Massimo Scapin

A century after the death of Antoni Gaudí, the world remembers the architect of the Sagrada Família. Less known is his deep commitment to Gregorian chant and the renewal of sacred music in Catalonia. My latest article for One Peter Five explores how Gaudí united architecture, liturgy, and music in a single vision of worship.

Read more: https://onepeterfive.com/modern-architecture-for-sacred-music

Modern Architecture for Sacred Music A life lived in dignity and absolute austerity.

My latest article for One Peter Five is now online.

On the 200th anniversary of Carl Maria von Weber’s death, I look at his beautiful Jubelmesse and the often-overlooked sacred side of the composer who helped shape German Romanticism.

Read the article here: https://onepeterfive.com/german-romantic-in-sacred-music/

German Romantic in Sacred Music A central figure of musical Romanticism.

Please join me this Sunday at 11:00 AM at Saint John Cantius Church as I conduct The Resurrection Choir & Orchestra.

Steph Shef, soprano | Judith Prenzlow, alto
Steven Caldecott Wilson, tenor | James Theorell, bass

Our program features Josef Rheinberger’s Mass in C Major, Op. 169, his only orchestral Mass—a work of noble balance, warmth, and profound liturgical spirit, in which the soloists beautifully enrich the choral texture rather than stand apart from it.

We will also perform Exulta et lauda by Licinio Refice, a piece that holds a special place in my heart. Drawing its text from Isaiah—“Exult and praise, O dwelling of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel”—it offers a fitting reflection on the mystery of Corpus Christi and the gift of Christ’s Real Presence.

The program concludes with Tantum ergo, Op. 55 by Gabriel Fauré, a work of luminous simplicity and contemplative beauty, expressing sacred devotion with remarkable tenderness and spiritual depth.

I would be delighted to share this music and prayer with you.

Sunday Mass Live Stream - Feast of Corpus Christi - (2002 Missal) June 7th 11:00AM Broadcast live from St. John Cantius Church (https://www.cantius.or...

Wishing all those in the United States of America a meaningful and uplifting Memorial Day.

www.lifesitenews.com

Join me tomorrow at 12:30 PM at Saint John Cantius Church as I conduct the Cantate Domino Choir, our women’s choir, and chamber orchestra in a rarely performed yet deeply captivating program of sacred music.

You can hear the Te Deum by Antonio Sacchini, composed in Venice in 1769 during his tenure at the Ospedaletto, one of the city’s famed orphanage-conservatories for girls. Though celebrated primarily for his operas, Sacchini brings extraordinary grace, lyricism, and clarity to this sacred work, written for female voices and shaped by the refined musical culture of eighteenth-century Venice. Featuring Stephanie Culica and Elisabeth Burmeister, sopranos, and Beena David, alto.

The program will also include the Mass in A major, Op. 126 by Josef Rheinberger, a work of serene beauty and luminous simplicity. Rather than dense polyphony, Rheinberger favors a predominantly homophonic texture enriched by delicate imitative passages. The chamber orchestra provides a warm harmonic foundation, allowing the vocal lines to shine with clarity, balance, and expressive depth.

I look forward to welcoming you and sharing this afternoon of beauty and prayer together.

Watch live here:

Sunday Mass Live Stream - Pentacost Sunday - (2002 Missal) May 24th 12:30PM Broadcast live from St. John Cantius Church (https://www.cantius.org) in Chicago, Illinois. Want to contact us? Email us at [email protected] All times ...

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at 12:30 PM at Saint John Cantius Church. I will conduct the radiant sacred music of Mozart, featuring Veni Sancte Spiritus, Misericordias Domini, and the magnificent Coronation Mass.

It would be a joy to share this beautiful music with you.

Watch live:

Sunday Mass Live Stream - Sixth Sunday of Easter - (1962 Missal) May 10th 12:30PM Broadcast live from St. John Cantius Church (https://www.cantius.org) in Chicago, Illinois. Want to contact us? Email us at [email protected] All times ...

My new article for One Peter Five commemorates the 50th anniversary of the death of Italian composer Valentino Bucchi (1916–1976).

It explores how Bucchi brought medieval sacred traditions into a vivid modern musical language, above all in his masterpiece Laudes Evangelii.

Read here: https://onepeterfive.com/medieval-to-modern-valentino-bucchi

Medieval to Modern: Valentino Bucchi Bucchi’s life and work resist easy classification.

Join me this Sunday at 12:30 PM at Saint John Cantius Church as I conduct the radiant sacred music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — masterpieces from his Salzburg years that remain among the finest expressions of Classical sacred music.

The program includes Veni Sancte Spiritus, a work deeply rooted in the Salzburg church tradition. Influenced by Leopold Mozart, Johann Ernst Eberlin, and Michael Haydn, it features striking contrasts between soloists and chorus, enriched by vivid orchestral colors, including winds and timpani.

We will also perform Misericordias Domini, K. 222, composed in Munich in 1775 for the Elector of Bavaria. Though compact in form, the motet combines elegant polyphony with expressive harmonic richness, revealing Mozart’s extraordinary ability to unite structural clarity with emotional depth.

The centerpiece of the afternoon will be the beloved Coronation Mass in C major, K. 317. Written in 1779 shortly after Mozart became court organist in Salzburg, the Mass radiates brilliance, grandeur, and joy. Later associated with royal coronations because of its ceremonial splendor, it remains one of Mozart’s most luminous sacred works.

I would be honored to share this music with you.

Sunday Mass Live Stream - Sixth Sunday of Easter - (1962 Missal) May 10th 12:30PM Broadcast live from St. John Cantius Church (https://www.cantius.org) in Chicago, Illinois. Want to contact us? Email us at [email protected] All times ...