About the composer
Jacques Berthier was born in 1923 in Auxerre, France. He studied first piano, organ,
harmony and composition with his father, who also was a composer. He then took up studies
at the César Franck School in Paris. In 1961 he was appointed organist at St.Ignace, a
church in Paris, where he worked until his death. Berthier loved plain chant and used it
in his compositions. Starting in 1955, Berthier wrote during the rest of his life
music for the Taizé Community near Cluny, simple chants and congregational songs that
were sung by the Brothers of the Community, but also by increasing numbers of young people
who gathered each year at Taizé. Jacques Berthier died in Paris on June 27, 1994
| Date | ca. 1960? |
| Performers | Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Tenor and mixed chorus |
| Length | 13.25 minutes |
| Particulars | This Mater Dolorosa is divided in 11 parts. It is a mixture of musical styles, in which some stanzas are sung by a girl chorus in almost pure plain chant, using the official liturgical melody, and the others in a simple modern style. These are mainly sung by the a cappella choir, to which the female soloists add an extra melodic line. One part of two stanzas is sung by the tenor. |
| Textual variations | The "Vatican"-version of the text is used, but the stanzas 5, 10, 12, 13 and 17 are omitted. |
| CD | Studio SM D 2703 SM 63: Jacques Berthier, Requiem 1951 |
| About this CD | The CD is dedicated to, and a registration of the first time
Berthier's Requiem was performed. Recorded at the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, Aix-en-Procence, May 1998 I bought this CD in a record shop in the Netherlands, 1999 |
| Choir | Schola Saint-Sauveur de la Cathédrale d'Aix-en-Provence |
| Conductor | Jean-François Sénart |
| Soloists | Martine Honorat, soprano Elisabeth Maury, mezzo-soprano Jean-Marie Cottin, tenor Chantal de Zeeuw, organ |
| Other works | Jacques Berthier: Requiem |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl