While Tomoko attended college, she
played the organ for the local Catholic Church; she also converted to
Catholicism at that time. So she knows the importance of saints in the spiritual
life. Many composers also realized the
impact that saints can make, and they composed music in their hoor. Especially
as St. Nicholas Day was recently celebrated, here is a seasonal starting alphabetical
list by composer.
Johann Sebastian Bach: St. Matthew
Passion
Berlioz: l'enfance du Christ,
oratorio, Op. 25
Britten: Canticle V, Op. 89
“The Death of St. Narcissus”
Britten: Saint Nicolas
cantate, Op. 452
Antonio Caldara: Maddalena et
piedi di Cristo oratorio
Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint
Sebastien musical mystery play
Dvorak: Svata Ludmila
oratorio
Josef Foerster: Saint Wenceslas
cantata, Op. 140
Lassus: Le Legrime di San Pietro
cycle of 20 madrigals
Liszt: Die Legende von der
Heiligen Elisabeth oratorio
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
(The Boy’s Magic Horn) – about St. Anthony of Padua
Gian Francesco Malipiero: San
Francesco d’Assisi mystery in 4 tableaux
Massenet: Marie-Magdaleine
oratorio
Mendelssohn: St. Paul
oratorio, Op. 36
Messiaen: St. Francois de’Assise opera
John Knowles Payne: St. Peter
oratorio, p. 20
Rachmaninoff: A Literacy of St.
John Chyrsostom, Op. 31
Saint-Saens: Oratorio de Noel,
Op. 12
Heinrich Schutz: Christmas
Oratorio (St. Joseph and Mary)
Strauss: Salome (the part of St. Jochanaan) opera, Op. 54
Virgil Thomson: Four Saints in
Three Acts
Van den Booren: La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, Op. 53
Charles Wood: St. Mark Passion
