20. Candlelit Late Night
Seven Sonnets for Seven Words
Haydn composed several versions of his popular Good Friday Music, the quartet version is now the one most played. He described it as seven Sonatas with an Introduction and an Epilogue, it is effectively eight slow movements followed by a brief presto. Each movement refers to the seven brief Words that Christ spoke from the cross. The original performance was in an underground crypt in Lisbon and each Sonata was preceded by a homily on the succeeding Word, commencing with Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. In place of each homily, the great Irish poet, Paula Meehan, has written for us seven sonnets. It is in the pauses between movements she will read from her Seven Words, each in traditional sonnet form, whose text reflects on the Seven Last Words. The first half of each sonnet responds to Christ’s words, the second half responses are from our own troubled time. Towards the end the sufferings of today’s world takes over – like a refugee I come to your door.
