Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire presents Music for Virgin Mary
Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire will be presenting a concert of choral music from the 10th through 16th centuries. Titled “Rosa das Rosas” — or “rose of roses”, all the music is devoted to Virgin Mary, often represented as a rose in visual art and poetry. The performances will take place on Friday, April 24, 7:30pm at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Chippewa Falls, and on Saturday, April 25, 7:30pm at Old St. Mary Parish in Milwaukee.
The rose—an icon of the Virgin Mother in the Catholic church, yet also a universal symbol of love and beauty. This program examines the various ways such imagery is used in medieval and renaissance poetry.
Some of the oldest music on this program include Gregorian chants from as early as 10th century, as well as selections from Cantigas de Santa Maria, a 13th century collection of devotional songs created at the order of Alfonso X, with poetry in Gallican-Portuguese.
Other music on the program includes a genre of sacred Italian music called “spiritual madrigals” by Renaissance composers such as Cipriano Rore, Luca Marenzio, and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Some of these pieces share the same text source: a devotional poem written by Petrarch, often referred to as his “Prayer to the Virgin”. The rest of the concert comprises Latin motets by Johannes Ockeghem and Francisco Guerrero.
Advanced tickets can be purchased online for $12 ($7 for students) on our ticketing page; tickets are also available at the door for $15 ($10 for students).