Biography of St. Cecilia:
The story of St. Cecilia,
like that of many of the saints venerated in the fourth and
fifth centuries, is by itself a romance, a story. According to
church history, Cecilia was a maiden of noble birth. At an early
age, she dedicated her life to God with a vow of chastity. She,
however, was betrothed and married to a young noble named
Valerian. On her wedding day, she prayed to the Lord and asked
Him to protect her virginity. History records, "The day on which
the wedding was to be held arrived and while musical instruments
were playing she was singing in her heart to God alone saying:
Make my heart and my body pure that I may not be confounded"
(McKinnon 46). Many historians believe that this text lead to
the eventual naming of Cecilia as the patroness of music. In the
original Latin, the term for musical instruments is "cantantibus
organis," and in later texts it was translated that she was
playing an organ instead of listening to music as she prayed
(McKinnon 46). St. Cecilia's prayers were answered, and Valerian
was willing to take her as his wife without forcing her to break
her vow. Not only did he accept her vow of chastity, he and his
brother Tiburtius were both converted to Christianity and were
baptized by Pope Urban I (Catholic On-line Encyclopedia). At
this time, Christianity was still illegal in Rome. Both Valerian
and his brother Tiburtius were soon discovered as professed
Christians and were martyred. Cecilia was discovered soon after
and met a similar fate. It required two attempts, however,
before the death of Cecilia was successful. She was first locked
in a bath in her own home to be suffocated by the steam. When
she emerged from the bath unharmed, she was then beheaded. The
stroke of the axe failed to sever her head from her body,
however, and she lived for three days. During this time, she saw
to the disbursement of her assets to help the poor, and she
donated her home to the ecclesiastical authorities to be used as
a church. In the fifth century, this church was considered to be
the one at Trastevere which bears her name. Cecilia is believed
to be buried at the Catacomb of Callistus.
As to historical truth,
much is left to question about the life of this virgin saint.
Valerian and Tiburtius seem to have been genuine martyrs, but
there is no evidence of Cecilia until the second-half of the
fifth century. The "Martynologium Hieronymianum" is the oldest
account of the story of St. Cecilia (Catholic On-line
Encyclopedia). Much is also left to question about Cecilia's
worth as the patroness of church music. She did not gain this
distinction until the late fifteenth century, and even then it
is believed to have been brought about by a misinterpretation of
a Latin text (see above paragraph).
St.
Cecilia in Literature and Art:
St. Cecilia is present in
both art and literature from the late fifth century on.
Pilgrim's flocked to see her relics, and she became the subject
of several mosaics, frescoes, and miniatures (McKinnon 46). She
was in no sense, however, associated with music during her
earliest depictions in art or literature. In fact, the seventh
century English scholar Aldhelm hightens the differences between
the secular music and the virtuous Cecilia. He describes it as
"the deadly music of the Sirens impelling the innocent [St.
Cecilia] to the peril of their lives" (McKinnon 46). In the
Middle Ages during the apex of the pilgrimage, Chaucer
(1343-1400) also makes direct reference to the virgin saint. He
devotes the Second Nun's Priest Tale to her, but in this
literary work as well she is not associated with music. In fact,
Chaucer presents an almost word-for-word translation of the Acts
of St. Cecilia in the tale:
And while the organs
maden melodie
To God alone in hart thus sang she:
'O Lord, my soule and eek my body gye
Unwemmed, lest confounded be.' (McKinnon 46)
It is not until late in the fifteenth century
that Cecilia quite suddenly began to be associated with music.
She was declared the patron saint of church music by several
musicians' guilds and began being regularly portrayed playing
the organ.
Along with St. Catherine, St. Cecilia is considered one of the
muses of poetic art. This fact helps to explain why she so often
appears in art. Another reason St. Cecilia appears widely in art
is because artists like to work with the "rapt expression"
associated with St. Cecilia's facial expressions (Jameson 345).
St. Cecilia, however, is confined mainly to Western art. The
oldest known art work of St. Cecilia is a rude drawing on the
wall of a catacomb at San Lorenzo, which dates from 817 AD
(Jameson 349). Another well-known piece of art with Cecilia as
the subject is the sculpture "St. Cecilia Lying Dead." It was
commissioned by Cardinal Sfondrati to commemorate the attitude
in which she was found (Jameson 347). Sir Charles Bell describes
the statue:
The body lies on its side, the limbs a little drawn up;
the hands are delicate and fine,--they are not locked, but
crossed at the wrist: the arms are stretched out. The drapery is
beautifully modeled, and modestly covers the limbs. The head is
enveloped in linen, but the general form is seen... (Jameson
347).
 In
the late fifteenth century, St. Cecilia begins to be associated
with music. Artists begin to portray her with an organ or
singing. Artists also like to paint her with cherubim at this
point. Before her association with music, St. Cecilia was
portrayed with a palm in one hand and the gospel often in the
other. She was also often depicted wearing either the martyr's
crown or a crown of roses (Jameson 351). The most celebrated
modern representation of the virgin saint is the painting by
Raphael (see right). It was commissioned as the alter piece for
her chapel in the church of San Giovanni-in-Monte near Bologna
(Jameson 350-51). In the picture
"she stands in the centre, in a rich robe of golden tint,
and her hair confined by a band of jewels. In her hand is a
small organ,--but seems about to drop it as she looks up,
listening with ecstatic expression to a group of angels, who are
singing above. Scattered and broken at her feet lie the
instruments of secular music... To the right of St. Cecilia
stands St. Paul... to the left, in front, the Magdalene,... and
behind her St. Augustine" (Jameson 351).
St.
Cecilia in Music:
The
Mass to St. Cecilia
There are five masses
written in honor of St. Cecilia. The following is located in the
Liber Usualis.
- Introit--"Loquebar"
(Located on page 1215 of the Liber Usualis)
- Collect--"Deus, qui
nos annua beatae Caeciliae Virginis et Martyris tuae
solemnitate laetificas:"(Located on page 1755 of the Liber
Usualis)
- Epistle--"Domine
Deus meus" (Located on page 1221 of the Liber Usualis)
- Gradual--"Audi,
filia, et vide" (Located on page 1755 of the Liber Usualis)
-
Alleluia--"Alleluia, Quinque prudentes" (Located on page
1339 of the Liber Usualis)
- Gospel--"Simile
erit regnum caelorum" (Located on page 1219 of the Liber
Usualis)
- Offertory--Afferentur
Regi" (Located on page 1219 of the Liber Usualis)
- Secret--"Haec
hostia Domine placationis et laudis, quaesumus:" (Located on
page 1756 of the Liber Usualis)
- Communion--"Confundantur"
(Located on page 1220 of the Liber Usualis)
-
Postcommunion--"Satiasti Domine familiam tuam muneribus
sacris:" (Located on page 1756 of the Liber Usualis)
Other Works in
Honor of St. Cecilia
Both Handel and Purcell made outstanding
contributions writing works to commemorate the virgin saint
(McKinnon 46).
Links:
Sites
Bibliography:
-
The Benedictines of
Solesmes, eds. The Liber Usualis with Introduction and
Rubics in English. Tourani, Belgium: Desclee & Co.,
1947.
-
Bond, George D., and
Richard Kieckhefer, eds. Sainthood: It's Manefestations
in World Religions. Berkley: University of California
Press, 1988.
-
Connolly, Thomas.
Mourning into Joy: Music, Raphael, and Saint Cecilia.
London: Yale University Press, 1994.
-
Cook, Albert S., eds.
The Life of St. Cecilia. Boston: Lamson, Wolfe and
Company, 1898.
-
Souillet, Jacques.
What is a Saint?. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1958.
-
Jameson, Anna Brownell
Murphy. Sacred and Legendary Art. 2nd edition.
London: Spottiswoodes and Show, 1850.
-
Kirsch, J.P.
Catholic Encyclopedia: Saint Cecilia. [http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/03471b.htm],
posted in 1997, accessed on 2/11/98.
-
Lamirande, Emilien.
the Communion of Saints. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1963.
-
McKinnon, James W.
"Cecilia." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians. Vol 3, London: Macmillian Publishers Limited,
1980.
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