“The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.”
Lorenzo’s sublimely beautiful words in The Merchant of Venice herald the arrival of the sublimely beautiful Portia, the grace of whom seems to reflect the very Music of the Spheres. There is, however, a darker side to Lorenzo’s words, warning of the danger posed by those puritanical souls who spurn all that is good, true and beautiful. Such lost souls are spiritually “dull as night”, their “affections dark as Erebus”.
Lorenzo’s words came to mind as I read a feature article in yesterday’s Washington Times about the Catholic composer Frank LaRocca, who is interviewed in the new issue of the St. Austin Review by our regular music columnist, Susan Treacy. Those wishing to learn more about this exciting contemporary composer of sacred choral music should read the superb interview in the latest StAR. In the interim, and to whet your musical appetite, here’s a link to the article in the Washington Times:
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