 128 W. 37th Street (37th St. & Broadway), New York, New York, on Saturday, November 21st, at 1 PM.

The Reredos IV: The German World - Tilman Riemenschneider

We conclude our survey of the reredos (Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque) by turning to perhaps the most popular master of the large altarpiece in Germany: Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531). He lived and worked in and around the city of Wuerzburg in the region of Franconia and brought the art of the German reredos to rare perfection. But his achievements were on the verge of the Reformation that extinguished in most of that country the theological basis for such masterpieces: belief in the Mass, the Eucharist, the intercession of the saints, the superiority of the contemplative life and the value of good works such as furnishing the house of God with splendid art.


The main church of Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber (above)contains a number of altars and important works of medieval art. Among them is Riemenschneider's altar of the Holy Blood which focuses on the Last Supper.


The crown (Gesprenge), canopy and side panels show Riemenschneider's virtuosity.





The central scene of this altar illustrates Riemenschneider's innovative style. He was one of the German carvers of altarpieces to leave the carvings in the natural wood and abandon the gilt and painted surfaces of tradition. The Last Supper is set against an openwork background instead of being enclosed in a case. The artist gave each of the apostles individual features and gestures.






Near Rothenburg lies the village of Creglingen. Here stands a chapel which was the focus of a major devotion in the latter Middle Ages. Among several altars commissioned at that time for this church is Riemenschneider's masterpiece. In this reredos Riemenschneider achieved complete integration of all the traditional elements of the German altar. The ascent of the Virgin of the Assumption is continued by the canopy and flame-like crown. But despite the drama, the serene figure of Mary herself is completely absorbed in contemplative prayer.

St. Cecilia Day Concert Scheduled at St. Mary Norwalk

The St. Cecilia Society at St. Mary Church will present its annual benefit St. Cecilia’s Day Concert on Friday, 20 November 2009 at 7:30 P.M. The St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, under the direction of David Hughes, will sing polyphony of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance:

anonymous (XIV C.): Messe de Tournai (excerpts)
Josquin: Missa L’homme armé sexti toni (excerpts)
Byrd: Factus est repente
Byrd: Miserere mihi Domine
Philips: Ave Maria
Victoria: Ave Maris Stella

First Vespers of the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady will be sung by the St. Mary’s Choir at 7:00 P.M., and a festive wine & cheese reception will follow the concert. Suggested donation is $25 general admission, $15 for students & seniors; all proceeds go to support the music programs at St. Mary's Church . For more information please call the music office at 203-866-5546 x115.

Requiem Mass for Veterans Day in Queens

Fr. Wilson will celebrate a Requiem Mass at St. Matthias Church, 58-15 Catalpa Ave, Ridgewood NY 11385 (718.821.6447) at 7 pm on November 11th, 2009. A reader of our blog sends this information about the music: The Mass setting is by Giovanni Francesco Anerio. Born into a musical Italian family, Anerio served as a singer and choirmaster in a variety of churches. Ordained in 1616, he left the country in 1624 to serve King Sigismund III of Poland, and died in 1630 as he journeyed back to Rome. This Requiem was performed at London's Westminster Cathedral on April 23,1912 at a Mass honoring those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic.

The Reredos III: The German World - Michael Pacher

A supreme master of the art of the altarpiece was Michael Pacher (around 1430 to 1498). Born in what is now called South Tyrol, he did most of his work there and in the vicinity of Salzburg. He created a number of the large, movable altarpieces typical of late Gothic German art, and was skilled both as a sculptor and a painter. But very little survives complete. The beautiful Virgin above, set in a baroque reredos in Salzburg, is what remains of what must have been one of his greatest masterpieces.


St. Wolfgang in Austria was an important pilgrimage destination in the late Middle Ages. Nowadays in the summer it is a crowded and rather noisy resort well known in the German-speaking world.


Here at St Wolfgang there is preserved one of the greatest masterpieces of the art of the altarpiece in Europe. It depects the Coronation of the Virgin flanked by St. Wolfgang and St. Benedict. The altar is a vast composition made up of both sculpture and paintings.



The late medieval world understood Mary as the paragon and model for all contemplatives. Here she kneels humbly with averted face and downcast eyes before her own Son who crowns her the Queen of Heaven. Yet there is no explosion of baroque drama but all is suffused with a quiet, inefffable radiance of mystic rapture.


The Virgin as seen from different angles with different lighting. As the afternoon light changes, the gilt surfaces of the altar constantly reveal subtle new aspects to the viewer.


The great carved central scene is surrounded by wings with numerous panels illustrating the New Testament (here, the Circumcision). Michael Pacher was as skilled a painter as he was a sculptor, and his painted work shows the early influence of the Italian renaissance north of the Alps. These panels can be moved to present several different views to the congregation depending on the ecclesiastical calendar.




The carving attains almost superhuman virtuosity in the canopy and crown (Gesprenge).


St. Wolfgang has the appearance of a forthright man of action in contrast to the central scene of contemplation. St Wolfgang - after whom the village is named - was bishop of Regensburg in the 10th century and a noted missionary and reformer. Note the elaborate late medieval episcopal vestments and regalia on this statue.

Solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass at Church of the Holy Innocents

A memorable pontifical requiem mass was celebrated this evening at the Church of the Holy Innocents in Manhattan, sponsored by the parish and the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart. David Adam smith led the choir ansd schola in a supernal rendering of Victoria's Requiem.



An elaborate catafalque had been erected that was blessed at the conclusion of this service. By the way, all the candles used in this liturgy were real and made of unbleached beeswax.





The celebrant was His Excellency James C. Timlin, Bishop Emeritus of Scranton.



The church of the Holy Innocents was nearly full.


The black and silver vestments (antiques?)were splendid.



The elaborate ceremony of the Mass was very well handled. Especially considering it was the first such mass in New York since the mid sixties.

The Reredos II: The German World

In our first installment we covered the altarpiece in Spain. I am of the opinion, however, the the art of the reredos, retable or altarpiece reached its peak in the former lands of the Holy Roman Empire - Germany, Austria, South Tirol etc. Here we can find magnificent examples from the late Gothic through to the beginnings of neo-classicism.


In the Nonnberg Benedictine monastery of Salzburg there are a number of fine examples of medieval art - including this Gothic reredos at the main altar. (The future Maria von Trapp was a novice here).



The late gothic altar often featured wings or side panels, which could be either painted or carved. In some cases they could be moved to present a different set of images depending on the season or to enclose the main figures.


German late gothic altarpieces were surmounted by a crest or crowning (Gesprenge) often supporting further holy images.


Whereas in the rest of Salzburg the baroque triumphed in the secluded realm of this convent the late Gothic interior remained intact.


For an early baroque example, we turn to the church of Mondsee, not too far from Salzburg. Some may recognize this altar as that actually seen in the wedding scene in The Sound of Music.



The coronation of the Virgin forms the centerpiece of this reredos. In the German-speaking areas (the Holy Roman Empire and Switzerland)there is continuity between the late medieval altarpiece, renaissance and early baroque creations and the final late baroque/rococo flowering in the eighteenth century,



Jewelled skeletons of saints complete what is, for American eyes at least, a unique and startling decorative scheme. We should understand such figures, however, as a much needed if drastic memento mori.