Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, and some

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patroness of music and musicians, it being written that, as the musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia "sang in her heart to the Lord". Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast, on 22 November, is the occasion of concerts and musical festivals. Saint Cecilia is one of several virgin martyrs commemorated by name in the

Canon of the Mass The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in ...

in the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Church. The church of

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is a 5th-century church in Rome, Italy, in the Trastevere rione, devoted to the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia (early 3rd century AD). History The first church on this site was founded probably in the 3rd century, by Pop ...

, founded in the 3rd century by Pope

Urban I Pope Urban I (175?–230) ( la, Urbanus I) was the bishop of Rome from 222 to 23 May 230.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope Urban I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company. He was born in Rome and succeeded ...

, is believed to be on the site of the house where she lived and died.

Life

It is popularly supposed that Cecilia was a noble lady of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

who, with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier named Maximus, suffered

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

dom in about 230, under the Emperor

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself was ...

Giovanni Battista de Rossi Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs. Life and works Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore Cam ...

, however, argues that instead she perished in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

under the Emperor

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

between 176 and 180, citing the report of

Venantius Fortunatus Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; french: Venance Fortunat), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerate ...

Bishop of Poitiers The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Pictaviensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Poitiers'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in France. The archepiscopal see is in the city of Poitiers. Th ...

(d. 600). According to the story, despite her vow of virginity, her parents forced her to marry a pagan nobleman named Valerian. During the wedding, Cecilia sat apart singing to God in her heart, and for that, she was later declared the saint of musicians. When the time came for her marriage to be consummated, Cecilia told Valerian that watching over her was an

angel of the Lord The (or an) angel of the ( he, מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה '' mal’āḵ YHWH'' "messenger of Yahweh") is an entity appearing repeatedly in the Tanakh ( Old Testament) on behalf of the God of Israel. The guessed term ''YHWH'', which occur ...

, who would punish him if he sexually violated her but would love him if he respected her virginity. When Valerian asked to see the angel, Cecilia replied that he could see the angel if he would go to the third milestone on the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, rec ...

and be baptized by

Pope Urban I Pope Urban I (175?–230) ( la, Urbanus I) was the bishop of Rome from 222 to 23 May 230.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope Urban I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company. He was born in Rome and succeeded ...

. After following Cecilia's advice, he saw the angel standing beside her, crowning her with a

chaplet Chaplet may refer to: * Chaplet (headgear), a wreath or garland for the head * Chaplet (prayer), a string of prayer beads and the associated prayer * Chaplet (metallurgy), a metal form to hold a core in place See also * Wreath (attire) * Ukraini ...

of roses and lilies. The martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband Valerian and his brother at the hands of the prefect Turcius Almachius. The legend about Cecilia's death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church.Foley, Leonard, O.F.M., revised by Pat McCloskey
"Saint of the Day: Saint Cecilia"
Franciscan Media]. . St. Cecilia was buried in the

Catacomb of Callixtus The Catacomb(s) of Callixtus (also known as the Cemetery of Callixtus) is one of the Catacombs of Rome on the Appian Way, most notable for containing the Crypt of the Popes (Italian: ''Cappella dei Papi''), which once contained the tombs of seve ...

and later transferred to the Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. In 1599, her body was found still

incorrupt Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their ...

, seeming to be asleep. Cecilia is one of the most famous Roman martyrs, although some elements of the stories recounted about her do not appear in the source material. According to

Johann Peter Kirsch Johann Peter Kirsch (3 November 1861 – 4 February 1941) was a Luxembourgish ecclesiastical historian and biblical archaeologist. Life Johann Peter Kirsch was born in Dippach, Luxembourg, the son of Andreas and Katherine Didier Kirsch. At t ...

, the existence of the martyr is a historical fact. At the same time, some details bear the mark of a pious romance, like many other similar accounts compiled in the fifth and sixth centuries. The relation between Cecilia and Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, mentioned in the

Acts of the Martyrs Acts of the Martyrs (Latin ''Acta Martyrum'') are accounts of the suffering and death of a Christian martyr or group of martyrs. These accounts were collected and used in church liturgies from early times, as attested by Augustine of Hippo, Saint ...

, has some historical foundation. Her feast day has been celebrated since about the fourth century. There is no mention of Cecilia in the ''

Depositio Martyrum {{Short description, 4th-century list of Christian popes The ''Liberian Catalogue'' ( la, Catalogus Liberianus) is a List of popes, list of the bishops of Rome from Saint Peter, Peter to Pope Liberius, Liberius (died 366). For each bishop, the list ...

'', but there is a record of an early Roman church founded by a lady of this name, Santa Cecilia in

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

The church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is reputedly built on the site of the house in which she lived. The original church was constructed in the fourth century; during the ninth century,

Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I ( la, Paschalis I; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St. ...

had remains that were supposedly hers buried there. In 1599, while leading a renovation of the church, Cardinal

Paolo Emilio Sfondrati Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (1560 – 14 February 1618) was an Italian Cardinal. Biography Born to a noble family in Milan and the nephew of Pope Gregory XIV, he was the cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, papal legate in Bologna, member of ...

had the remains, which he reported to be

, excavated and reburied.

Name

The name "Cecilia" applied generally to Roman women who belonged to the

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

of the

Caecilii The gens Caecilia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Members of this gens are mentioned in history as early as the fifth century BC, but the first of the Caecilii who obtained the consulship was Lucius Caecilius Metellus Denter, in 284 BC. ...

. Legends and hagiographies, mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among those cited by

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

in "

The Second Nun's Tale "The Second Nun's Tale" (Middle English: '' Þe Seconde Nonnes Tale''), written in late Middle English, is part of Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canterbury Tales''. Narrated by a nun who remains unnamed, it is a hagiography of the life of Saint Ce ...

" are: lily of heaven, the way for the blind, contemplation of

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

and the active life, as if lacking in blindness, and a heaven for people to gaze upon.

Patroness of musicians

The first record of a music festival in her honour was held at

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in 1570. The

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prom ...

is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world. It was founded by the papal bull, ''Ratione congruit'', issued by

Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history:

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

, after whom

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

is named, and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Her feast day became an occasion for musical concerts and festivals that occasioned well-known poems by

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

and

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

and music by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

('' Ode to St. Cecilia''); 3 different

oratorios An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

, ''Caecilia virgo et martyr octo vocibus'' H.397, for soloists, double Chorus, double string orchestra and bc, ''Cecilia virgo et martyr'' H.413, for soloists, chorus, 2 treble instruments and bc, and ''Caecilia virgo et martyr'' H.415, for soloists, chorus , 2 treble instruments and bc, to libretti probably written by

Philippe Goibaut Philippe Goibaut des Bois La Grugère (; 22? March 1629 – 1 July 1694), known to his contemporaries as Monsieur Du Bois (), was a translator of St. Augustine, member of the Académie Française and director of Mademoiselle de Guise's musical ens ...

);

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

('' Ode for St. Cecilia's Day''; '' Alexander's Feast'');

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

('' St. Cecilia Mass''); as well as

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

, who was born on her feast day (''

Hymn to St Cecilia ''Hymn to St Cecilia'', Op. 27 is a choral piece by Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), a setting of a poem by W. H. Auden written between 1940 and 1942. Auden's original title was "Three Songs for St. Cecilia's Day", and he later published the poem ...

'', based on a poem by

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

). Herbert Howells' ''A Hymn to Saint Cecilia'' has words by Ursula Vaughan Williams;

Gerald Finzi Gerald Raphael Finzi (14 July 1901 – 27 September 1956) was a British composer. Finzi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata '' Dies natalis'' for solo voice and ...

's "For Saint Cecilia", Op. 30, was set to verses written by Edmund Blunden; Michael Hurd's 1966 composition "A Hymn to Saint Cecilia" sets John Dryden's poem; and

Frederik Magle Frederik Reesen Magle (; born 17 April 1977) is a Danish composer, concert organist, and pianist. He writes contemporary classical music as well as fusion of classical music and other genres. His compositions include orchestral works, cantatas, ...

's ''Cantata to Saint Cecilia'' is based on the history of Cecilia. ''The Heavenly Life'', a poem from ''

Des Knaben Wunderhorn ''Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Alte deutsche Lieder'' (German language, German; "The boy's magic horn: old German songs") is a collection of German folk poems and songs edited by Ludwig Achim von Arnim, Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, and publi ...

'' (which

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

used in his '' Symphony No. 4'') mentions that "Cecilia and all her relations make excellent court musicians." From the name of Cecilia comes ''Cecyliada'', the name of the festival of sacred, choral, and contemporary music, held from 1994 in

Police, Poland Police are organizations established to maintain law and order. Police may also refer to: Police agencies National * Algerian police * Australian Federal Police (nationwide; see also various state-wise police forces) *Federal Police (Belgium) *Bo ...

Legacy

Cecilia symbolizes the central role of music in the liturgy. The Cistercian

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s of the convent nearby Santa Cecilia in Trastevere shear lambs' wool to be woven in the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

s of new metropolitan archbishops. The lambs are raised by the

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

s of the Abbey

Tre Fontane Tre Fontane Abbey ( en, Three Fountains Abbey; la, Abbatia trium fontium ad Aquas Salvias), or the Abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasius, is a Roman Catholic abbey in Rome, held by monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, better k ...

in Rome. The Pope blesses the lambs every 21 January, the Feast of

Saint Agnes Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. St. Agnes is one of several virgin martyrs com ...

. The pallia are given by the Pope to the new metropolitan archbishops on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June. Located on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, St. Cecilia's Abbey, Ryde was founded in 1882. The nuns live a traditional monastic life of prayer, work, and study in accordance with the ancient

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

. The famous luthier

Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (7 October 1798 – 19 March 1875) was a French luthier, businessman, inventor and winner of many awards. His workshop made over 3,000 instruments. Early life Vuillaume was born in Mirecourt, where his father and gr ...

produces a line of violin and viola under the name St. Cécile with a decal stamped on the upper back. Cecilia is

remembered Recall in memory refers to the mental process of retrieval of information from the past. Along with encoding (memory), encoding and storage (memory), storage, it is one of the three core processes of memory. There are three main types of recall: ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

with a

commemoration Commemoration may refer to: *Commemoration (Anglicanism), a religious observance in Churches of the Anglican Communion *Commemoration (liturgy), insertion in one liturgy of portions of another *Memorialization *"Commemoration", a song by the 3rd a ...

on 22 November. She is honored on the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with

Agnes of Rome Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheranism, Lutheran Churches. St. Agn ...

on January 21.

Iconography

Cecilia is frequently depicted playing the viola, a

portative organ A portative organ (from the Latin verb , "to carry"), also known during Italian Trecento as the , is a small pipe organ that consists of one rank of flue pipes, sometimes arranged in two rows, to be played while strapped to the performer at a ri ...

, or other musical instruments, evidently to express what was often attributed to her, namely that while the musicians played at her nuptials, she sang in her heart to God, though the organ may be misattributed to her, as the result of a mistranslation. A miniature Saint Cecilia beneath

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...

was featured on the reverse side of the Sir

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

£20 banknote, which was withdrawn by the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

in 2010.

In music

Renaissance, baroque and classical music

composed four ''Histoires sacrées'' using a text thought to have been written by his colleague

des Bois La Grugère: ** ''In honorem Caeciliae, Valeriani et Tiburtij canticum'' H.394 for three voices, two treble instruments, and continuo (1675 ?). ** ''Caecilia virgo et martyr'' octo vocibus H.397 for soloists, double chorus, double orchestra, and continuo (1677–78). ** ''Caecilia virgo et martyr'', H.413 for soloists, chorus, and two treble instruments (1683–85). ** ''Caecilia virgo et martyr'' H.415 – H.415 a for soloists, chorus, and two treble instruments (1686). *

, Laudate Ceciliam (1683), Welcome to all the pleasures (1683), Raise, raise the voice (c1685) and

Hail! Bright Cecilia ''Hail! Bright Cecilia'' ( Z.328), also known as ''Ode to St. Cecilia'', was composed by Henry Purcell to a text by the Irishman Nicholas Brady in 1692 in honour of the feast day of Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. Annual celebration ...

(1692). *

Sébastien de Brossard Sébastien de Brossard, pronounced e.bɑs.tjẽ də brɔ.saːr (12 September 1655 – 10 August 1730) was a French music theorist, composer and collector. Life Brossard was born in Dompierre, Orne. After studying philosophy and theology a ...

, "Canticle for Saint Cécila" SdB.9 (1720 ?) *

Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera. ...

''Il martirio di santa Cecilia'', oratorio donné pour la première fois le 1^er mars 1708; ''Messa di Santa Cecilia''(1720). *

Georg Friedrich Haendel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

composed two works for Saint Cecilia with

: The Oratorio Alexander's Feast or The Power of Music (1736) and Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1739). *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, ''Missa Sanctae Caeciliae'' ou ''Missa Cellensis in honorem Beatissimae Virginis Mariae (1766–67).'' *

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, Conductor (music), conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his fat ...

, ''St. Cäcilia'' (1848), cantata for soloists and orchestra to the text by

Wolfgang Müller von Königswinter Wolfgang Müller von Königswinter (15 March 1816 in Königswinter – 29 June 1873 in Bad Neuenahr) was a German novelist and poet. He settled in Cologne, and became a popular poet, novelist, and chronicler of the Rhine region. Biography His ...

. *

, ''Hymne à Sainte Cécile'', CG 557 (1865) for solo violin and orchestraList of works by Charles Gounod

IMSLP The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project, which uses MediaWiki software ...

, accessed 2022-05-14

Contemporary music

Judith Shatin Judith Shatin (Allen) (b. November 21, 1949) is an American composer. Currently, she is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor at the University of Virginia. She also founded and is Director of the Virginia Center for Computer Music.Fred Momotenko Alfred Momotenko-Levitsky (born 1970), also known as Fred Momotenko, is a Dutch composer. Education Alfred Momotenko-Levitsky studied percussion at the Moscow State Art and Cultural University, Russia. In 1990, he was invited to perform in th ...

composed ''"Cecilia"'', a composition for full mixed choir, "a hymn to the past as well as to the future of the monastic tradition". The world premiere was at

Koningshoeven Abbey Koningshoeven Abbey ( nl, Abdij Koningshoeven, Abdij Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven) is a monastery of the Trappists (Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance) founded in 1881 in Berkel-Enschot in North Brabant, the Netherlands. Fou ...

on Saint Cecilia's feast day, 2014. *

wrote a

, a setting for the poem by

. *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

wrote the 1970 song "

Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...

" which title refers to the patron saint of music. *

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his form ...

wrote his

Mass for St. Cecilia's Day Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

for choir, harp, and drone (1983–86). * Stalk-Forrest Group (later name changed to Blue Öyster Cult), recorded a song St. Cecilia, the EP was later released under the SFG name as the St.Cecilia sessions. *

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

was commissioned to compose a work for the

Great Jubilee The Great Jubilee in 2000 was a major event in the Catholic Church, held from Christmas Eve (December 24) 1999 to Epiphany (January 6) 2001. Like other previous Jubilee years, it was a celebration of the mercy of God and forgiveness of sins. T ...

in Rome in 2000, and wrote (Cecilia, Roman virgin) for mixed choir and orchestra. The Italian text deals with the saint's life and martyrdom. It was first performed on 19 November 2000, close to her feast day, by the

conducted by Myung-whun Chung. *

composed "For St. Cecilia" for solo tenor, chorus (SATB), and orchestra. Setting of a work by English poet and author

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was als ...

. Duration ca 18 minutes. *

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

composed his "A Hymn for Saint Cecilia" for choir and organ in 1960, as commissioned by the

Worshipful Company of Musicians The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of ...

, with a text by

Ursula Vaughan Williams Joan Ursula Penton Vaughan Williams (née Lock, formerly Wood; 15 March 1911 – 23 October 2007) was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Biography Born in Valletta, Malta, th ...

. * On the 2015 Feast of Saint Cecilia,

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

released their EP "Saint Cecilia" for free download via their website. The five-song EP features a track named after the EP "Saint Cecilia". The EP was recorded during an impromptu studio session at Hotel Saint Cecilia located in Austin, Texas. * ''Informator Choristarum'' (organist and master of the choristers) at

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the st ...

, Oxford (1957–1981), Bernard Rose's unaccompanied anthem for SATB choir (with divisions) ''Feast Song For St. Cecilia'' (1974) is a setting a poem of the same name by his son, musician Gregory Rose. *

E. Florence Whitlock Ellen Florence Williams Whitlock (10 November 1889 – 13 October 1978) was a British composer, conductor and educator who was known professionally as E. Florence Whitlock. Biography Whitlock was born in Redruth, Cornwall, England. She studied v ...

composed ''Ode to St. Cecilia, Opus 5'', based on text by John Dryden, in 1958. * Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist, Rik Emmett, composed the song "Calling St. Cecilia" on his 1992 LP Ipso Facto. *

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...

release song “The Return of St. Cecilia” on their 2020 album “The Symbol Remains” * The Chicago band Turnt (now known as Everybody All The Time) released a song called Girls which refers to St Cecilia in the lyrics. The song was first performed at Northwestern University's Mayfest Battle of the Bands on Friday 24 May 2013 at 27 Live in downtown Evanston. * On 2008

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

's and

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

's album "

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today ''Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'' is the second collaborative studio album by David Byrne and Brian Eno, released on August 18, 2008, by Todo Mundo. Marking Byrne's eighth studio effort overall and Byrne a ...

", Cecilia is referred to in the song "The River". *

Iceage Iceage is a Danish punk rock band from Copenhagen. The band was formed in 2008 and has released the albums ''New Brigade'' (2011), ''You're Nothing'' (2013), ''Plowing Into the Field of Love'' (2014), ''Beyondless'' (2018), and ''Seek Shelte ...

release song “Dear Saint Cecilia” on their 2021 album

Seek Shelter ''Seek Shelter'' is the fifth studio album by Danish punk rock band Iceage. It was released on 7 May 2021, by Mexican Summer. A post-punk album with classic rock and Britpop influences, ''Seek Shelter'' experiments with diverse sounds that reca ...

* British pop band The Vamps released song "

Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart) "Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)" is a 2014 single by British pop band The Vamps, with a chorus adapted from Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 hit " Cecilia". The song appeared on their debut studio album ''Meet the Vamps'' (2014), but a later version feat ...

" on their 2014 debut studio album ''

Meet the Vamps ''Meet the Vamps'' is the debut studio album by British pop band The Vamps. It was initially released in Australia and New Zealand on 11 April 2014, and released in the United Kingdom through Virgin EMI Records on 14 April. The album includes th ...

'' * Welsh rock band

Holding Absence Holding Absence are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in 2015. The group consists of lead vocalist Lucas Woodland, guitarist Scott Carey, bassist Benjamin Elliot and drummer Ashley Green. The band released an initial collection of ...

released song "Saint Cecilia" on split EP "This Is as One" with British metal band Loathe in 2018. * Canadian band Ellevator released their song St. Cecelia in 2018 on their album Ellevator.

In literature

* The poem "Moschus Moschiferus", by Australian poet

A. D. Hope Alec Derwent Hope (21 July 190713 July 2000) was an Australian poet and essayist known for his satirical slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic. He was referred to in an American journal as "the 20th century's greatest 18th-centur ...

(1907–2000), is subtitled "A Song for St Cecilia's Day". The poem is of 12 stanzas and was written in the 1960s. * Cecilia is also the subject of Alexander Pope's poem "Ode on St. Cecilia's Day". *

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

retells the story of Cecilia and Valerian and his brother in "

" in ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''Masterpiece, ...

''. * Cecilia is a symbol for the divine power of music in

Heinrich von Kleist Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (18 October 177721 November 1811) was a German poet, dramatist, novelist, short story writer and journalist. His best known works are the theatre plays ''Das Käthchen von Heilbronn'', ''The Broken Jug'', ''Amphit ...

's extended anecdote "

St. Cecilia, or the Power of Music "St. Cecilia, or the Power of Music" (german: Die heilige Cäcilie oder die Gewalt der Musik) is a short story by the German author Heinrich von Kleist. The story was written on October 27, 1810 as a gift for daughter of his friend Adam Müller, a ...

". * Saint Cecilia features in the 1979 collection of short stories by

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

"The Bloody Chamber" in the story of the same name.

Gallery

File:Lelio Orsi 003.jpg, ''Saint Cecilia and Saint Valerian'',

Lelio Orsi Lelio Orsi (1508/1511 – 1587), also known as Lelio da Novellara, was a Mannerist painter and architect of the Reggio Emilia school in northern Italy. He was born and died in Novellara, and much of his work was completed in Reggio. He appear ...

(c. 1555) File:Domenichino.jpg, Domenichino, ''Saint Cecilia with an angel holding a musical score'', (c. 1617–18). File:Monvoisin, Raymond - Santa Cecilia -ost 77x63 PinUnConcep f03.jpg, ''Saint Cecilia'' by

Raymond Monvoisin '' 200px, Portrait of Andrés Bello '' Raymond Auguste Quinsac Monvoisin (May 31, 1790 – March 26, 1870) was a French artist and painter. Biography Monvoisin was born in Bordeaux. Although he initiated a career in the military by indication o ...

File:CeciliaCrownsItalianMaster.jpg, ''An Angel Crowning Saints Cecilia and Valerian'' (1330s) File:StaCeciliaCeciliaStatue.jpg, Statue from the porch of St. Cecilia, Trastevere File:CeciliaMaderno.jpg, Stefano Maderno, ''St. Cecilia'', 1599 File:Saint Cecilia Wymondley.jpg, ''Saint Cecilia Wymondley'' File:All Saints church, Preston Bagot - Saint Cecilia stained glass window 2016.jpg, ''Saint Cecilia'' stained glass by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...

in All Saints church,

Preston Bagot Preston Bagot is a village and civil parish in the Stratford district of Warwickshire, England, about west of the county town of Warwick. According to the 2001 census the population was 147, reducing to 127 at the 2011 census. History Pre ...

File:Franciscan-Sisters-Saint-Cecilia-window-vocations-fscc-calledtobe.org.jpg, Franciscan Sisters' Saint Cecilia window inspires vocations at Saint Mary's Chapel, Holy Family Convent Motherhouse in Manitowoc, WI Image:CeciliaCrownsDomenichino.jpg, ''The Crowns'' File:Domenichino - St Cecilia before the Judge - WGA06407.jpg, ''Cecilia's Trial'' File:CeciliaAlms.jpg, ''She distributes her goods to the poor'' File:Death of Saint Cecilia.jpg, ''Her death'' Image:StaCeciliaApseMosaic.jpg, The apse Image:StaCeciliaApseMosaic.left.jpg, Detail: left side Image:ApseMosaic.right.jpg, Detail: right side

References

Citations

External links

Catholic Online - Saints and Angels: ''St. Cecilia''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecilia 170s deaths 180s deaths 2nd-century births 2nd-century Roman women 2nd-century Romans 3rd-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Christian saints Ancient musicians Ancient singers Anglican saints Ante-Nicene Christian female saints Caecilii Incorrupt saints Italian musicians People executed by decapitation People executed by the Roman Empire Saints from Roman Italy