''Les Béatitudes'',
(Op. 25), CFF 185, FWV 53,
[The work was never published with an Opus number.] is a French
oratorio
An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble.
Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
written by
César Franck
César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium.
He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...
from 1869 to 1879 and scored for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. The
text
Text may refer to:
Written word
* Text (literary theory)
In literary theory, a text is any object that can be "read", whether this object is a work of literature, a street sign, an arrangement of buildings on a city block, or styles of clothi ...
is a poetic meditation on the eight
beatitudes
The Beatitudes () are blessings recounted by Jesus in Matthew 5:3–10 within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mirror the blessings.
In ...
of
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, from the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
, by
Joséphine-Blanche Colomb. It was first performed, in reduced form, on 20 February 1879 at a private performance in Franck's home in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The full oratorio was not performed until after Franck's death, on 19 March 1893 in
Colonne.
The work, at nearly two hours, is among Franck's largest compositions. It is scored for orchestra, choir, and eight soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, 2 tenors, baritone, and 2 basses).
The work is divided into eight parts and a prologue:
*Prologue
*I. ''Bienheureux les pauvres d'esprit'' (Blessed are the poor in spirit)
*II. ''Bienheureux ceux qui sont doux'' (Blessed are the meek)
*III. ''Bienheureux ceux qui pleurent'' (Blessed are they that mourn)
*IV. ''Bienheureux ceux qui ont faim et soif de la justice'' (Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness)
*V. ''Heureux les miséricordieux'' (Blessed are the merciful)
*VI. ''Bienheureux ceux qui ont le cœur pur'' (Blessed are the pure in heart)
*VII. ''Bienheureux les pacifiques'' (Blessed are the peacemakers)
*VIII. ''Bienheureux ceux qui souffrent persécution pour la justice'' (Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake)
Recordings
*
Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970),
the Internationale Bachakade ...
conducting the SWR
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany.
History
The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orches ...
, with
Gilles Cachemaille, John Cheek, Keith Lewis
*
Armin Jordan conducting the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique and Chœurs de Radio France, with Louise Lebrun,
Jane Berbié,
Nathalie Stutzmann, et al.
*
Gergely Madaras conducting the
Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, with
Anne-Catherine Gillet,
David Bizic,
Héloïse Mas,
John Irvin
John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (miniseries), ada ...
et al.
Notes
External links
*
* Jean Robert. ''Les Béatitudes de César Franck''
Part 1 (general information)
*
**
* Norman Demuth (1949).
César Franck
'. New York: Philosophical Library, 1949. P. 163–171
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatitudes, Les
Oratorios
1879 oratorios
Compositions by César Franck
Oratorios based on the Bible
Works based on the Gospel of Matthew