SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral choir
produces CD for Lent

By Sean Gallagher

The reality of Christ’s Passion, death and resurrection is so powerful that words alone fail to express its enormity. This fact has led composers for centuries to create musical settings of texts inspired by the events of Holy Week in an attempt to allow musical notes to try to convey what the words by themselves cannot.

A collection of these choral works have been recorded by Laudis Cantores, the choir of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis, and is available on a compact disc titled Lent: A Season to Reflect.

The CD, which also includes instrumental meditations on Lenten themes, features vocalists Father Rick Ginther, the pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Parish, as well as Terry Kirts, Todd Edwards, violinist Jonathan Dowell and guitarist Matt Boas.

This latest effort by the cathedral’s music ministry marks its sixth CD in seven years. In a recent interview, Father Ginther spoke about the purpose for making the recordings.

“First of all, the intention was to share on a wider range the liturgical music of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral,” he said, “to make it available as a prayer instrument at home or in the car, just to continue to promote the beauty of a variety of styles of liturgical music, sacred music from instrumental to vocal.”

But he also noted that the sale of the CDs helps to support the overall ministry of Cathedral Parish.

Ed Greene, the director of Laudis Cantores, said the CD also may help introduce listeners to parts of the broad musical heritage of the Church “that has been lost and in some places is never, ever heard,” works by composers such as Giovanni da Palestrina, Guillaume Dufay and Anton Bruckner.

“These folks are a part of our history and are part of our Roman Catholic tradition,” Greene said, “and so we try very hard to include early Roman Catholic music particularly in the repertoire.”

Although some of the choral works on the CD are settings of texts that simply reflect on the events of Christ’s Passion and death, others are much closer to the texts of the Holy Week liturgies themselves, including a Kyrie from a 15th century Mass setting and an adaptation of a setting of the St. John Passion by
16th-century Spanish composer Tomas Luis de Victoria.

Father Ginther expressed his hope that the CD might serve as an aid to prayer for listeners, helping them to go beyond simply experiencing sacred words with the mind.

“Music is much more visceral,” he said. “It touches a part of our faith expression that nothing else can. For me, music leads to prayer.”

(For more information on Lent: A Season to Reflect, or to order the CD, call SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral at 317-634-4519.) †