Stabat Mater | Marc-André Bougie La Musique des Sources
Publisher ID:
Choral Score - JB032 Full Score (11" x 17" and spiral bound) - JB032FS Orchestration (Rental) - JB032O
I began sketching musical themes for the Stabat Mater in April of 2024. The text of the prayer is rather dramatic – with the emphasis on the sorrow of Mary at the foot of the cross. Even though the end of the prayer offers glimpses of light and hope, the Stabat Mater is meant to be a meditation on the Passion of Christ and of its impact on the one who loved Him most, Mary.
For structural and musical purposes, the idea of integrating the text and chant of the Regina Coeli – the Marian antiphonal for the season of the Easter – came to me as I began the conception of the work. The chant will be split into four different segments to be integrated successively with the text of the Stabat Mater in the various movements of the setting, culminating in the full presentation of the chant in contrapuntal style to conclude the work. The segmented chant will also be presented in its minor mode form at first before its glorious complete presentation in a major key at the end of the composition.
In a sense, the idea of this Stabat Mater setting with the subtitle of Fantasy on Regina Coeli has been on my mind as the piece has been coming to life. The themes of reconciliation and resolution are important aspects of my compositional work, and the association of these two ancient prayers provides fertile ground for exploring these ideas.
