Echoes from Calvary: Meditations on Franz Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ (Paperback)

~ Richard Young (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On Good Friday in 1787, Franz Joseph Haydn premiered his enduring string quartet The Seven Last Words of Christ, a musical meditation on the final sayings that Jesus was said to have uttered from the cross. Today, this work is still performed on Good Friday in some three-hour services that combine music with homilies about these last words. Young, the violist for the world-famous Vermeer quartet at Northern Illinois University, brings together some outstanding reflection and commentary on the seven words, from luminaries such as Martin Marty, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Peter Gomes, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Andrew Greeley. The book is divided into seven sections, with excerpts from about a dozen thinkers and preachers about each saying. Additional mini-essays deal with the interaction between the liturgical texts and Haydn's musical score; the history of meditation on Christ's last words; the meaning of the sayings for us today; and the community that has formed around the University of Chicago's annual Good Friday service, whose chapel has featured the Vermeer Quartet since 1997. Moreover, the book comes complete with a 2-CD set that contains the Vermeer Quartet's Grammy-nominated recording of Haydn's classic, along with seven spoken meditations. This marvelous pairing of music and great preaching will inspire Christians of many different traditions.
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Product Description

This is a book that is certain to stir the soul with echoes, in both music and words, of the passion of Christ. That event transcends time or season; its power to uplift and inspire is endless.

In 1786 Franz Joseph Haydn wrote what he considered to be his greatest composition, The Seven Last Words of Christ. Today it continues to provide musical and spiritual nourishment for millions through a format that links its seven main movements to spoken meditations on the seven final utterances of Jesus.

The Vermeer String Quartet, in dozens of performances of this masterpiece throughout the world, has been joined by some of the foremost religious figures of our time for meditations on the seven last words. This book offers printed versions of more than 60 of them, along with seven spoken meditations as part of the complete musical performance on one of the accompanying disks. Meditations include contributions by Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Marty, Virgil Elizondo, Raymond Brown, Peter Gomes, Andrew Greeley, Jean Bethke Elshtain and many more. There are also in-depth essays by theologian Martin Marty, historian Grover A. Zinn, ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain and the Vermeer's Richard Young. On a second disk, Young demonstrates how Haydn's composition embodies the emotion of the seven last words.

Echoes from Calvary offers many hours of spiritual reflection and devotion. It is a treasury of insights for any life, in any season.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (February 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742543846
• ISBN-13: 978-0742543843
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #942,477 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditations of the heart for Good Friday and Holy Week, April 15, 2005

By	Peter Menkin (Mill Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found "Echoes from Calvary" by way of an article in The San Francisco Chronicle by a writer named Peter Steinfels under the label "Beliefs." It says as headline, "Haydn's music on Christ's last words, a transforming journey from concert hall to sacred setting." The book is a text of meditations and is titled "Echoes from Calvary: Meditations on Franz Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ." This lovely book has 2 CDs, the complete performance with the spoken word and one CD with music only. One intriguing part of the book is the first which goes through the musical and spiritual journey of the man who put all this together, a musician named Richard Young.

Now I think this is a heavy kind of reading, for it is a Good Friday text--so why at Easter time. That's when I read it. I am interested in the resurrection, from a religious viewpoint, and of course the entry way is Holy Week and Good Friday. There you have my reason.

Richard Young's spiritual journey is very well done and interesting, as a kind of personal statement that has worthwhile reflection. It sounds like it should. As for the Easter part, there is a hopeful dimension to this book, and I am finding it sometimes dark and sometimes light. I find myself reflecting on the words as they are offered in the homily like meditations. The first CD has meditations by Martin Luther King Jr., Martin E. Marty, Raymond E. Brown, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Grover A. Zinn, Andrew M. Greeley, Peter J. Gomes and others.

There is an evident fact of the work. One cannot help but be moved by both the divinity of Christ and the human nature of the man. This is a respectful book, as one might expect and I think it is full of hope. These are meditations of the heart for Good Friday and Holy Week. Through the music and the text of meditations, one follows the Christ and knows something of his spirit. It is also a good exercise or series of examples of meditations by different writers who are clergy, giving one a taste of their own depths with each of the last words.

The words: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." "Surely, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." "Woman, behold your son!" "Behold your mother!" "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" "I thirst." "It is finished!" "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." And some meditations on "The Earthquake."

Richard Young carries his theme of words and music even further than one would expect, and happily so for this reader. (I am not well educated when it comes to music, but I found his study understandable and helpful. Even inspiring to a non music person.) At the end of the book, in an educational and instructive way that interacts with listening to Haydn, he writes of the music only, and there is a CD with only the music for his very purposes. I want to recommend this lovely book, with its elegant layout and design, to anyone interested in meditations on the last words of Christ, or wanting to come closer to knowing this man Jesus who is divine to so many Christians.

--Peter Menkin, Mill Valley, CA USA

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful reflective experience, November 16, 2008

By	G. E. Trippe (Perth, WA Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a wonderful experience. The reflections in the book are very useful and thought provoking, as are those on the CD. The music is very moving. It is a wonderul listening and reading experience, and a great opportunity for me to review the music as we anticipate a performance of the work in 2009.

5.0 out of 5 stars To the heart of it...., April 20, 2008

By	Paul A. Mckay "Paul" (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book, from somewhat unexpected sources, truly goes to the heart of Christian faith, offering insights into the true events of what happened on that famous hill over 2000 years ago. Here we have a collection of reflections that entice the reader into the path of discovering more. The contributors - some known and some unknown - give their all in these pages and I would say that even non-believers are urged to read these words in order to grant themselves some perspective on the mysteries of these momentous events.