Echoes from Calvary: Mediations on Franz Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ

by Richard Young

This is a book that is certain to stir the soul with echoes, in both music and words, of the passion of Christ. That event transcends time or season; its power to uplift and inspire is endless.

In 1786 Franz Joseph Haydn wrote what he considered to be his greatest composition, The Seven Last Words of Christ . Today it continues to provide musical and spiritual nourishment for millions through a format that links its seven main movements to spoken meditations on the seven final utterances of Jesus.

The Vermeer String Quartet, in dozens of performances of this masterpiece throughout the world, has been joined by some of the foremost religious figures of our time for meditations on the seven last words. This book offers printed versions of more than 60 of them, along with seven spoken meditations as part of the complete musical performance on one of the accompanying disks. Meditations include contributions by Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Marty, Virgil Elizondo, Raymond Brown, Peter Gomes, Andrew Greeley, Jean Bethke Elshtain and many more. There are also in-depth essays by theologian Martin Marty, historian Grover A. Zinn, ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain and the Vermeer's Richard Young. On a second disk, Young demonstrates how Haydn's composition embodies the emotion of the seven last words.

Echoes from Calvary offers many hours of spiritual reflection and devotion. It is a treasury of insights for any life, in any season.

Genres: Music

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2005

Reviews

[David Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can be enjoyed on several different levels: music history, musical analysis, spiritual pilgrimage. -- Some years ago, Richard Young, the violist of the Vermeer String Quartet, hit on the idea of presenting Joseph Haydn's 1787 masterpiece 'The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross' with commentary from a variety of sources on each word in turn. It was the beginning of an annual concert and a worldwide phenomenon. The Quartet's first album of the event was nominated for a Grammy. This book, rather than commemorating one particular performance, draws together numerous contributions made over a number of years. As one might expect from such an undertaking, some of the readings are better than others: at their best, the reader is stirred, challenged, or uplifted. The book also comes with two CDs: the first contains a performance of the 'Seven Last Words' with one set of remarks; the second has musical examples to be heard while reading a chapter about the composition and structure of the work. -- All in all, this is a unique volume and highly recommended. (Unfortunately, the Vermeer Quartet disbanded in 2007.)