St. Paul’s invites the community to a contemplative service on Good Friday, April 15, at 12:00 PM. Traditionally one of the most penitential days on the church calendar, we commemorate the Crucifixion of Christ with a service of music and readings.
The service will include the Fourteen Stations of the Cross, complemented by a performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s setting of the traditional Good Friday text Stabat Mater dolorosa, which he composed in 1736. The Stabat Mater is a thirteenth century Roman Catholic sequence variously attributed to Innocent III or Jacopone da Todi. Its title is an abbreviation of the first line, Stabat mater dolorosa (The sorrowful mother was standing). The hymn meditates on the suffering of Mary, Christ’s mother, during his crucifixion. It is a popular text and has been set to music by many composers, among them Palestrina, Haydn, Rossini, Poulenc, and Verdi.
Pergolesi’s celebrated setting will be sung by two of St. Paul’s professional singers: Addison Pattillo, soprano; and Julianna Smith, mezzo-soprano, accompanied by a string ensemble. During the performance the text will be illustrated using images from the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald, painted between 1512 and 1516.
The service is open to all, and admission is free. For additional information please call the church office at (781) 334-4594.