Music by St. Alphonsus Liguori
Alphonsus loved music. He would go to the theater "to enjoy music, and it absorbed me entirely and I thought of nothing else." His father, too, was a lover of music. Giuseppe arranged for Alphonsus to study with Gaetano Greco, one of the great music teachers of the day. Giuseppe insisted Alphonsus practice three hours a day. He would lock both his son and the teacher in the music room. By the time he was thirteen, Alphonsus was playing the harpsichord with the perfection of a master.
As a priest, Alphonsus composed many popular hymns and taught these to the people during his parish missions. He would often add lyrics that turned the mind and heart of the listener to God.
One of Alphonsus’ most popular hymns is the Christmas carol, Tu Scendi Delle Stelle. It is still sung today throughout Italy. The Christmas Eve Mass from the Vatican closes every year with the choir singing Alphonsus’ much beloved Christmas hymn. The great Italian opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi, once said of Alphonsus’ Christmas carol, “Christmas would not be Christmas without Tu Scendi Delle Stelle.”
These are the first CDs (below) produced in the United States to feature the music of St. Alphonsus Liguori. His music is performed and sung by some of the world’s finest musicians and vocalists. Alphonsus’ music is brilliantly orchestrated and arranged by Mr. Ray Herrmann, co-founder of Little Lamb Music and one of the world’s finest session players and instrumentalists. When he’s not arranging the music of a saint, Ray’s on tour with some of the biggest names in American music playing his saxophone and flute.
To order the music of St. Alphonsus Liguori, go to www.littlelambmusic.com or call their offices in Ann Arbor, MI at 888.753.0333.