To live with greater intensity the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4, we suggest listening to four compositions, very different for period, genre and message. The first two are instrumental resonances: the St. Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds for piano in 1863 by Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and Three times Franciscan times: Fervor, Talk with the swallows, Bliss for organ of 1923, Mark Henry Bossi (1861-1925). The others are the opera Saint François de Assise, 1983, by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) and the album: The infinitely small in 2000 by singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi (1950 -). Franciscan resonances almost for every ear: piano, organ, melodrama and "pop-folk."

Brother Francis and sister music

The abundance of Franciscan musical resonances in history is due to several reasons, not the last to special report of the saint with the music: an important sister in his life. In a nutshell, this relationship crosses four tonality. First Francesco loves to sing, with "songs of joy in his heart", so as to be called jester of God. He is a man of his time, between minstrels, bards and troubadours. He is a polite gentleman/rider who loves to modulate his praises not so much to the woman he loved, except Lady Poverty, but to Almighty God. Francis then loves to sing urging the brothers and all the people to be friends of the art of sound. Continuing  in life, in the voice, the song of the creatures that continually proves the goodness of the Lord. Francis still loves to compose songs or lyrics: hymns, prayers, hymns in fact.

Very probably the Praises to the Most High God foresaw a melody, while the Canticle of the creatures, or Canticle of Brother Sun, the Franciscan Sources state that "Francis composed the melody, which he taught to his companions." Francis then singer and composer, but also listener. In particular, the lyre, especially in times of suffering. Sources indeed testify in a discreet, but deep way, the saint’s affection for the sound of this instrument.

Francis in the Canticle does not praise God for Sister music, but he became a brother of this art,  almost a living score of the creation’s music and of the "great and wonderful Lord,  Almighty God, Merciful Savior."

The many faces of Francis

Especially in the second half of the nineteenth century, the figure of the poor of Assisi was rediscovered from different perspectives: historiographical, cultural, ecclesial. This is a real Franciscan renaissance culminating, for example in Italy, with the publication of the Franciscan Sources, Fonti Francescane. Cultural trends/tendency of recent decades are amplified by all that seems to have a "Franciscan flavor": the desire to reform the Church, the protest to industrial civilization, the environment’s protection, the criticism of the ideologies and so on. We can see the thousand faces of Francis reflected in many cultural expressions: literary, pictorial, political, spiritual and musical. These phenomena then intensified more in Franciscan anniversaries. The risk is perhaps that of finding emphasized one aspect of the rich testimony of the saint or to see him reduced to support some cause. In any case, we can rejoice in such abundance, to be curious in research and careful in discernment.

With all your creatures

The background of the compositions of Liszt and Bossi weaves the romantic atmosphere, the spiritual research of artists and this renaissance. These are musical experiments from which to explore the symphonic potential of two more "totalitarian" musical instruments: the piano, and his illustrious "predecessor" on the scene: the organ. Both instruments in the nineteenth century become symphonic convinced that their keyboards, as big orchestra, can give life to all items in the world (synphonein). The "romantic" piano and organ express the search for this total harmony: with oneself, with the world and with God. Hence the fascination with the Christian world with its symbols, characters, traditions, where the artistic genius’ passion seems to weave, sometimes confusing, inspire or raise, that of the Christian mystic.

It is above all the Francis of Fioretti to echo in these two extraordinary "instrumental recital" where it is important to the achieved performance, the staging that will revive in the listener above all the “Franciscan emotion", the pathos of the experience of the saint. Praised be You ... with all your creatures: this could be the subtitle and the frame of this music. To listen to Francis is to discover in Christ the relationship of brotherhood among all creatures and their Creator. Christian revelation that can resonate very well and should be communicated through an aesthetic experience of music. In Francis and the birds the piano becomes almost a brush in the hands of an impressionist painter. In  Fervor of prayer, with the swallows and the Bliss of perfect joy, however, Bossi takes full advantage of the range of timbre, almost taking us back and evoking the atmosphere of Francis’ places.

To listen more fruitful these passages it is suitable to approach the reading of certain Franciscans texts who can offer them a narrative framework. The proposal to some images, such as the frescoes of Giotto, can help listening. The live performance would be the pinnacle of the proposal, but also quality playback is still engaging.

This is perfect happiness

The composition of the opera Saint François d'Assise occupied Messiaen for eight years (1975-1983). It can be considered his will. The work consists of eight scenes distributed in three acts with text in French, made by the same musician. The joint general presents the path to holiness of Francis, to the Joie parfaite, perfect joy, which is also linked to a specific musical theme. Here is the sequence of scenes: Act I: 1. The Cross 2. The Praises 3. The Kiss to the Leper. Act II: 4. The Traveller Angel 5. The Angel Musician 6. Preaching to the Birds. Act III: 7. The Stigmata 8. Death and New Life. The setting takes place in Italy in the thirteenth century with seven characters: the Angel, Francis, the Leper, Brother Elias, Brother Leo, Brother Masseo and Brother Bernard. The most commonly used sources are the Fioretti and Considerations about stigmata.

Many rivers of Messiaen’s art flow into the ocean of this work: the search for a new language between the knowledge of the classics and the findings of the musical avant-garde, interest in the singing of birds and the Asiatic world’s sound, relationship between sounds and colors and charm of synesthesia of time, music and light, the importance of numbers, the Christian message and theological reflection, perpetual dialogue between opposing tonality and atonality, music and silence, sound and word, nature and art, and method and rhythm: what the composer himself called the charm of impossibilities.

The Saint Francis is the "Passion" of Messiaen. It is the chance to live all the languages ​​of our time going through them in the company of a new creation. The music of Messiaen requires commitment, but above all asceticism and tension. Is not a strange or artificial operation, but the brave and foolhardy lean over the edge of the language to hear the echo of fulfillment that awaits us. To us the freedom to embark on this journey of initiation. It is a music of the invisible in which Francis is the icon of reconciliation, we all need.

There are good reproductions of the work, even video. You will need to accompany the listening with a help-book proposing the full text and, if possible, the Italian translation. The division of the work may suggest a hearing took place in several stages if you wish, in a context of prayer. Direct reading of certain Franciscans texts is always appropriate as well as an introduction to the unknown and labyrinthine world of Messiaen.

The infinitely small

The album of Branduardi takes its title from the enchanting poetic reading of Francis offered by Christian Bobin, in his book of 1992. The work interweaves the research on medieval music, particularly on Lauda, ​​and the peculiar style of the Italian singer. The intent is to provide a musical review of heterogeneous texts of Sources and typical tone of their environment of contemporary musical sensibility. It is a whole a pleasant and non-trivial Franciscan resonance besides valuable for the great accessibility and usability.

The route of the album crosses main 'sites' of the saint’s existence: 1. Canticle of the Creatures 2. The Sultan of Babylon, 3. The Wolf of Gubbio; 4. Audite little poor, 5. Paradiso Canto XI 6. The Treaty of miracles; 7. In the marshes of Venice, 8. Rule 9. The perfect joy; 10. Death 11. Psalm. Each song can accompany one time or message of Francis’  life and some also can be easily performed and sung. Listening becomes more careful with a contextualization of the texts to music, reading of the original ones and the combination of both Franciscan places both of the images.

Sister music then let us help  to better enjoy the feast of our brother Francis of Assisi.