Immerse yourself in the world of sacred music and let yourself be accompanied by selected compositions. Discover the beauty and depth of the pieces of music and let yourself be inspired.

Epochs of Sacred Music

Newly added:

Sofia Gubaidulina (1931 – 2025): Sonnengesang. The Canticle of the Sun  (1997, rev. 1998)

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828): «Du bist die Ruh» D 776 (1823)

Anton Bruckner (1824–1896): Psalm 150 in C major for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra, WAB 38 (1892)

Anton Bruckner (1824–1896): Sanctus and Benedictus from Mass No. 3 in F (1867–68)

Henriette Bosmans (1895–1952): Lead, Kindly Light (1945) for voice and piano or orchestra (1945)

Klaus Huber (1924-2017): “Senfkorn” ("Mustard seed") for boy soprano, oboe, violin, viola, cello, and harpsichord (1975)

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704): Mystery Sonata “Resurrection” (from the so-called Rosary Sonatas) in G major for violin and basso continuo (around 1678, certainly composed in Salzburg between 1670 and 1687)

What do music and religiosity have in common?

Music is an aesthetic and existential experience and thus opens up new spaces for a liberating religiosity.

This experience is
meditative and prophetic at the same time,
at once individually free and audibly public,
at once halting and interrupting the ordinary,
at the same time emotionally gripping and activating.

What guides the choice of compositions?

The selection of compositions is orientated towards the above principles and avoids all constrictions of religious piety or confessional proselytising in the interpretation.

Why listening guides?

On this homepage you will find background information as well as listening accompaniments to the selected compositions. Music can only open your ears if you keep sharpening your own antennae for listening discursively. The more you prepare yourself to listen to a sacred work, the more it can move your mind and emotions and lead to new listening experiences and even life experiences. These listening instructions are therefore only intended as a start and an impulse to undertake further listening journeys of your own.

Quotes:

‘Musica is a gift from God that makes you happy.’ (Martin Luther)


‘Without music, life would be a mistake’ (Friedrich Nietzsche in “Götzen-Dämmerung”)


‘I don't want to sound too spiritual now, because I'm not, but at a concert something is created that is more than just the physical dimensions.’ (Ingo Metzmacher, conductor)


‘I am fascinated by surprising transitions between the religious and the aesthetic in both directions: how a work of art opens up a sudden experience of transcendence or, conversely, how a church service gives an unexpected experience of beauty.’ (Johann Hinrich Claussen, EKD Commissioner for Culture)

Toni Bernet-Strahm

Note for music lovers:

Website: Unknown Violin Concertos