Frassati Catholic High School
Commission
Our newest project has just been completed! It is called 'In Prayer' and combines the latin hymn 'Ave Verum' with texts from Frassati himself. It has been written for the Catholic High School in Spring, Texas which bears his name.
A note from the composer:
When I first started on this music, I knew nothing of Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati except that we had a school in the area named for him. As I researched his life to find inspiration for this project, I discovered a young man wise beyond his years with a penchant for things of a higher nature, not just mere mountain summits but heaven itself! Fr. John Nepil says in an article entitled, "The True Meaning of 'Verso l'alto'", that "[Verso l'alto] expresses the Eucharistic heart in a body that climbs, and a soul that remains spiritually oriented towards a different summit – the height of Heaven." Through Frassati's own words, he expresses his joy and undying love of the Eucharist. This is why the crux of this piece is the Latin Eucharistic hymn, Ave Verum Corpus. It is set adjacent with several well-known English translations of statements of Frassati himself and concludes with "Verso l'alto".
The essence of the piece is simple, subdued reflection; the dynamic range is limited and the tempo is intentionally ambiguous. This allows the director to guide the performers in a more personal rendering of the sung texts. The close harmonies add to the sense of pensive contemplation.
