"Stabat Mater" hymn is based
upon the "Dolorosa" poem written by Blessed Jacomo da Todi
which depicts the suffering of Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, during his
crucifixion. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi was given a commission, to compose
"Stabat Mater" in 1734, but was gravely ill at the time, and
completed it just before he died at the age of 26 . Jean-Jacques
Rousseau wrote: "The first movement of the Stabat Mater is the most
perfect and most moving that has ever issued from the pen of any
composer."
Stabat
Mater Dolorosa by Perglosi – written by Blessed Jacomo Benedetti of Todi,
Italy(Feast Day – December 22)
Stabat mater dolorosa
juxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.
juxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her son to the last.
About the
Composer . . .
Blessed Jacomo da Todi, or James, was born a noble
member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became
a successful lawyer and married a pious, generous lady named Vanna.
His young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the
worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo,
attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other
noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband
was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore
was for his sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life.
He divided his possessions among the poor and entered the
Secular Franciscan Order (once known as the Third Order). Often dressed in
penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or "Crazy
Jim," by his former associates. The name became dear to him.
After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be a
member of the Order of Friars Minor(First Order). Because of his reputation,
his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities
of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in
1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance, declining to be ordained a
priest. Meanwhile he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular.
Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing
religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called,
wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two
cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals, though,
opposed Celestine’s successor, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was
excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone
was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later.
He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of
his life more spiritual than ever, weeping "because Love is not
loved." During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater.
On Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He
was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna.
Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed "Sister Death" with one of his
favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest
intoned the Gloria from the midnight Mass at
Christmas. From the time of his death, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a
saint.
Comment:
“Crazy Jim,” his contemporaries called Jacopone. We might well echo their taunt, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song, the Stabat Mater, but we Christians claim another song as our own, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.
“Crazy Jim,” his contemporaries called Jacopone. We might well echo their taunt, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song, the Stabat Mater, but we Christians claim another song as our own, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.
