Cross & Crown

As J. S. Bach wrote in his cantata, “Cross and crown are bound together,” so they are certainly united by one thing: both symbolically represent the greatest patrons of music. However great and powerful many kings may have felt themselves to be, their piety -such as that of Louis XIV- prompted them to commission numerous sacred works.

Under the protective mantle of the Church, women were already able in the Middle Ages to practise music and other arts and to publish compositions without a pseudonym. For example, Hildegard of Bingen issued her sacred vocal works, and the nun Isabella Leonarda composed not only sacred pieces but even sonatas.

The close connection between royal houses and the Christian faith in music is musically portrayed in the following programme, inviting the listener to experience the radiance of cross and crown, which time and again shines through in music.