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Archives for October 2019

Mater Dolorosa and Anna Akhmatova

27-10-2019

Through my Ultimate Stabat Mater Website  I frequently receive messages from music lovers, musicians or composers about performances, recordings and compositions of the Stabat Mater. It always make me happy but I was extra surprised when Mr. Richard Blackford from England contacted me. He informed me he had been commissioned by the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra to compose a Stabat Mater and it was only when he came across four poems by Anna Akhmatova that a completely different approach occurred to him. So he had not just used the Latin text but combined it with some poems of Anna Akhmatova from her cycle Requiem, written in 1938, the Stalin-period, when her son Lev had been arrested and in prison for a long time. Indeed, I was surprised because, years ago, I got a Stabat Mater by Georgi Dmitriev (from Russia) in my collection and he too did use the Requiem poems by Akhmatova in his Stabat Mater. I told Richard about Dmitriev’s composition. We came in contact and I decided to attend the London premiere of his Stabat Mater on October 19th in the Cadogan Hall where I had the opportunity to meet Richard in person.

I had an exciting, wonderful evening! I was deeply impressed by Blackfords Pietà. He chose this title after revisiting Michelangelo’s statue in St. Peter’s in Rome. In the program book Richard says: I had seen it many times when I had lived in Rome, it was the luminescent beauty of the marble that struck me this time. How could something so sad , so poignant in its expression of a mothers grief for her son, be at the same time so beautiful, so inspiring of hope?
Please listen to Richard Blackford discussing his Pietà.

Finally, I have to confess something. When I was back home again I was looking for my Dmitriev CD and I found out that Dmitriev did not use a single word of the Stabat Mater text except the title of his composition: Stabat Mater Dolorosa!

New: Niels la Cour

09-10-2019

Mr. Hubert pointed me to several CD’s missing on my site. I just added one: Niels la Cour from Denmark composed in 2005 three Marian songs for mixed choir: Totra pulchra es, Stabat Mater and Regina caeli. Only two stanza’s (1 and 9) are sung. The Stabat Mater song is only 2.28 minutes. From the booklet:
Niels la Cour has reworked the famous Stabat Mater hymn en miniature and picked out a few individual verses which he juxtaposes in two very different textural types. He stages the emblematic introductory words of the piece “Stabat Mater Dolorosa”, in a decidedly dolorous madrigalistic harmony. Then Mary’s sorrowful vision of her son on the cross is conjured up in ghost like quickly fading fugato. From there the movement leaps to the beginning of the second half of the hymn , which praised the motherly love of Mary. Here La Cour unfolds a grand optimistic-sounding fugato followed by stepwise-descending melismata towards an open cadence that leads back to the torment of the “Stabat Mater”.

A modern translation into German

08-10-2019

What a special surprise to receive a German translation of the Stabat Mater text! But I was even more impressed after I found out that the translation had been done by Philippa Wills, a 17(!) year old student from King’s School in Worcester.
And of course, I did wonder how a 17 year old girl could get interested in translating a Latin text from the Middle Ages!
This is what she wrote to me:

…I am a 17 year old student, interested in Latin, German and Linguistics so I knew I wanted to translate something as part of my Extended Project Qualification. I read through quite a few Latin poems, but many were fairly long, or difficult to understand.
When I read the Stabat Mater I was completely arrested by the simplicity of the words, but the pathos of the piece is what I found captivating. The shades of grief felt by the Virgin Mary were lamented, in fact James Macmillan even goes so far as to label it as the ‘ultimate Kindertotenlied.’ My religious background made the context comprehensible to me, but my translation is aimed at a modern German audience, who do not need a religious background to access the translation. I translated it into German, because the pre-existing German versions I found all used very heavy, old German and I wanted to make it accessible to a current audience. I think that whilst Latin texts have an integrity in the original language, the decrease of Latin in a Globalised world means that these texts will lose their meaning, as less people understand them. Therefore, translating them, whilst losing the original plaintive nuances of the Latin, has benefits, since it can reach a larger audience. Of course, a translation is only a version of the original, but one could suggest that the meaning of the text finds new expression through a different language as the idiosyncrasies of that language document it in a different way…

It was an honour for me to add Philippa’s  translation to my site. Her German translation is a part of her dissertation for her Extended Project Qualification, titled: A Translation of the ‘Stabat Mater’ text into German for a modern German audience. It contains 13 pages. Her research  also gives new insights into issues surrounding the translation of a text, such as how close it should remain to the original, and how far it should be tailored to the intended audience. Thank you, Philippa, you did a brilliant job!

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Oct 29

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Stabat Mater by Eric van Boxtel, commissioned by Stabat Mater Foundation in 2008.

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Oct 11

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My friend Marten Kuilman from Amsterdam, is painting the stations of the cross. Here is his 12th station of the cross. October 10th 2020, having dinner together.
#stationsofthecross  #stabatmater  #stabatmaterdolorosa #sacredmusic

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Jul 15

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12th station of he cross in Church Veenhuizen, Drenthe, The Netherlands during cycle trip in Appelscha, July 15th 2020.

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Jun 5

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Kruiswegpark in Roermond, very special, during our visit on May 24th 2020.

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Dec 15

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12th station of the cross painted by P. Cornelis de Moor, in St Jans Basiliek, Laren (nh), during performance Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium, December 15th 2019.

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Dec 12

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Autel d' or (Golden Altar), Niki de Saint Phalle (1962). Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen, Holland, December 11th 2019

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Nov 20

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Twelfth station of the cross in Parish Church of Portimão in Portugal, enjoying family time in Ferragudo.
#stationsofthecross #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #Portimão

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Oct 21

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12th station of the cross, mosaic in stone, Holy Cross Church in Bloomsbury (London) enjoying a sunday city walk. 
#london #stabatmater #stationsofthecross #stabatmaterdolorosa #sorrowfulmother #holycrosschurch #bloomsbury

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Oct 20

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Trinity church, London, sculpture. Invited  for the premiere of Pieta by composer Richard Blackford in Cadogan Hall. Impressed!
#stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #chelsea #london #sculpture #crucifixion

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Sep 16

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Werner Tübke, Crucifixion scene (1984), chalk litograph on zinc plate.
I made this photo in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, June 22th 2019 during our cycle tour along the Elbe river.

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Aug 9

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12th station of the cross, psinted by Johan Lange from Aken (Germany) 1884-1890.

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Aug 9

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Our Lady of the Basilica, Zwolle. 
#zwolle #crunchyslime #mary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa

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Aug 9

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Michael Triegel, Deus absconditus (God is hidden). Museum De Fundatie in Zwolle. I  love his paintings.
#triegel #michaeltriegel #mary #crucifixion #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #zwolle #fundatiezwolle

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Aug 9

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Zwolle, Grote kerk of St. Michaels Churc. A vey old sculpture of Crucifixion in the wall, maybe 12th station of the cross. Unfortunately very damaged. Please, could you translate the latin text?
#zwolle #zwollecentrum #oldchurch #stationsofthecross #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa

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Jul 16

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Magdenburg Cathedral June 24th 2019, cycling trip along the Elbe in Germany.
#magdenburg🇩🇪 #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary

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Jul 16

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Paul Sinkwitz, Crucifixion group, tempera draft (1957)  Lutherstadt Wittenberg, exhibition modern Christian Art. #Lutherstadt #Wittenberg #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary  #mary

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Jul 16

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Otto Pankok, Mary and John under the cross, woodcut (1958). Lutherstadt Wittenberg, exhibition modern Christian Art. #Lutherstadt #Wittenberg #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary  #mary #john #woodcutting

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Jul 16

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Marc Chagall, Crucfixion, 1969, (1) and Crucifixion, Mother and Child, 1964 (2). In Lutherstadt, Wittenberg, June 2019, Exhibition Modern Christian Art. #Lutherstadt #Wittenberg #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary #chagall #marcchagall

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Jul 16

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Keith Haring, 1982, Untitled, without Mary. Lutherstadt Wittenberg Exhibition Modern Christian Art.
#Lutherstadt #Wittenberg #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary #keithharing

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Jul 16

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Lutherstadt Wittenberg Exhibition Christian Art from Chagall to Beuys. Willi Baumeister, Crucifixion, Lithograph.
#Lutherstadt #Wittenberg #mothermary #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #religiousart #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi #golgotha #calvary

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Jul 15

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Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Crucifixion, 1912, Etching. Mueum Lutherstadt Wittenberg during our cycling trip in Germany, June 2019.

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Jul 15

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Exhibition Lutherstadt Wittemberg Modern Christian Art from Chagall to Beuys. James Ensor, Crucifixio, print 23 from Portfolio Scenes Life of Christ, colour lithograph, 1912-1921.
#religiousart #stabatmaterdolorosa #stabatmater #crucifixion #golgotha

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Jul 15

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Exhibition Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Christian Art from Chagall to Beuys. Georges Rouault, Christ on the cross, 1936, colour aquatint etching.June 21th 2019
#religiousart #golgotha #crucifixion #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #mothermary

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Jul 9

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July 5th, Bremen, Church of our Lady. I noticed groups of little figures in a glass display case showing scenes from the passion of Jesus. They are made by the woodcutters David Guenou and his son Daniel from Togo in Africa. They converted to Christianity in the the sixties when a priest from Bremen was a missionary in Togo. The woodcarving was a present from the Togo Parish. By the way: we loved Bremen during our cycling trip in Germany.
#bremen #woodcarving #crucifixion #religiousart #africanart #stabatmaterdolorosa
#thecross #stabatmater #mothermary

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Jul 9

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Bremen Cathedral, beautiful painting of the crucifixion on the front wall of the church dedicated to St. Peter. July 5th 2019.
#bremencathedral #religiousart #stabatmater #crucifixion #paintings #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #religiousart #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi

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Jul 4

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In Damnatz, during our cycling trip from Dresden to Hamburg, we stumbled upon this old, timber framed church with a painting of the crucifixion. July 2th 2019
#stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion  #religiousart #elb

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Jun 28

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Tangermünde, June 27th 2019, St Stefan's Church. On the baptismal font, as wel as at the baroque pulpit I found a relief of Mary near the cross.

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Jun 28

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St. Jacobi Church in Perleberg, Germany June 28th 2019 during our cycling tour from Dresden to Hamburg. In the wall of the tower is a crucifixion sculpture of sand stone. Though Mary is not present, I just could not resist taking this picture because of the inscription above: ANNO DOMINI MCCCLXI.
#perleberg #stationsofthecross #stabatmater  #religiousart #stabatmaterdolorosa #crucifixion #sculpture #stabatmaterdolorosa

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Jun 8

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Church Museum New Bavo Haarlem. Station of the Cross XII 1920. Artist unknown. 
#stationsofthecross #stabatmater #sorrowfulmother #religiousart

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Jun 8

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Church New Bavo Museum Haarlem, Jan van Scorel 1525.
#calvary #religiousart #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #triptych

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May 2

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Stralsund, Germany, Nicolai Kirche and painting of the Crucifixion in the church.

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May 2

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Family vacation in Germany, May 2019, A trip to Stralsund, Nicolaikirche. Several altars from the 15th century:: (1)Burgermeister-altar with Jesus is taken down from the cross, short after 1500. (2) Altar by Riemer and Betler (1451) and High altar (ca. 1480), Crucifixion by J P Hinze.
#church #art #altar #religiousart #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa

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Apr 28

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Nehringen, Germany, during a family vacation. St. Andreas kirche. Stations of the cross.

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Apr 28

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Stations of the cross-Jesus meets his mother Maria and  Jesus is nailed to the cross- paintings by Jan Wiesman, a Dutch painter. Exhibition in Pop-up Gallery in Bloemendaal. Netherlands.

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Apr 24

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Art stations of the cross Amsterdam 2019: Jesus meets his mother (Station 2). A colorful installation by Lynn Aldrich is made from all sorts of ordinary cleaning tools, such as plastic sponges and brushes.
#stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #religiousart #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi

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Apr 24

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Project Art stations of the cross, number 7: Jesus falls for the second time. Two drawings by Paul van Dongen: Judgement and Resurrection. The Small Museum, Paradiso, Weteringschans 6-8. In 2016 the music venue and cultural center Paradiso, housed in a converted former church building from the nineteenth century, opened The Small Museum. The smallest museum in the Netherlands, it is located in one of the cabinets where the Vrije Gemeente (Free Congregation) used to display its announcements. The exhibitions regularly link to the religious past of the building.
#stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #religiousart #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi

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Apr 24

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Art stations of the cross 2019 Amsterdam. Number 2: Jesus takes up the cross by G. Roland Bierman. De Hoftuin, Nieuwe Herengracht 18.
#mothermary #jesus #thecross #crucifixion #passion #virginmaryartwork #virginmaryart #stabatmater #stabatmaterdolorosa #stationsofthecross #artstations #sorrowfulmother #motherofjesus #religiousart #classicalmusic #sacredmusic #pergolesi

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Apr 15

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Art Stations of the Cross 2019 Amsterdam Nr. 6 Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Güler Ates, Water no longer dances with light, new site specific work. In the Stations of the Cross, Veronica is the woman who helps Jesus persevere. She confronts us with the classic question: In whom do we invest, convinced that the person can make a difference in this world? Who can lean on us? Güler Ates grew up in the mystic tradition of East Turkey. She is based in London and works with video, photography, printmaking and performance. One of the core elements in her work is cultural displacement. She studies the interaction of Eastern and Western cultures.

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Apr 15

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Beginhof Chapel Amsterdam when I wasin Amsterdamwithmy grandson Guidofor the Art Stations of the Cross on monday April 15th.

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Apr 15

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Project Art Stations of the Cross Amsterdam. Nr. 5 Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross. It is the contemplation of the suffering caused by the slave trade, in which traders from Amsterdam were also involved. Iris Kensmil, an artist with a Surinam background, has painted portraits of three eighteenth-century individuals from Surinam who managed to secure for themselves a position and a future in opposition to colonial oppression. (Their actual likenesses are unknown.) Just like Simon of Cyrene, who stopped to help Jesus by carrying his cross, these people resisted injustice. The triptych hangs amongst the group portraits in the Amsterdam Gallery as a call to action.

Recent posts

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  • Stabat Mater by Nicola Burnett Smith and Phil Vernon 14-10-2020
  • New: Stephen Paulus 20-09-2020

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The Ultimate Stabat Mater Website is the heritage of my late husband Hans van der Velden. Since his death READ MORE

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Religious background

My observations on the religious background of the Stabat Mater are being handicapped by the fact that I miss a READ MORE

The colourbar

The colourbar, which you will find with almost all compositions, is a graphic representation of the composition. READ MORE

Stabat Mater Foundation

The Stabat Mater foundation was established in 1998 by a number of music lovers. In 2013 they celebrated their READ MORE

In 1997 I created the Ultimate Stabat Mater website for Hans with the program FrontPage. At that time he had around 40 Stabat Mater CDs. His notes on the composer, the music, the texts and translations and the different versions all came online. After this he managed the site by adding new composers and translations regularly. At the time of his death in 2005 he had 211 Stabat Maters. After his death I continued collecting the information and managing the site. I wish to thank the Dutch Stabat Mater Foundation which gave me the financial support in 2014 to renew this site!

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