Heavenly Music

The Basilica of Mercy is a church built here in 1249, although the present structure dates from the 1750’s. Dedicated to Our Lady, the Patron Saint of Barcelona, the church has been embellished by the nobility of Barcelona for nearly 300 years. Every square inch of this high Baroque sanctuary exudes the most devout expressions of Spanish piety.

Tonight, however, the church served as a concert hall. A string septet performed the works of Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Ravel, and Mozart. For this last composer’s Ave Maria and his Ave Verum Corpus, a talented young soprano joined the troupe. Whether the composers intended their works to be religious or not, the ethereal sounds reflected from the domed ceiling, settling on an audience enthralled by music that seemed to come from heaven itself.

Tonight’s performance suggests to me that Word of God often comes to us with no words at all.Read more