Ad Tenebras
Lamentations and Responsories for the Holy Week from the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. 1530-1630
Author
Tiago Simas Freire
Synopsis
The time of Lent, as a period of penitence and spiritual renewal, culminates in Holy Week with the Easter Triduum celebrating the Passion of Christ: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On each of these days, the offices of Matins and Lauds form a single long Office of Darkness (Tenebrae) describing the path from light to darkness. These three days are fundamental in the Christian calendar with numerous 16th and 17th century Portuguese sources of plainchant and polyphony for those ceremonies still preserved.
Accompanied by the musical interpretation of the ensemble Capella Sanctae Crucis (dir. Tiago Simas Freire), we offer an overview of the music destined for these Offices of Darkness - Ad Tenebras - found in manuscripts from the Monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra, today preserved in the General Library of the University of Coimbra.
Publicatiom
November, 2023